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Following the unexpected exit of Newfields chief executive Colette Pierce Burnette in November, the Indianapolis museum has been rapidly losing members from its board of trustees.
Jason Noyan, an executive director at the field office for J.P. Morgan Private Bank, was the latest to resign in December. He’s the sixth member of the board to leave since Burnette’s departure, according to the Indianapolis Business Journal. The other five trustees include Otto Frenzel IV, Gary Hirschberg, Adrienne Sims, Sherron Rogers, and Sean Huddleston.
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The only trustee to offer a reason for leaving thus far was Huddleston, whose spokesperson told the Indianapolis Business Journal that his “departure represents an unfortunate setback to the progress our community has made.”
In November, the Indianapolis Recorder newspaper acquired an email from Sims, which stated that she left because leadership decisions were not conducted “in an inclusive and consultative manner.”
Burnette came to the helm in August 2022 after her predecessor, Charles Venable, resigned due to a controversial job listing that sought candidates who would maintain Newfields‘ “traditional, core, white art audience.”
Ushering in a moment of change, Burnette was the first Black executive at Newfields. It remains unclear why she left her post. After her departure, Burnette was temporarily replaced by Michael Kubacki, a former trustee and banker who is white.
Following the six resignations, the board of trustees decreased from 30 to 24 members. Since then, two have been added: Robert Scheele, a Merrill Lynch executive who has served on the Newfields board of governors since 2021, and Leon Jackson, the chief executive of diversity in Leadership Program Inc.
“While we are unable to provide additional details around the current leadership transition at Newfields, we want to assure the community there is no change in our strategy, mission and values,” the board of trustees said in a statement. “Our focused efforts to recruit and retain diverse talent at every level of our organization will not cease.”
Additionally, according to the Indianapolis Business Journal, four members of the institution’s board of governors—Malina Simone Bacon, Chris Gahl, Isaac Bamgbose, and Barry Wormser—have also departed.
The board of trustees is Newfields’s sole governing body, with fiduciary responsibility. The board of governors is a cohort of volunteers who help the institution define programming and events.
