CLEVELAND, OH.- Following a national search, the Board of Directors for the Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland (moCa) has named Megan Lykins Reich its new Kohl Executive Director. The appointment was announced to staff and community partners by the board’s co-presidents, Joanne R. Cohen, Audra T. Jones and Stephen G. Sokany. Reich joined moCa in 2004, and has served as moCa’s interim executive director since June 2020.

‘‘We are thrilled to announce Megan Reich’s selection as moCa’s new executive director,” said Cohen, who served as chair of the search committee. “Megan is a leader who lives our artistic and programmatic mission every day, with a demonstrated commitment to helping moCa evolve as an institution. Although many candidates that we considered had strong skills, Megan’s talent, experience, and our first-hand knowledge of her capabilities made her our top choice.”

Added Jones, “Megan’s time at moCa has been marked by her unwavering intent to place art and artists at the center of everything we do. She has been insistent that we examine our efforts to engage underserved audiences and artists, expand representation of historically marginalized people in our staff and board, and strengthen our internal processes towards equity. She understands that advancing diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility requires the ongoing engagement of our board, our staff, and our community. She approaches this work not as a checklist, but rather a journey of learning and action.”

During her moCa tenure, Reich has organized or coordinated 34 exhibitions with more than 200 artists, written/edited 13 catalogues and books, produced hundreds of public programs, connected moCa to thousands of audience members, managed expenses at or under goal, supervised innumerable cross-departmental and interorganizational initiatives, and helped raise millions of dollars for the organization. She was a key senior supervisor for moCa’s new building project, has been responsible for collaborative programming with many of Cleveland’s leading institutions, served as a co-author of moCa’s most recent strategic plan, and led numerous initiatives to elevate engagement and inclusion across the museum’s programming and physical environment.




Launching her museum career as a fellow in the contemporary art department at the Cleveland Museum of Art, Reich joined moCa’s team in 2004 and has served as curatorial intern, curatorial fellow, assistant curator, director of education, associate curator, and deputy director. For the past year and a half, she has led moCa as interim executive director, succeeding Jill Snyder, who left the museum in June 2020. During her time as interim executive director, among other noteworthy achievements, Reich succeeded at eliminating a projected budget deficit by leveraging special opportunities and stewarding donors. She continues to serve on moCa’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility Committee, working with staff and board to develop an equity-centered culture through updates to areas such as recruitment practices, governance policies, and collaborative planning.

“I am excited and humbled to have been chosen to continue leading moCa,” said Reich. “I intend to work alongside our board and our staff to continue delivering on the unique and important mission of this contemporary art institution. moCa’s work with artists and our community is incredibly rich with great potential, both for Cleveland and the world beyond.”

“We know we must look critically and with a fresh eye to build the deeper and lasting connections we want with our partners, the community, and the artists we serve,” said Sokany. “Megan is a convener whose leadership focuses on collaboration and shared vision. We did an exhaustive search – and realized we had the right person directly in our midst.”

“moCa, like art museums across the country, must apply its learnings and demonstrate an authentic commitment to nurturing a culture of welcome, equitable collaboration on the creation, interpretation, and development of art.” Reich added. “I will continue to prioritize this approach in my new role, and I look forward to working together with our team and the community to center the critical work and creative thinking of artists.”

Reich graduated as class valedictorian from The Pennsylvania State University’s School of Visual Arts, where she earned two Bachelor of Arts degrees in art history and studio art. She holds a Master of Arts degree in art history & museum studies from Case Western Reserve University, where she also conducted doctoral research. Identified as a “Non-Profit Leader to Watch” by Crain’s Cleveland Business in 2015, and a member of the Leadership Cleveland Class of 2020, Reich has presented at many conferences, juried art programs and competitions, and has served on boards, steering, and planning committees for numerous arts, education, and cultural organizations.

Reich’s appointment heralds an exciting new season for moCa and its institutional residency partner, Museum of Creative Human Art (MCHA). Eight new solo exhibitions and special collaborative projects will unveil in late January that support and advance the practices of contemporary artists, with particular focus on expanding the representation of marginalized communities. Among the artists featured this season are Jerome AB, J.J. Adams, Robert Banks, Dexter Davis, Amber N. Ford, Aram Han Sifuentes, Ryan Harris (presented by MCHA), Dana Oldfather, and Puppies Puppies (Jade Kuriki Olivo).