Black women are now leading the boards of two major US museums. In Minneapolis, Seena Hodges became the first African American and the first person of color to lead the board of the Walker Art Museum. Hodges, who runs the DEI consulting firm Woke Coach, has served on the Walker board in various capacities prior to this appointment. She will guide the organization as it embraces its new 5-year strategic plan and noted in a statement recently, “I have always been fascinated by how art connects us to others through its ability to simultaneously shift and broaden our understanding and perspectives.” Seena is also working on a book titled, From Ally to Accomplice: How to Lead as a Fierce Antiracist.
In Seattle, well-known leader and community activist, Dr. Constance W. Rice, became chair of the Seattle Art Museum Board after having served in various capacities including on the Education and Community Engagement Committee and the Equity Task Force during her tenure on the board beginning in 1995. Rice is a highly regarded leader whose professional career includes posts with Seattle Colleges, the Desmond Tutu Peace Foundation, and Casey Family Foundation and she is the president of Very Strategic Group, a consulting firm for executive coaching and educational policies. As the wife of Seattle’s only Black Mayor to date, Constance is also highly regarded for the Health and Nutrition Programs she established for seven elementary schools in the Seattle area.
