Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution Announces the Appointment of Jenny L. Williams  as Associate Director for Advancement

Jenny L. Williams

The Archives of American Art is pleased to announce the appointment of Jenny L. Williams, as associate director for advancement. Williams will be based in the Archives’ Washington, D.C. Headquarters. For the time being, she will work remotely in Washington, as the Archives’ research centers remain temporarily closed due to COVID-19.

Williams studied at the Universität Wien; earned her B.A. in history and German from Salem College, Winston-Salem, NC; and completed graduate studies towards a Ph.D. at the University of North Carolina’s Center for Slavic and East European Studies.

Earlier in her career, Williams was a fellow at The World of NGOs based in Vienna, Austria, completing research on the preservation of art and cultural heritage in the Balkans following the Yugoslav Wars of 1991–2001 and worked for the University of North Carolina’s Kenan-Flagler Business School as a development writer and annual fund associate. She also served as an intern at the Reynolda House Museum of American Art.

Williams most recently served as an independent consultant, providing counsel on fundraising efforts, public programming, brand-building, and organizational development and was Director of Individual Giving and Campaign at Salzburg Global Seminar. Prior to that, she had a decade-long career with the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Natural History, where she was responsible for the Museum's $224 million campaign to renovate three permanent Museum exhibitions; to preserve and protect the Museum's 146-million collections of scientific specimens and cultural artifacts; to fund education and outreach initiatives; and to support scientific research.

She brings to her work at the Archives more than twenty years of experience, with an emphasis in strategic planning for capital campaigns, and a passion for the visual arts.

Media Contact: Abby Addams | Blue Medium, Inc.
+1 (212) 675-1800 | abby@bluemedium.com