MIAMI, FLA.- Pérez Art Museum Miami announced today the appointment of four new members elected to the museum’s board of trustees: Sylvia Benito, Sebastian Echavarria, Eric Johnson, and Simon Levine.
This announcement comes as the museum celebrates 35 years this month of unique history as a collecting institution with an ongoing commitment to diversity, presenting art from Latin America, the U.S. Latinx experience and the Caribbean, while looking toward the African diaspora.
“Five years from the opening of our magnificent building, we continue to prioritize the growth of our collection and annual fund, while providing an educational and civic forum for residents and visitors of Miami,” said PAMM Director Franklin Sirmans. “I am excited to welcome Sylvia, Sebastian, Eric, and Simon to the PAMM board, a dynamic and diverse group of talented individuals. They each bring a wide range of expertise and experiences that will help further the museum’s overall goals.”
Sylvia Benito has committed her life to the passionate support of visual arts. She believes that art inspires and transcends the community it lives in, and feels that Miami, in particular, is a city that is being rapidly transformed by the power of visual arts. She is excited to join PAMM’s board of trustees to facilitate and drive the mission of the arts in our city. She has prior experience as a Planned Parenthood trustee, and has extensive training in board governance. She is the co-founder of the Oasis Institute, a prominent cultural center in Buenos Aires that just celebrated its 20th anniversary. Benito currently manages multi-generational wealth for a group of local families as an investment strategist with GenSpring SunTrust here in Miami, holding a dual role in portfolio management and family governance.
Sebastian Echavarria, who’s an avid art collector alongside his wife Natalia, received his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and History from Tufts University. In addition to serving on PAMM’s board of trustees, Echavarria divides his time between managing a single family office based in Miami and sits on several Boards of the Corona Organizations, one of the largest privately held diversified holding companies in South America.
Before his position as a managing partner of Sabricas Capital Management, Echavarria was a managing director of Highbridge Capital Management, a multi-strategy hedge fund organization with $45 billion under management based in New York City. Prior to that, he was a partner at Renaissance Technologies a $50 billion hedge fund also based in New York City.
Today he’s also a board member of several leading organizations including Falabella Colombia, CAIS, CarSaver, Compas S.A., and the Henry Street Settlement Foundation, a New York-Based non-profit.
Eric Johnson received his Bachelor of Arts and Science from Babson College in 1972, and continued his education at The University of Chicago Graduate School of Business. In 1989, following in his father’s footsteps, he became the CEO of Johnson Products Company. Today, Johnson is chief executive officer and president of Baldwin Richardson Foods Company, one of the largest African-American owned businesses in the food industry. Baldwin Richardson Foods Company is a leading producer of ingredients and products for Dunkin Donuts, Kellogg, McDonald’s, General Mills, and Quaker Oats.
In addition to being on the board of trustees at PAMM, Johnson also serves as chairman of the finance committee for Lincoln National Corporation, and is a member of the board of trustees for Babson College. Eric is an avid art collector.
Simon Levine earned a Bachelor of Science from Connecticut College and a Juris Doctor degree from the George Washington University School of Law. Levine is head of Florida for the J.P. Morgan Private Bank. Based in Miami, Levine leads a team of professionals that provide wealth management advice, strategies, and services to individuals, family offices, foundations, and endowments across six offices including Miami, Naples, Palm Beach, Boca Raton, Tampa Bay, and Orlando. Drawing on their experience, Levine and his team develop innovative strategies to help clients grow and sustain their wealth over multiple generations. Before moving to Florida, Levine spent 10 years with the J.P. Morgan Private Bank in New York and held leadership roles spanning legal, compliance, and the business, as well as five years as an attorney in private practice.
The museum’s four newly elected trustees expand PAMM’s board to 48 total. The board of trustees share the same mission as the institution it serves: To be a leader in the presentation, study, interpretation, and care of international modern and contemporary art, while representing Miami-Dade and cherishing the unique viewpoint of its peoples. Through its exhibitions and programs, PAMM aims to encourage everyone to see art as an incentive for genuine human interaction, communication, and exchange.
