DALLAS, TX.- In a recent election held by the Dallas Museum of Art Board of Trustees, the 2022–2023 Board of Trustees was approved, including four new Officers and 12 elected Trustees representing diverse backgrounds, international leadership expertise and distinction in business, technology, building design and creative industries.

The Officers Nominating Committee, chaired by Catherine Marcus Rose, announced that Gowri Natarajan Sharma, former Vice President, was unanimously elected President of the Board of Trustees. Trustees Jeffrey S. Ellerman, Sheryl Adkins-Green and Venu Menon were elected Chairman of the Board, Vice President and Secretary, respectively. Jun Il Kwun will continue his tenure as Treasurer in his second year as a Board officer. Sharma is the first person of color to be elected President of the DMA’s Board of Trustees, and the 2022–2023 elected officers are the most diverse in the Museum’s history.

Gowri Natarajan Sharma joined the DMA Board of Trustees in 2017 and previously served on the Executive Committee as Vice President. Sharma was co-chair of the Strategic Planning Committee with Tom Lentz and chaired the Learning & Engagement Committee. She currently serves on the Building & Grounds Committee and is a member of the DMA Acquisition Fund created by the Dallas Art Fair. Sharma was a founding board member of UNICEF North Texas and Central Plains Region. She has been an Executive Member of the Orchid Giving Circle at Texas Women’s Foundation (TXWF) and will be on the Executive Board and Programs Committee Chair at TXWF in the coming year. Sharma is Chair of the Construction Committee and an Executive Committee Member at The Lamplighter School. She currently sits on the Advisory Board of talkStem. Sharma holds a Master’s in Architecture and serves as an architectural advisor for her family’s business interests. Sharma succeeds Catherine Marcus Rose in her role as President of the Board of Trustees.

Jeffrey S. Ellerman is the vice chairman of CBRE Group, where he has maintained a successful career in office tenant representation in Dallas for 39 years. Ellerman joined the DMA Board of Trustees in 2016 and previously served as Chair of the Development Committee. He currently serves on the Executive Committee and Committee on Trustees and Governance. Ellerman is also the founder and chairman of Circuit Trail Conservancy, a nonprofit organization that is building “The Loop,” a 50-mile active transportation system in the core of Dallas that will join 11 miles of new trails to 39 miles of existing trails to increase access to public transportation and green space throughout the city. Ellerman is involved with Southern Methodist University in various capacities and serves on the Board of Treasure Street, an annual fundraiser for Scottish Rite Hospital. Ellerman succeeds previous Chairman of the Board William M. Lamont, Jr. and Interim Chairman of the Board Walter Elcock.

Mary Kay’s Chief Marketing Officer, Sheryl Adkins-Green, leads the global brand marketing strategy that keeps the Mary Kay brand and business opportunity relevant and competitive around the world. Adkins-Green was first elected to the DMA Board of Trustees in 2012 and currently serves on the Marketing Committee. She has previously chaired the Marketing Committee and served on the Building & Grounds Committee. A Forbes Top 50 CMO influencer, Adkins-Green received the 2021 Top 100 Women in Marketing Award by Brand Innovators, the CMO Leadership Award in 2020 and was included in BLACK ENTERPRISE’s 2019 Most Powerful Women in Corporate America List. Adkins-Green serves on the Board of Trustees of Texas Christian University. Adkins-Green succeeds Gowri Sharma as Vice President.

Dr. Venugopal Menon retired from Texas Instruments in 2019 after a 24-year career as Vice President of Technology. Menon has served in a wide variety of roles on the Board of Trustees since 2009, including as a member of the Budget & Finance Committee and as Treasurer from 2014 to 2015. He currently serves on the Executive and Investment Committees and is Chair of the Marketing Committee. Menon is a member of the Executive Board of the Lyle School of Engineering at SMU. Menon succeeds Peggy Sewell in the role of Secretary.




Jun Il Kwun is Founder and Managing Director of Actium Group. Kwun has served as a member of the Board of Trustees since 2017 and as Chair of the Investment Committee since 2020.

Following seven successful years of exemplary leadership as President of the Board of Trustees from 2015 to 2022, Catherine Marcus Rose will continue her service on the Board as Past President for the next two years.

The Committee on Trustees & Governance, chaired in 2021–2022 by Sophia Johnson, unanimously nominated and elected, and the Board of Trustees approved, the following twelve individuals to serve as trustees for a three-year term: Victor Almeida, Chairman, Interceramic, Inc.; John W. Carpenter, III, Principal and General Partner, Miramar Holdings; J. Patrick Collins, Co-founder and CEO, Cortez Resources; Brent English, Global Diversity, Equity, Inclusions (DEI) Lead, Ralph Lauren; Gene Jones, Dallas Cowboys Organization; Max Lamont, Co-founder and Managing Partner, Montgomery Street Partners, Cristina Lynch; Kelli Questrom, The Allen and Kelli Questrom Foundation; Katherine Perot Reeves; Marcia Dunn Sobel, Ophthalmologist; Gayle Stoffel; and Dennis Wong, President and Chief Investment Officer, Verbena Road Holdings, Ltd.

Representative trustees elected to serve in the 2022–2023 Board year include: Flauren Bender and Louise Marsh, DMA Family Forum; Tara Bond-Freeman, DMA League; Laurel Bush, DMA Junior Associates; Bela Cooley and Leigh Anne Clark, Art Ball 2023 Co-Chairs; Mary McDermott Cook, President, The McDermott Art Fund; George T. Lee, Jr., Foundation for the Arts; Cindy Rachofsky, Co-host, TWO x TWO for AIDS and Art. Ex-officio trustees include Dr. Harry Robinson, Jr., African American Museum; Macey Davis, City of Dallas Office of Arts and Culture (OAC) Commissioner; Allison Gaughan, Junior League Dallas; and Chase Proctor, Legal Affairs.

Additionally, the Museum announced the election of the following trustees to a second three-year term: Thaddeus Arroyo, Kathryn Hall, Sophia Johnson, Barbara Thomas Lemmon, Brendan McGuire and Vaughn O. Vennerberg, II.

Those Trustees who completed their elected terms at the final Board Meeting, and who have provided generous time, expertise and passion to the Dallas Museum of Art, include Thomas Cranfill Campbell, Stuart Bumpas, Nancy Dedman, Amy Faulconer, Melissa Foster Fetter, Nancy Halbreich, Elisabeth Karpidas, Tom Lentz, Nancy Rogers, Peggy Sewell, Sogand Shoja, Brian Bolke, Jan Clay, Phillip Collins and Alexandra Bacalao.

“At its heart, the DMA is a collage of different cultures, ideas and perspectives,” says newly elected Board President Gowri Sharma. “The Board of Trustees recognizes their critical role in the stewardship and leadership of the Museum and is committed to working with and amplifying community voices to connect with the diverse area the Museum serves. We are proud to have a Board that reflects the values of our region and look forward to welcoming visitors to discover their own inspiration within the walls of the DMA.”