(New York, September 30, 2022)—The Metropolitan Museum of Art announced today that after a comprehensive, international search, Whitney W. Donhauser has been appointed Deputy Director and Chief Advancement Officer for the Museum. Donhauser comes to The Met from the Museum of the City of New York (MCNY), where she has served as the Ronay Menschel Director and President since 2016. During her tenure at MCNY, she significantly increased the public visibility, financial stability, organizational efficiency, and community outreach of this important New York institution. She’ll join the Museum in January 2023.
“Whitney Donhauser is a highly respected leader and museum professional and an expert fundraiser,” said Max Hollein, Marina Kellen French Director of the Museum. “She brings to the role extensive experience, a love of museums, a vast network of relationships, and infectious energy, along with her deep knowledge of The Met and an appreciation for the unique role that this institution plays in New York City and the world. We’re thrilled to welcome Whitney to the Museum.”
As Deputy Director and Chief Advancement Officer at The Met, Donhauser will oversee a broad range of development, special events, and membership activities and support trustee relations activities. Reporting directly to Hollein, and in close exchange with Museum President and CEO Daniel H. Weiss and The Met’s Board of Trustees, Donhauser will lead the Museum’s efforts to deepen and broaden its engagement with current and prospective donors locally, nationally, and internationally. The Museum has an annual operating budget of approximately $300 million and an endowment with a current market value of approximately $4 billion. More than half of the annual budget is received through philanthropy.
“It’s a joy and an honor to join The Met in this key role,” said Donhauser. “I look forward to working across this institution, and with donors, supporters, and members near and far to continue to strengthen the culture of philanthropy for one of the greatest arts institutions in the world. The Met is very special to me, not only as a place where I learned so much professionally, but importantly as a place that I love dearly as a life-long art lover and museum visitor.”
Whitney W. Donhauser
As director and president at the Museum of the City of New York, Whitney Donhauser led the organization successfully through the COVID-19 pandemic, ensuring long-term financial health and stability for the museum. During her tenure, the organization doubled its endowment, raising more than $8 million in support for pandemic relief in addition to over $8 million for its Centennial Campaign. Under her leadership, MCNY also made significant investments in its digital marketing and content infrastructure, boosting the museum’s digital visitor engagement and fundraising through innovative, award-winning content and campaigns. Prior to her role at MCNY, Donhauser served as Senior Advisor to the President at The Metropolitan Museum of Art under Emily K. Rafferty. In that role, she led a committee to enhance the Museum’s revenue streams and worked to develop a long-term architectural feasibility plan, among other responsibilities. Donhauser also contributed to the execution of a number of capital construction projects.
Donhauser received a Bachelor of Arts from Vassar College in New York, and a degree from the Royal Society of Art at Christie’s Education in London, England. She was Manhattan Chair for the Cultural Institutions Group from 2016–20, and a committee member for the Association of Art Museum Curators Program.
About The Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Met presents art from around the world and across time for everyone to experience and enjoy. The Museum lives in two iconic sites in New York City—The Met Fifth Avenue and The Met Cloisters. Millions of people also take part in The Met experience online. Since it was founded in 1870, The Met has always aspired to be more than a treasury of rare and beautiful objects. Every day, art comes alive in the Museum's galleries and through its exhibitions and events, revealing both new ideas and unexpected connections across time and across cultures.
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September 30, 2022
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