VIRGINIA BEACH, VA.- Board President Andrew Hodge and the Board of Trustees of the Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) announced the appointment of Gary Ryan as the new Executive Director of MOCA. A Norfolk native, Gary has more than twenty years of leadership experience, which includes leading business development at the Brooklyn Academy of Music and strategic initiatives at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City. Most recently, Ryan served as the Director of Development at the Katonah Museum of Art in Katonah, NY where she also assumed the role of Interim Executive Director.

“Gary is a passionate and creative leader with a proven track record in best-in-class arts organizations,” said Andrew Hodge. “We conducted an extensive, national search and are thrilled to welcome Gary back to the area as the Executive Director of MOCA at a time when the Museum is poised for significant growth, both locally and nationally.”

“MOCA is a unique cultural organization with an important legacy of not only supporting creative self-expression in the Hampton Roads community, but also providing a fundamental social good – to see the world through another’s eyes. The MOCA program is of the highest calibre. I am incredibly honored to come home and lead such a dynamic institution,” said Gary Ryan.

Ms. Ryan holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Dartmouth College and a Master of Business Administration degree from the J.L. Kellogg School of Business at Northwestern University. She will officially assume the Executive Director position on January 2, 2019.

The Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA), located in Virginia Beach, is a non-profit that exists to foster awareness, exploration and understanding of the significant art of our time. MOCA is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums (AAM). As Virginia's only museum dedicated solely to the exhibition of contemporary art, MOCA encourages visitors to discover and explore art and to engage in hands-on art experiences.