WILLIAMSTOWN, MASS.- The Clark Art Institute has named Thomas H. Woodward to serve as Chief Advancement Officer, leading the Clark’s philanthropy and membership programs. Woodward comes to the Clark from the Harvard Art Museums, where he currently serves as Director of Institutional Advancement. He assumes his new role on March 1, 2018.

“We are so pleased to have Tom join our staff in a key leadership position at this exciting moment in the Clark’s life,” said Olivier Meslay, Felda and Dena Hardymon Director of the Clark. “He brings tremendous energy and experience to the work, but more importantly, he shares our passion for the vital role the arts can play in educating, enlightening, and enriching the lives of individuals and the life of its communities. We look forward to imagining the next chapter of the Clark’s future with him as we work to further the Institute’s mission regionally, nationally, and internationally.”

Woodward is a seasoned fundraising professional, bringing more than twenty years of experience in strategic planning and advancement for museums, higher education, and the federal government to his new role at the Clark.

“I am thrilled and honored at the prospect of joining the Clark Art Institute at this moment,” said Woodward. “The Clark has been brilliantly reconceived to better serve visitors, scholars, and students alike. I look forward to working with the Trustees, the Institute’s leadership and talented staff, and its many partners in the arts community to help sustain this dynamic institution and its exciting exhibition, education, and research programs.”

He joined the Harvard Art Museums in August 2011, serving as the Director of Institutional Support for three years before assuming his current position in 2014. In leading institutional advancement activities, Woodward played a central role in strategic planning and leadership toward a comprehensive fundraising program for the museum. Prior to joining the Harvard Art Museums, Woodward was the Director of Development for the Harvard Divinity School, where he worked closely with senior administrators and faculty to plan and execute all development operations and shape its external relations programs.

Early in his career, Woodward joined the National Park Service, where he gained experience in cultural and natural resource management for historic sites and parks that included the Olmsted, Longfellow, and Kennedy National Historic Sites in Boston, the Olmsted Center for Landscape Preservation in Brookline, Massachusetts, and the Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historic Park in Woodstock, Vermont.

Woodward’s affinity for the landscape and garden history community and the National Park Service is central to his personal interests, most notably through his involvement with the Friends of Fairsted, a group that advances the mission of the Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site in Brookline, Massachusetts. He currently serves as the president of the board for the Friends and provides leadership for their various educational and outreach programs.