BOSTON, MASS.- The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum announced Rebecca Ehrhardt has joined as the Museum’s new Chief Development Officer, effective July 2020.

Over the last eleven years, Ehrhardt has served as Senior Director of Development, Director of Individual Giving, and Major Gifts Officer for the Peabody Essex Museum. Among many other responsibilities, Ehrhardt developed and implemented principal and major gifts strategies for the PEM’s $650 million campaign.

“Rebecca brings exceptional Development experience, collaborative spirit, deep knowledge of the arts and museum sector, and personal commitment to the core values that we have articulated in our strategic plan,” said Peggy Fogelman, Norma Jean Calderwood Director of the Gardner Museum. “We’re fortunate and excited to have Rebecca join our leadership team here at the Gardner Museum.”




Ehrhardt’s career spans 20-plus years in fundraising at several large-scale organizations. During her time with the Boston Symphony Orchestra from 1996-2000, Ehrhardt held multiple titles including Director of Major Gifts. From 1994-1996, Ehrhardt was a Special Projects Officer for Historic Preservation at the University of Virginia. Ehrhardt began her career in 1991 at the American Museum of Natural History.

“I am delighted and humbled to join the Gardner community and work alongside tremendous colleagues to advance the bold vision and mission of this remarkable institution,” said Ehrhardt. “A belief in the power of art and creativity to change lives guides my work, and I look forward to the ways the Gardner can be a leader in sharing that power broadly and generously. I am tremendously excited to embark on this journey at such an important moment.”

Ehrhardt currently serves on several boards, including the Alumni Fund Board of Directors at Yale University and the Lynch van Otterloo YMCA Board of Directors in Marblehead, where she has helped shape the YMCA’s outreach and funding strategies to provide resources for disadvantaged families, youth, and children with autism.

A native of Pawling, New York, Ehrhardt graduated from Yale University with a degree in history. She now resides in Marblehead with her husband Larry and their three teen-aged children.