NEW YORK, NY.- During its fall meeting, the Board of Trustees of the American Folk Art Museum (AFAM) elected communications executive and lifelong folk art collector Christopher C. Giglio as its new President. Giglio, a senior managing director at Rubenstein Communications, brings more than two decades of experience in corporate leadership to the role, in addition to his passion for the museum, its exhibitions, and collections. He succeeds Elizabeth V. Warren, a former longtime AFAM curator and Trustee, who will remain on the Board as President Emerita.

“It is a distinct honor to be selected to lead the Board of Trustees of the nation's museum of folk and self-taught art at this critical juncture in its nearly seven-decade history. The caliber and dedication of my fellow Trustees, combined with the tireless efforts of our superb professional Staff, acclaimed exhibitions, top-tier collections, situate us perfectly for sustained success, impact and growth in the coming decade.”

“We are so grateful to Liz Warren for her four decades of visionary leadership and steadfast advocacy of the American Folk Art Museum,” added Jason T. Busch, Becky and Bob Alexander director & CEO. “As we embark on this next era, I am thrilled to partner with Chris Giglio. His strategic expertise, combined with his knowledge of folk art and deep commitment to our mission, makes him an ideal leader for our growing Board.”

Giglio leads the Issues Management and Corporate Reputation division at Rubenstein Communications and serves on the firm’s management team, advising corporations, financial institutions, and cultural organizations on high-stakes strategy and complex communications. His career spans investigative roles at Kroll and nearly a decade in journalism as a producer for NBC News’s Dateline, alongside corporate leadership positions at HL Group, The Estée Lauder Companies, and Kekst CNC.

A third-generation antiques enthusiast and collector since childhood, Giglio initially became a member of AFAM in 1984 while studying history and art history at Fordham University. Giglio joined the Museum’s board in 2023. He previously served on the boards of Citizens Union and St. Jean Baptiste High School, both based in New York City.

AFAM’s national Board comprises nearly 30 members from across the country, combining wide-ranging professional expertise with devotion to folk and self-taught art.

In addition to Giglio’s election, the Board voted to add three new Trustees:

Elizabeth Hurtt Branson (Pittsburgh, PA) — An entrepreneur, investor, and philanthropist, Branson is president of the Hurtt Foundation and managing member of Canterbury Management. She earned her AB in Fine Arts (American Studies) from Harvard University and previously held roles at John Hancock, IBM, and Mellon Bank Corporation, later serving as owner and president of Woodcliff Skincare Solutions, Inc. A prominent civic leader, she serves on the Advisory Board of the Carnegie Museum of Art, the Boards of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and the Frick Pittsburgh, and is an emeritus trustee of the Winchester Thurston School. A generous supporter of AFAM's Spring 2026 exhibition Self-Made: A Century of Inventing Artists, Branson brings broad experience in board leadership and cultural advocacy.

Alexandra Lally Peters (New York, NY and Sharon, CT) — A collector, curator, writer, and independent scholar, Peters specializes in early American schoolgirl samplers and the histories of the young women who created them. She holds a master’s degree in Developmental Psychology from Columbia University and has served on more than 25 nonprofit boards, including chairing the Trevor Day School, the Parents League of New York, and the Independent Schools Chairman’s Association. Over four decades, Peters has built a renowned collection of more than 250 samplers dating from 1698 to 1868, curating multiple exhibitions drawn from her holdings. Her collection has frequently contributed to AFAM presentations, including Unnamed Figures: Black Presence and Absence in the Early American North and its current exhibition Locating Girlhood: Place and Identity in Early American “Schoolgirl” Art.

Micki Beth Stiller (Montgomery, AL) — A retired attorney, collector, gallery owner, and longtime advocate for Southern folk and self-taught art, Stiller established Stiller Disability Law in Montgomery in 1985, representing thousands of individuals across the region. In 1989, she founded Cotton Belt Gallery, championing Southern self-taught and outsider artists—including Mose Tolliver and Bernice Sims—and helping introduce their work to major museum collections nationwide. Stiller is a trustee of the Tennessee Williams Foundation in St. Louis and a dedicated supporter of regional and national arts institutions. A longtime benefactor of AFAM, she gifted Mose Tolliver’s George Washington to the Museum's permanent collection and provided major support for Self-Made: A Century of Inventing Artists.