PITTSBURGH, PA.- Carnegie Museum of Art announced today three new senior leadership hires. The museum named Ronald Lee Newman as Deputy Director; Dana Bishop-Root as Director of Education and Public Programs; and Aryn Beitz in the role of Director of Design and Publishing.




“I am delighted to welcome Ronald, Dana, and Aryn to our senior leadership team,” said Eric Crosby, the museum’s Henry J. Heinz II Director. “Since I began as Director in March 2020, I have been committed to building a collaborative and inclusive senior leadership team that reflects exemplary experience and diverse backgrounds and points of view. As Carnegie Museum of Art embarks on its next chapter of change and growth, I am confident that Ronald, Dana, and Aryn, along with our colleagues across the entire museum team, will discover innovative ways to realize our mission and serve our audiences through new programs, practices, and partnerships.”

As CMOA’s new Deputy Director, Ronald Lee Newman will maintain the museum’s day-to-day business operations to advance its strategic goals. He will partner closely with museum leadership on organizational initiatives, strategic planning, and policy decisions, and contribute leadership for institutional partnerships by guiding the implementation of programs that broaden the museum’s reach, increase its audience, and advance its reputation. Newman comes to CMOA from the August Wilson Society in Washington, D.C., where he served as a board member and interim Communications Director. Beforehand, he spent time in Pittsburgh as the Managing Director of the August Wilson African American Cultural Center. Newman managed the Center’s daily operations, advanced institutional relationships, and oversaw facilities, production management, patron services, and the development of organizational structure procedures. Prior to this role, Newman worked at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, D.C. for over a decade as Director of Operations and Collaborative Programming. During his tenure, he oversaw operations of the school. He also managed audience and patron services, safety and security, licensing and events, and contracted production and operations staff. Notably, he served as the Project Director for the modernization and expansion of the Duke Ellington School; is the founder and former Chair of the school’s Technical Design and Production Department; and a founding member of the school’s Alumni Association.

Dana Bishop-Root will serve as CMOA’s new Director of Education and Public Programs, in which she will expand the museum’s capacity as a public resource for the region. Through cross disciplinary partnerships, she will lead efforts to create, implement, and evaluate a wide range of innovative educational programs, activities, and artist projects that connect a multiplicity of visitors to art, ideas, and one another. Bishop-Root will also be integral to advancing CMOA’s commitment to expand diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion both internally and externally. She joins CMOA from the Braddock Carnegie Library Association (BCLA), where she most recently served as Associate Director. During her tenure, Bishop-Root’s leadership spanned efforts across arts education, community engagement, and strategic planning and partnerships. Prior to BCLA, Bishop-Root spent time in New York City as Program Manager for Publicolor, where she developed and implemented creative learning job training curriculum for middle and high school youth. Throughout her career, Bishop-Root has served and continues to serve as an organizational facilitator with a focus on social justice. She also collaboratively teaches Carnegie Mellon University’s M.F.A Contextual Practice Seminar and leads a series of dialogical public programs at the Miller ICA. Bishop-Root is a founding member of the Pittsburgh-based artist collectives Transformazium and General Sisters. Through place-based artistic practices, each collaboration grows and creates alongside local systems of communication, exchange, and resource distribution. Transformazium participated in the 2013 Carnegie International through the Art Lending Collection at Braddock Carnegie Library.

In the new role of Director of Design and Publishing, Aryn Beitz will lead the reimagining of CMOA’s visual identity and oversee the museum’s publication initiatives, as well as the design and implementation of the Carnegie International. Additionally, she will continue to develop CMOA’s in-house design and editorial department, expanding the role of graphic design in the delivery of the museum’s artistic program. Beitz most recently held the post of Designer for The Shed in New York City, where she supported the organization’s interdisciplinary programming, while also assisting with the development and implementation of The Shed’s visual identity. Prior to The Shed, Beitz worked as an in-house designer at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, collaborating across all departments to conceptualize, develop, and design materials across various platforms. She spearheaded visual identity for the exhibition Siah Armajani: Follow This Line, including the accompanying show catalogue and associated graphics. While working as a Digital Content Producer at the global architecture firm Gensler, Beitz shaped strategy and policy around digital platforms; developed digital experiences; and researched, wrote, and edited for the firm’s publication. Beitz has also worked as a contributing writer for various design publications and online journals.