WEST PALM BEACH, FLA.- The Norton Museum of Art has named Kelly Williams, CEO of the Williams Legacy Foundation, a leader in alternative asset management, a philanthropist, and art collector, its new Board Chair. The Chair is elected to a three-year term and presides over Board meetings, serves on all Board committees, appoints committee chairs and members, and works closely with the Museum Director & CEO, as well as other officers of the Board. She succeeds Bruce Gendelman, who became Board Chair in 2019 and served as the interim Director & CEO for the majority of 2020. Williams’ position started on September 29, 2025.

“We know Kelly Williams will be an incredible leader during this pivotal moment at the Norton, helping us to continue building upon the Museum’s strategic plan, attract visitors from around the world, showcase first-rate exhibitions, and deepen our role as a cultural hub for the community,” said Ghislain d’Humières, the Norton’s Kenneth C. Griffin Director and CEO.

Williams joined the Norton’s Board in May 2020 and has been Vice Chair since 2022. From 2023 to 2025, she chaired or co-chaired the Works of Arts committee, which provides leadership on the development and stewardship of the Museum’s permanent collection, and chaired the Communications committee, which provides strategic guidance for branding, marketing, and public relations.

“My vision for the Norton Museum of Art is grounded in founder Ralph Hubbard Norton’s vision for an institution that serves its broad community well, housing inspiring and visionary collections in an amazing building that welcomes contemplation and interaction,” said Williams. “We are so fortunate to have an extraordinary building designed by the most important architect in the world, Norman Foster, and we are excited to work with our neighbors in the Cultural Quarter to provide a world-class art experience for our visitors and patrons.”

Williams cites Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen’s iconic Typewriter Eraser, Scale X, 1999, sculpture at the Museum’s entrance, a gift from Trustee Ronnie Heyman, among her favorites. “I also love Mr. Norton’s collection, which is so personal and revealing about the intellect and generosity of our patron. I love his willingness to take risks and buy work that perhaps did not appeal to others at the time. I particularly love his Chaim Soutine and Modigliani paintings,” she noted.

Williams is most excited to work with the Norton’s Board of Trustees to continue executing the Museum’s Master Plan, approved by the Board in 2013, to provide the community with the world-class museum it deserves, where visitors want to return again and again. “My greatest wish is for the Norton to become a hive of activity in our community, to be the place that people most want to be, and for the rest of the art world to be talking about what is going on at the Norton,” said Williams.

Williams is the CEO of The Williams Legacy Foundation and a recognized leader in the alternative investment industry, having founded the Customized Fund Investment Group (CFIG) at The Prudential Insurance Company in 1999. CFIG was a market leader in providing customized investment solutions in private equity, real estate, and infrastructure, and Williams and her team grew the business to $30 billion in assets managed on behalf of clients. The business was moved to DLJ in 2000 (subsequently acquired by Credit Suisse AG) and Williams served as its Managing Director and Group Head until 2014, when she led the sale of the business and remained as its President until June of 2015, and a Senior Advisor from 2015 to 2019. Prior to the founding of CFIG, she was an Executive Director with Prudential's private equity group, where she specialized in product development. Prior to joining Prudential in 1993, Williams was an associate with Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy specializing in project finance.

Williams has received many awards throughout her career in the financial services industry and was named by American Banker Magazine in 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2014 one of “The Most Powerful Women in Finance.” She graduated magna cum laude from Union College and received her Juris Doctor from New York University School of Law.

A longtime supporter of the arts, she is a member of the Board of Commissioners of the Smithsonian American Art Museum and served as its chair from 2021-2023. She also chaired the board of the Nantucket Historical Association, and served on the boards of The Olana Partnership, Union College (where she is now a Trustee Emerita), and the NY School of Interior Design.

Williams previously served on the Board of Trustees of The National Philanthropic Trust, one of the largest managers of donor-advised funds in the U.S., where she was chair of its Nominating and Governance Committee and a member of its Executive Committee. She was also the Vice Chair of the board of the Robert Toigo Foundation. She is the founding Board Chair of the Private Equity Women Investor Network. Williams was appointed in 2015 to the Board of Directors of The Greenbrier Companies (GBX), where she chairs its Compensation Committee and was previously chair of its Nominating and Governance Committee. Williams serves as the Chair of SEO’s Limited Partners Advisory Council (LPAC). Williams is also a member of the board of directors of the KKR Private Equity Conglomerate.

“As we welcome Kelly, we are also grateful to Bruce Gendelman for his tireless work and boundless dedication to the Norton,” said d’Humières. “He has been a steady hand during a time of great change not only for the Norton, but for our community and for the arts.”

Gendelman was instrumental in the growth of the Museum since joining its Board of Trustees in 2013 and assuming the role of Board Chair in 2019. During Gendelman’s Board tenure, the Norton worked with Foster + Partners to create the Museum’s new long-term plan that resulted in the Museum’s landmark 2019 expansion, transforming it into a national destination and laying out a path for future growth. Gendelman helped steer the Norton successfully through the challenges of the pandemic, including by serving as Interim Director & CEO in 2020.