The Philadelphia Museum of Art’s Board of Trustees has named Sasha Suda its new Director and CEO.

Suda, who is currently the Director and CEO of the National Gallery of Canada, will join one of the nation’s largest art museums, renowned for its exceptional and broad-ranging collection.

“We believe Sasha’s arrival will mark a new era of growth and civic engagement for the museum,” said Leslie Anne Miller, Chair of the Board of Trustees for the Philadelphia Museum of Art, in a statement. 

“She is an accomplished arts scholar with an inspiring vision for the museum’s future and… is the leader we need at this transformational moment,” she continued. 

Suda will be the successor to Timothy Rub, who announced his resignation of his Director & CEO position last summer, officially leaving the post in January 2022 after 13 years at the helm.  

Suda is a Canadian-born noted director, curator and community builder, who will join the Philadelphia Museum of Art from the National Gallery of Canada, where she has helped broaden and deepen the gallery’s relevance to diverse audiences in Ottawa, and across Canada.

In a statement, she wrote that she is honored to be joining the Museum, one that she has “long admired.”

“With its exceptional artistic program and internationally renowned collection, the museum is one of the world’s most important cultural institutions. I look forward to working collaboratively with the Board, the internal teams, and our partners to enhance the museum’s relevance and build on its success locally, nationally, and globally,” Suda continued. 

Suda is a graduate of Princeton University, where she earned a bachelor’s degree. She also holds a master’s in administration from Williams College, and a doctorate from the Institute of Fine Arts at New York University. 

Her career began in New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art. In 2011, she moved back to her hometown of Toronto to join the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) as Curator of European Art. 

During her tenure, she successfully restructured, revisioned, and reinvigorated all aspects of the AGO’s European works on paper collections and programs. Her exhibition, Small Wonders: Gothic Boxwood Miniatures, in particular, — which has been seen in Ontario, New York and Amsterdam — has received glowing reviews.

When she was named Director and CEO of the National Gallery of Canada in 2019, she became the youngest person to lead the Gallery since World War I.

Suda will officially join the Philadelphia Museum of Art on September 21, becoming the 14th director of the Museum’s 145-year history.