Georgia O’Keeffe Museum Welcomes New Trustees and Staff, Names Three Honorary Trustees
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE–June 17, 2026–(Santa Fe, NM)– The Georgia O’Keeffe Museum is pleased to announce the addition of new Trustees and staff members whose expertise will support the Museum’s continued growth, as well as its commitment to preserve and share the legacy of Georgia O’Keeffe. These appointments strengthen the institution’s leadership across operations, scholarship, and community engagement, positioning the Museum to open an exciting new chapter.
Michael Brown retired from Wall Street after serving as Managing Director at Morgan Stanley in New York. He currently sits on the boards of directors of two investment-management companies, and for a decade before that, chaired their audit committees. His nonprofit service includes advising the National Office of The Nature Conservancy and serving nine years on the Board of Directors of Performance Santa Fe, six of those years as Board President. A published author with a deep interest in the Italian Renaissance, he is also an avid traveler and music enthusiast.
Tia Tanna serves as fashion curator, editorial lead, and associate director of the Tia Collection. From a young age, she regularly traveled to Santa Fe with her father as he built the namesake collection of Native American and Southwestern Art. Tanna earned her MA in Art History from the Courtauld Institute of Art, and a BA in Art History, Criticism, and Conservation from Barnard College. She is a board member of the Tate Museum in London, where she serves on its Photography Acquisitions Committee.
Todd Spilman, who became the Museum’s Director of Human Resources in September 2025, has over 25 years of experience in progressive senior human resource management. His work is anchored in cultivating the alignment of organizational goals and human capital, with expertise in organizational development, compensation, employee training, and strategic staffing. Spilman, who holds an MA in human resources management and organizational strategy, earned senior-level certification from the Society of Human Resources and is a credentialed compensation analyst. Previously, he had been the Director of Human Resources at the Institute of American Indian Arts since 2015.
Three Named Honorary Trustees for Years of Service
In the 29 years since the opening of the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum in 1997, dedicated guiding hands have provided steady support and expertise that allowed for growth and establishment. This year, the Museum recognized three women as Honorary Trustees for their considerable contributions to the Museum and to the legacy of Georgia O’Keeffe.
Elizabeth Glassman, a former member of the Museum’s National Advisory Committee, also served as the first Executive Director of the Georgia O’Keeffe Foundation. She later became president and CEO of the Terra Foundation. Her work has included roles with the Menil Collection in Houston, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, and the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC. In 2013, she joined the boards of the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Arkansas, and the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation in New York.
Dr. Barbara Buhler Lynes is an independent scholar and leading expert on Georgia O’Keeffe. She authored Georgia O’Keeffe: Catalogue Raisonné (Yale University Press, 1999) and numerous publications on O’Keeffe and her contemporaries. The founding Curator of the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum and Director of its Research Center (1999–2012), she has also taught at Vanderbilt University, Dartmouth College, and the Maryland Institute College of Art. She later served as Sunny Kaufman Senior Curator at Nova Southeastern University Art Museum in Fort Lauderdale, retiring in 2020.
Jill Cooper Udall is a lawyer, longtime arts advocate, and founding Officer of Cultural Affairs for the State of New Mexico. One of the first 100 women lawyers in the state, she concluded her legal career in 1999 when her husband, Senator Tom Udall, moved to Washington, DC. She has been a longtime advocate of the Museum and was instrumental in establishing the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum as a Board member, generously sharing legal expertise. She has also served on the boards of St. John’s College, SITE Santa Fe, the New Mexico School for the Arts, the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, the Santa Fe Community Foundation, and the IAIA Foundation. She holds degrees from Wellesley College and Columbia Law School.
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For media inquiries, contact:
Renee Lucero | Public Relations Manager, Georgia O’Keeffe Museum | 505-946-1063
ABOUT THE GEORGIA O’KEEFFE MUSEUM: Since 1997, the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum celebrates the art, life, and independent spirit of Georgia O’Keeffe. Located in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where Georgia O’Keeffe lived the final decades of her life, the O’Keeffe has sites and experiences in two historic destinations, Santa Fe and Abiquiú. For more information, please visit gokm.org
