Philadelphia Museum of Art Loses Top Executives

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The Philadelphia Museum of Art is facing more leadership turnover, with the resignations of Chief of Staff Maggie Fairs and CFO Valarie McDuffie. This comes just months after the museum's former CEO, Sasha Suda, was fired following a controversial rebrand effort.

Why it matters

The Philadelphia Museum of Art has been in turmoil, with the high-profile departure of its CEO and now the resignations of two other top executives. This instability at the leadership level raises questions about the museum's direction and ability to effectively manage its operations and programming.

The details

Fairs and McDuffie were both hired in 2023 to join the museum's staff. McDuffie previously held executive roles at Rutgers University and Temple University, while Fairs came from a communications firm. Their resignations come just months after former CEO Sasha Suda was fired in November, following a unanimous board vote. Suda had led the museum's rebrand effort to change its name from the 'Philadelphia Museum of Art' to the 'Philadelphia Art Museum', which was met with controversy.

• Maggie Fairs and Valarie McDuffie were hired by the Philadelphia Museum of Art in 2023.
• Former CEO Sasha Suda was fired in November 2025, three years into a five-year contract.
• The resignations of Fairs and McDuffie occurred in February 2026.