Jul, 17, 2025
Media Alerts
Phoenix Art Museum appoints new Chief of Staff and Senior Advisor to the Director and CEO
Ritta Fagain will provide strategic oversight of staff development and institutional culture, while supporting special projects related to governmental affairs, technology innovation, museum operations
PHOENIX (July 16, 2025) – Phoenix Art Museum is pleased to announce the appointment of Ritta Fagain as the institution’s new Chief of Staff and Senior Advisor to the Director and CEO. In this role, Fagain will oversee the Museum’s internal culture, promote staff development and collaboration, and support governmental affairs, technology innovation, museum operations, special projects, and business development. Her new role at Phoenix Art Museum took effect June 30, 2025.
“We are excited to welcome Ritta Fagain to the executive leadership team at Phoenix Art Museum,” said Jeremy Mikolajczak, the Museum’s Sybil Harrington Director and CEO. “Ritta brings a wealth of experience and expertise in executive leadership, marketing, business development, operations, and non-profit management. Her focus on strategic relationships and solutions-oriented approaches will be crucial in helping advance the Museum’s mission, vision, and values while positioning it for future sustainability and growth.”
Prior to joining the Museum, Fagain served as director of client services and relationships for Lohman Company, a full-service accounting, advisory, and professional services firm for companies requiring highly skilled professionals to address initiatives in accounting, finance, data, and project management. There, she led the development of strategic relationships for the organization. Before joining Lohman Company, she was the CEO of Phoenix-based brand marketing agency WHYFOR, where she oversaw operations and client relations to foster business growth and development, driving strategic alliances and new client acquisition. Fagain also previously worked in business development at Kitchen Sink Studios.
Fagain earned a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from UC, Irvine. In 2023, she was named one of Phoenix Business Journal’s Outstanding Women in Business. Fagain has also served on numerous non-profit leadership boards, dedicating her time to various worthy causes. This has included serving as an ad hoc member on the Internal and External Affairs Committee of the Board of Phoenix Art Museum.
For more information, contact the Museum’s Communications Office at samantha.andreacchi@phxart.org or press@phxart.org.
About Phoenix Art Museum
Since 1959, Phoenix Art Museum (PhxArt) has engaged millions of visitors with the art and fashion of our region and world. Located in Phoenix’s Central Corridor, PhxArt creates spaces of exchange and belonging for all audiences through dynamic exhibitions, collections, and art experiences. Each year, more than 250,000 guests engage with critically acclaimed national and international exhibitions, as well as the Museum’s collection of more than 21,000 works of American and Western American, Asian, European, Latin American, modern, and contemporary art and fashion. The Museum also presents vibrant photography exhibitions made possible through the Museum’s landmark partnership with the Center for Creative Photography at the University of Arizona in Tucson and is home to The Gene and Cathy Lemon Art Research Library, The Thorne Miniature Rooms, The Ullman Center for the Art of Philip C. Curtis, and Arizona Costume Institute (ACI). For the community, PhxArt hosts lectures, live performances, outstanding examples of global cinema, arts-education workshops, family-focused programs, and more. To learn more about Phoenix Art Museum, visit phxart.org, or call 602.257.1880.