WASHINGTON, DC.- Patricia Winterton, director of development at the Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art, a division of Indiana University, will become the chief advancement officer of the Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art. She will assume her new role on May 10. As chief advancement officer, Winterton will lead a team of seven and guide the museum’s philanthropic strategy, overseeing all fundraising and donor cultivation efforts as the museum enters its second century. In April 2020, the museum contracted Diversified Search Group to conduct a global search for candidates.

“I'm delighted that Patricia Winterton will be joining the museum,” said Chase F. Robinson, the Dame Jillian Sackler Director of the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery and Freer Gallery of Art. “As we approach our centennial in 2023, she'll bring years of expertise in museum fundraising, strengthening our advancement team at a time of great opportunity. Colleagues and I look forward to welcoming Patricia in May.”

As director of development at the Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art, Winterton plans, develops, and directs strategic fundraising initiatives that include major gift programs, planned giving initiatives, and capital campaigns. During her tenure at the museum, she has successfully raised more than $66 million in gifts and pledges while also helping to plan and execute a $30 million renovation of the museum.

Since 2013, Winterton has helped launch transformative partnerships for the Eskenazi Museum of Art, including those with Tsinghua University Art Museum in Beijing, China, and the Speed Art Museum in Louisville, Kentucky. She also advanced museum initiatives in contemporary art, leading to many new acquisitions, a major installation of contemporary work by artist Paul Cocksedge in the newly renovated museum, and the addition of a new curator of contemporary art position. As a founding member of the Eskenazi Museum of Art’s senior leadership team, she participates in strategic planning, the establishment of museum policies, and the management of the museum’s operating budget.

“I am thrilled to be joining the team at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art,” said Winterton. “I am passionate about the museum’s vision and their ability to impact communities in profound ways with excellent art, programs, and groundbreaking research. I feel it is critical to invest in education, the arts, and opportunities to further understand ourselves and each other.”

Winterton has worked in the field of university advancement and fundraising since 2008, having previously held positions at Butler University in Indianapolis, the Indiana University Foundation, and the Kinsey Institute at Indiana University. In addition to major and planned giving initiatives, she has managed annual giving programs and corporate and foundation grants. She has studied a range of subjects, from architecture, archaeology, and religious studies to issues of women’s health and gender studies. Winterton holds a B.A. in liberal studies from Montana State University and an M.A. in social science from The University of Chicago.

Winterton succeeds Elisa Glazer, who departed the Freer and Sackler in December 2019. Elizabeth Brown has served as acting chief advancement officer since Elisa’s departure.