STOCKBRIDGE, MASS..- Norman Rockwell Museum announced three appointments to refreshed Museum leadership positions. Hilary Dunne Ferrone has assumed the role of Chief Philanthropy Officer to lead Norman Rockwell Museum’s annual fundraising campaign and to align its fundraising programs with the Museum’s strategic initiatives and overall strategic growth plan. Kathryn Potts has been named Chief Learning and Engagement Officer, responsible for developing engaging learning content and programming to inspire the Museum’s visitors, community members, and digital audiences. Potts will oversee the Museum Guides and build on the Museum’s long tradition of excellent public education and interpretive work. Tiffani Silverman joins the Museum as its new Director of People and Culture to develop strategic human resources initiatives and programs and foster and deepen a culture of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging.

“We are delighted to welcome these three dynamic professionals to the Museum leadership team,” said Norman Rockwell Museum Director/CEO Laurie Norton Moffatt. “We feel so fortunate to have the ideas, passion, and experience of these innovative leaders to carry forward our meaningful work of engaging and inspiring our visitors, digital audiences, donors and supporters, community members, and colleagues.”

The new leaders build on the work of three outgoing members of the Norman Rockwell Museum leadership team. Former Chief Audience Officer Sue Elliott was named General Director and CEO of the Calgary Opera in Canada earlier this fall. Ellen Spear, who as Chief Philanthropy Officer secured funding for transformational projects during her five-year tenure with the Museum, is now Editor of Berkshires Week, the Berkshire Eagle’s guide to cultural and community happenings in the region. The Museum recently celebrated the contributions of longtime Director of Human Resources Holly Coleman, who retired after nearly 25 years of distinguished service.

The Museum is also pleased to announce the hiring of Cindy Cohen as Finance Associate. Cohen has worked as an accounting manager and controller for companies in real estate, construction, and related industries in the Boston area as well as Arizona. Now living in the Berkshires, she has volunteered with the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center and Aston Magna Music Festival.

New Museum Leadership Bios

Hilary Dunne Ferrone is a senior fundraising professional who has spearheaded fundraising at several Berkshire-area organizations, including Bard College at Simon’s Rock, Spencertown Academy Arts Center, and most recently Berkshire Museum. She brings over 25 years of experience in nonprofit strategic planning, philanthropy, program development, and management for arts, higher education, and government organizations. As a seasoned nonprofit leader, Ferrone has devoted her career to the success of community organizations in the Berkshire Taconic region. A graduate of Hamilton College with a B.A. in History, she is a certified fundraising executive and holds an M.S. degree in planning and preservation from Columbia University. She serves as an advisor to the Fund for Columbia County at Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation.

Kathryn Potts worked at New York’s Whitney Museum of American Art for 23 years. Since 2020, she has been a museum consultant advising on strategic planning, recruiting and hiring, and curatorial projects. In recent months, she has worked at Norman Rockwell Museum as assistant to the director for special projects to strategically redevelop the Museum’s traveling exhibition program. For over a decade, Potts was Chair of Education at the Whitney Museum. In that capacity, she directed the Whitney’s innovative artist-driven education programs including public programs, access and community programs, and education programs for school, youth, and family audiences. She also oversaw the Whitney’s interpretive programming, online learning initiatives, and program evaluation and assessment. As a member of the Whitney senior staff, she was the founding co-chair of the Whitney’s Equity and Inclusion Committee, among other areas of service. Prior to the Whitney, Potts held curatorial positions at the Jewish Museum, New York, and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. She holds an M.A. from the Williams College Graduate Program in the History of Art and a B.A. from Brandeis University in Art History and History. A graduate of Monument Mountain Regional High School, Potts has deep roots in the Berkshires. She relocated back to the region in 2021.

Tiffani Silverman brings over 20 years of combined legal and human resources experience. She began her career in the public sector at the New York Bar Association and the Legal Aid Society and continued to work in the human resource areas of environmental law firms and, most recently, as Director of Human Resources at St. Anne Institute, a nonprofit community organization serving Albany and surrounding towns. Recognized this past year by The Council of Family and Child Caring Agencies (COFCCA) as a rising leader, Silverman sits on a national Human Resources Committee for The Association of Children’s Residential & Community Services. Incorporating advocacy is a priority in her work. Silverman graduated from the State University of New York at Albany and received her Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Certification from Cornell University.

About Norman Rockwell Museum

Norman Rockwell Museum illuminates the power of American illustration art to reflect and shape society, and advances the enduring values of kindness, respect, and social equity portrayed by Norman Rockwell. A comprehensive resource relating to Norman Rockwell and the art of illustration, American visual culture, and the role of published imagery in society, the Museum holds the world’s largest and most significant collection of art and archival materials relating to Rockwell’s life and work, while also preserving, interpreting, and exhibiting a growing collection of art by other American illustrators throughout history. The Museum engages diverse audiences through onsite and traveling exhibitions, as well as publications, arts, and humanities programs, including the Rockwell Center for American Visual Studies, and comprehensive online resources.