BEACHWOOD, OH.- The Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage today announced the appointment of Ellen A. Rudolph as the museum’s new executive director, effective January 8, 2014.

Ms. Rudolph was chosen for the position after a national search of qualified candidates led by executive search firm Dise & Company. She has nearly two decades of experience as a curator and administrator with expertise in marketing and communications. Her diverse background includes museums, Sotheby’s New York, Progressive Corporation of Cleveland and managing private art collections. Since 2008 she has organized ambitious contemporary art exhibitions and filled increasingly demanding positions at the Akron Art Museum, first as Curator of Exhibitions, then as Interim Chief Curator and, most recently, as Senior Curator.

“We are particularly delighted to welcome Ellen Rudolph to the position of executive director of the Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage,” said museum co-founder and board of trustees chairman Milton Maltz. “She brings to the role capabilities honed by some 20 years as a creator and facilitator of exhibitions, as well as a broadly inclusive perspective informed by her interest in and understanding of the nature of cultural identity – a subject that is fundamental to our mission.”

Ms. Rudolph earned degrees in Art History from Northwestern University (BA) and Case Western Reserve University (MA). She is a native of Shaker Heights.

“I am excited and honored to have the opportunity to lead the Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage into the next phase of its evolution,” said Rudolph. “I look forward to working with staff and community partners to build on the museum’s strengths and further enhance its stature – not only as a place to connect with Jewish heritage, but also as a cultural crossroads for people of all religious and ethnic backgrounds in Northeast Ohio and beyond."

The Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage is supported in part by the residents of Cuyahoga County through a public grant from Cuyahoga Arts & Culture.

The Ohio Arts Council helped fund this organization with state tax dollars to encourage economic growth, educational excellence and cultural enrichment for all Ohioans.