HARTFORD, CONN.- The Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art announces the appointment of Allison Blais, currently Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy & Operations Officer of the 9/11 Memorial & Museum, to be the new President and Chief Executive Officer of the Wadsworth. Ms. Blais assumes her new post on January 7, 2026, succeeding outgoing President and CEO Jeffrey N. Brown who will step down at that time.
“We are elated that Allison Blais agreed to be our new president and CEO. While we considered many outstanding candidates in the course of a national search, Allison impressed us with her strategic planning, operational leadership, and management skills. Allison has had great success overseeing large-scale capital projects in New York City while demonstrating her ability to work with a broad range of stakeholders at an institution of national relevance. We look forward to her partnership with museum Director Matthew Hargraves, and a bright future here at The Wadsworth,” said Duffield Ashmead IV MD, Chair of the Wadsworth’s Board of Trustees.
Blais has played a formative role in creating, developing, and managing the 9/11 Memorial & Museum for the last two decades, working on World Trade Center rebuilding and operation since 2004. Prior to her career with the 9/11 Memorial & Museum, she worked for the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation, the agency charged with planning the rebuilding and revitalization of lower Manhattan in the wake of the 9/11 attacks.
“I am deeply honored to be chosen by the Board to serve as the next President and CEO of the Wadsworth at such an exciting point in its history. Growing up outside Hartford, I came to know the Wadsworth as a place where timeless masterpieces live alongside timely discoveries. Under Jeff Brown’s leadership and the Board’s guidance, the museum is embracing a renewed sense of identity and purpose, and museum director Matthew Hargraves is advancing a compelling vision that both honors its history and energizes it in powerful ways. It has been a joy to get to know the trustees and senior staff and to feel our shared commitment to making the Wadsworth an ever more welcoming, relevant, and inspiring place. I look forward to working with them to deepen the museum's impact across Hartford, Connecticut, and beyond,” she said.
Blais follows the transformational leadership of Jeffrey N. Brown, the current President and CEO of the Wadsworth, who will commence retirement after a five-year tenure with the museum and a distinguished career in banking. Under Mr. Brown’s oversight, the museum improved its financial stability and rebuilt attendance lost through the pandemic while positioning the museum to further engage with the communities it serves. Brown oversaw the completion of long-deferred capital projects, increased the focus on outreach and communication, and dramatically increased fundraising and other critical support. He deftly addressed institutional governance and implemented a strategic plan with a rebrand reflective of the spirit and mission of a reenergized organization that was listed by The Washington Post as one of the top 20 best art museums in the U.S. “The Wadsworth’s great successes during Jeff’s tenure are a testament to not only his remarkable management skills, but also his powerful partnership with Matthew Hargraves under our shared leadership model,” added Dr. Ashmead.
