MIAMI, FLA.- Pérez Art Museum Miami announced the new senior appointments of Emma Heald as Director of Development and René Morales as Director of Curatorial Affairs and Chief Curator, and changes to the museum staff, including Marie Vickles as Director of Education and Mark B. Rosenblum as Chief Operating Officer.
“Each member of PAMM’s staff plays a vital role in the museum’s success. As Miami’s flagship art museum, we are always diversifying our programming to meet our audiences’ needs and growing the collection at an astounding pace, with works of art that should provide the backdrop to many meaningful dialogues with audiences here in the museum and via the internet in the future,” said PAMM Director Franklin Sirmans. “Our development team is on track for a significant year of fundraising as we further implement the Impact Fund—PAMM’s new mechanism for annual support—and as we move into 2020. We have good and sound financial health but perhaps most importantly, we touched the lives of 28,000 children alone through PAMM's free arts education programs in 2019."
These staff members will continue to uphold the museum’s mission to enhance the arts in South Florida and beyond through dynamic public programming, new initiatives, and exhibitions that represent the diversity of the community.
Emma Heald joined PAMM in 2014 as Grants Manager with responsibility for all aspects of foundation relations and government grants. She became the museum’s Director of Foundation Relations in 2018, and took on the interim management of the development department in the summer of 2019. She manages PAMM’s nine-person development department, overseeing corporate relations, individual giving, and fundraising events. Prior to joining PAMM, Heald worked at HistoryMiami for 13 years, most recently as VP of Development. Before beginning her museum career, Heald was an investment banker with Rothschild & Sons in Mexico City, working on mergers and acquisitions and project finance in Mexico and Central America. She was previously a diplomat with the Foreign & Commonwealth Office, serving as Economic Attaché at the British Embassy in Mexico City. Born in London, Heald has a Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts in English language and literature from the University of Oxford, and a Graduate Certificate in museum studies from Harvard University. She is bilingual in English and Spanish.
René Morales recently moved into the role of Director of Curatorial Affairs and Chief Curator at PAMM, where he has organized over 50 exhibitions. Recent projects include Christo and Jeanne-Claude: Surrounded Islands, 1980–83 (2018), Dara Friedman: Perfect Stranger (2017), Sarah Oppenheimer: S-281913 (2016), Susan Hiller: Lost and Found (2016), Marjetica Potrc: The School of the Forest (2015), Nicolas Lobo: The Leisure Pit (2015), Global Positioning Systems: Selections from the PAMM Collection (2014–15), Amelia Peláez: The Craft of Modernity, A Human Document: Selections from the Sackner Archive of Concrete and Visual Poetry, and Monika Sosnowska: Market (2013–14). Morales spearheaded the acquisition of over 300 works from the Sackner Archive for PAMM’s collection, with the support of the Knight Foundation. He is a 2019 recipient of the prestigious Center for Curatorial Leadership Fellowship, and served as a juror for the Whitney Museum’s 2019 Bucksbaum Prize. He sits on the board of the City of Miami Art in Public Places program, as well as the Professional Advisory Committee of the Miami-Dade County Art in Public Places program. Prior to joining PAMM, he worked at the Museum of Art, Rhode Island School of Design, in Providence, where he organized and co-organized several exhibitions, including Island Nations: New Art from Cuba, the Dominican Republic, and Puerto Rico. Morales studied at Swarthmore College, where he received a Bachelor of Arts in biopsychology and art history, and Brown University, where he received a Master of Arts in art history, focusing on the work of Odilon Redon.
Marie Vickles is the Director of Education at PAMM and has served in various roles in the education department since October 2013. She also maintains an active practice as an independent curator, with work on over 30 exhibitions since 2003. Vickles has administered and organized arts educational programs, workshops, and exhibitions across the United States and the Caribbean for over 15 years. She completed her studies at F.I.T. in New York City, and Florida State University, which includes degrees in both visual arts and public administration with a minor in education. She currently serves the City of Miami as a board member for the Arts and Entertainment Council. In her work as an arts educator and cultural practitioner, she is concerned with the development of new ways to bridge the connections between creativity and community engagement—with the goal of encouraging sustainability and access for all through the arts.
Mark B. Rosenblum joined PAMM as Deputy Director for Finance and Operations and Chief Financial Officer in 2015. His title has recently changed to Chief Operating Officer, overseeing the many support services of the museum. Rosenblum has over 30 years of experience in nonprofit management, including senior positions at multiple iconic Miami cultural institutions. Prior to joining PAMM, he was Chief Financial Officer at Florida Grand Opera. He was previously Chief Financial Officer at Miami Children’s Museum, and prior to that was Senior Director of Operations at the Adrienne Arsht Center. It all began with him spending 16 years working at the Miami City Ballet, ending in the position of General Manager. Rosenblum received a Bachelor’s degree in finance from the University of Texas, Austin, and holds a Master’s degree in business administration from Florida International University. His current responsibilities include integration of the following functions: finance, human resources, IT, marketing and communications, legal and government affairs, visitor services and membership, facility operations, security, special events, food and beverage, and the gift shop.
