PHILADELPHIA, PA.- Lynn Tomaszewski has been appointed chief academic officer/academic dean at Moore College of Art & Design, the first and only historically all-women’s art and design school in the nation.

In her new role, Tomaszewski will work in partnership with the entire campus community to move the College into the next significant and promising new phase of the institution’s history, and contribute to the inspiring work of establishing Moore as one of the best art and design colleges in the country. She will oversee development of new curricula, new programs and new organizational structures, cultivating a vibrant and holistic student experience. She will also play a significant role in BFA recruitment and enrollment efforts, will help to identify compelling funding initiatives and will take an active role in Moore’s alumni and donor engagement efforts.

“I am honored to join Moore College of Art & Design as the chief academic officer/academic dean,” Tomaszewski said. “Moore has a distinct 170-year history as the only visual arts college for women in the country and I am thrilled to work with faculty and leadership to build upon this history. I look forward to building the reputation of Moore as a place that attracts the best artists, designers and scholars, locally and globally, to contribute to the College and to benefit from it.”




Before coming to Moore, Tomaszewski served as director of the School of Art + Art History in the College of the Arts at the University of Florida. Previous administrative experiences include serving as associate dean of graduate studies at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and chair of foundations at the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design where she was also on the faculty for 16 years. Tomaszewski will join Moore July 1, 2021, assuming the role now held by Patricia C. Phillips.

“We are thrilled that Lynn Tomaszewski is joining Moore to lead the academic vision of the College,” said Cecelia Fitzgibbon, president of Moore College of Art & Design. “She has extensive experience in art and design education leadership and has spent years in large universities and small arts-focused colleges. The breadth of her experience will serve Moore as we pursue our commitment to continuous improvement in the curricular realm by attracting exceptional students, offering meaningful scholarships and supporting our remarkable faculty. Lynn will also guide the reimagined Locks Career Center to capitalize on our extensive network of industry colleagues and to continue our practice of inspiring careers in the creative sector. The world needs Moore and Ms. Tomaszewski will help us deliver on that promise.”

Tomaszewski is an interdisciplinary artist whose conceptually driven visual practice explores how technology facilitates and alters perception. Her paintings, drawings, coding and video work often involve the accumulation of images or actions into unified perceptual fields. Her work has been nationally and internationally exhibited in over 85 solo and group shows. Tomaszewski has an MFA in printmaking from the San Francisco Art Institute, and a BFA in studio art from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She and her husband, Tim Fojtik, are the parents of two daughters, Lydia and Oona.

Patricia C. Phillips, who assumed the chief academic officer role in 2016, has had an esteemed and impactful career in art and design education, including high-ranking positions at institutions such as Rhode Island School of Art & Design and Cornell University. She looks forward to dedicating more time and attention to writing and curatorial projects; to volunteering for nonprofits; to embracing the flexibility and spontaneity to travel; and to enjoying the company of friends and family.

“The entire community at Moore College of Art & Design has had the great fortune of working with Patti Phillips as chief academic officer,” said President Fitzgibbon. “Every component of academics has been positively affected and enhanced by her expertise, intelligence, thoughtfulness, and her acute sense of what goes into a world-class art and design education. As a published scholar, art critic and student of art, she has brought an incredible breadth of knowledge to Moore and has made us better for it.”