Philadelphia Museum of Art’s CFO, chief of staff resign amid months of staffing turmoil

From Philly and the Pa. suburbs to South Jersey and Delaware, what would you like WHYY News to cover? Let us know!

More resignations have been handed in at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, months after its former CEO was ousted and as it backs away from a controversial rebranding campaign.

Chief of Staff Maggie Fairs and CFO Valarie McDuffie have both resigned, and at this time, “no additional changes are expected,” according to a statement from PMA.

“The museum remains focused on the exhibitions and programming for the year ahead, not only in celebration of the nation’s 250th year but the 150th anniversary of the Philadelphia Museum of Art,” the statement reads.

Fairs and McDuffie were both brought on to the museum’s staff in 2023. Before joining PMA, McDuffie held executive roles at Rutgers University and Temple University, where she served as director of the Temple Performing Arts Center. Fairs previously was the senior vice president for communications firm Weber Shandwick and the head of communications for the government-funded Innovation Asset Collective.

The two departures come just months after former CEO Sasha Suda was fired in November during the third year of a five-year contract, following a unanimous board vote. Suda was hired in 2022 on a $720,000 annual salary and led the rebrand rollout and name change, from the “Philadelphia Museum of Art” to the “Philadelphia Art Museum.”

The art museum alleges Suda misappropriated funds and lied to cover it up before she was terminated. A lawsuit claims she repeatedly asked for raises and ultimately awarded herself three increases — two in 2024 and another in July 2025. Suda’s attorney said her dismissal was baseless and alleged a “corrupt and unethical faction” of the board opposed her modernization efforts.

PMA appointed Daniel H. Weiss as its new CEO, an art historian who served as the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York’s CEO until he stepped down two years ago.