PITTSBURGH, PA.- The Board of Trustees of The Frick Pittsburgh announces the appointment of Judith Hansen O'Toole as Interim Executive Director while it undertakes a national search for the next Executive Director of the museum. In December 2018, the board announced that current Executive Director Robin Nicholson would be leaving in February 2019 to become Executive Director/CEO of Telfair Museums in Savannah, Ga. The Frick board expects to hire a permanent Executive Director by the end of this year.

Ms. O'Toole is Director Emerita of The Westmoreland Museum of American Art in Greensburg, having served as Director/CEO for 25 years. Following her retirement from The Westmoreland in summer 2018, she served as Acting Director of The Mattress Factory, a contemporary art museum on Pittsburgh’s North Side, for four months in the fall and winter of 2018–2019. Ms. O’Toole will officially assume her position at The Frick Pittsburgh on February 1, 2019, and will oversee the day-to-day operations of the museum.

“We are very fortunate to have Judy's leadership while the search committee works to identify the right long-term leader for The Frick Pittsburgh,” says Chip Burke, Chair of the Board of Trustees. "Her depth of experience will be an invaluable asset as we continue to advance our mission and build an even stronger institution. Together with an excellent staff and a committed board, we are confident the museum will be in capable hands as we search for a permanent Executive Director."

An expert and author in the field of 19th- and 20th-century American art, Ms. O'Toole holds a master’s degree in art history from Pennsylvania State University. She earned a bachelor’s degree in art history from the University of Minnesota and also attended Minneapolis College of Art and Design as an undergraduate. Prior to beginning her 25-year tenure as Director and CEO of Westmoreland Museum of American Art in 1993, she served as Director of Sordoni Art Gallery and was an associate professor in the Art Department at Wilkes University in Wilkes-Barre, Pa.

Ms. O’Toole says, “I am excited to be joining the Frick in this moment of transition and look forward to working with its excellent staff and dedicated Board of Trustees. I am familiar with the Frick, having collaborated with my colleagues who served here as Director in the past. It is a vital and respected thread in the cultural fabric of Pittsburgh and it is my honor to have been asked to serve in this capacity.”