Jul, 13, 2022
Board of Trustees and Leadership
Phoenix Art Museum Names New Chief Financial Officer
Allan Alvarado will focus on oversight of the institution’s financial sustainability and infrastructure
PHOENIX (July 13, 2022) – Phoenix Art Museum announces the appointment of Allan Alvarado to serve as the institution’s chief financial officer (CFO), following the completion of an extensive national search. Alvarado officially began in his role with the Museum on July 11, 2022.
“Allan has a proven track record of strategic financial leadership, experience that will be invaluable as we seek to grow our endowment, improve our infrastructure, and ensure the Museum’s continued financial successes,” said Jeremy Mikolajczak, the Museum’s Sybil Harrington Director and CEO. “He has a critical understanding of what it takes to innovate and drive strategic initiatives to ensure the growth and long-term fiscal health of nonprofits like the Museum, and I am excited to welcome him to the senior leadership team of Phoenix Art Museum.”
In his new role, Alvarado takes the helm of oversight of the Museum’s financial and infrastructure portfolios from Mark Koenig, who served as the Museum’s chief financial officer since September 2018, and who, after twice serving as the Museum’s interim Sybil Harrington Director and CEO, retired from the Museum on June 3. Since June, Koenig has served in a contract role and will continue his contract through the summer to help as Alvarado transitions into the position. During Koenig’s tenure, the Museum navigated the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, including an unprecedented seven-month closure of Museum facilities that had a profound impact on the Museum’s earned and contributed revenue streams. Thanks to careful and strategic financial oversight, along with support from both governmental grants and private gifts from organizations such as Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust, the Museum was able to weather those challenges and concluded fiscal year 2022 with an operating surplus, a newly restored line of working capital, and no outstanding debt, with the exception of a low-interest capital loan from 2017 from the Arizona Community Foundation, which provided vital funds for the refurbishment and expansion of the Museum’s vaults.
As CFO, Alvarado will play a crucial role in ensuring the Museum’s continued financial success and innovation of the institution’s infrastructure, with a portfolio of responsibility that includes oversight of the Museum’s finance, IT, facilities and maintenance, and event rentals departments. Prior to his time with the Museum, Alvarado gained 30 years’ experience as a senior financial and operational executive, with more than 20 years’ experience working in education and nonprofits sectors, including overseeing financial operations for private and parochial school systems throughout the greater Phoenix metro area. He also served as CFO at UMOM New Day Centers, a Phoenix-based nonprofit that provides shelter and supportive services for people experiencing homelessness, and StrongMind Inc., an education technology company that offers digital solutions and curriculum for students and teachers.
“I am excited and grateful to join the dedicated team at Phoenix Art Museum,” said Alvarado. “I am passionate about making a difference in the lives of others, and in my new role, I look forward to leveraging my experiences working across various nonprofits to strengthen the Museum’s financial sustainability so the institution can continue to increase access and serve as a pillar of the arts for all people in the greater Phoenix community.”
Alvarado earned a bachelor of science degree in finance from Arizona State University and an MBA from University of Phoenix. He is the latest addition to the Museum’s senior leadership team, which is composed of Jeremy Mikolajczak, the Sybil Harrington Director and CEO; Nikki DeLeon Martin, Deputy Director and Chief Operations Officer; and Nicole Rivet, Chief Development Officer. Along with the senior leadership team, the Museum is governed by a 35-member Board of Trustees, which includes many of the city’s prominent civic and corporate leaders and is led by Board Chair Donald C. Opatrny, Jr.
About Phoenix Art Museum
Since 1959, Phoenix Art Museum has provided millions of guests with access to world-class art and experiences in an effort to ignite imaginations, create meaningful connections, and serve as a brave space for all people who wish to experience the transformative power of art. Located in Phoenix’s Central Corridor, the Museum is a vibrant destination for the visual arts and the leading art museum in the southwestern United States. Each year, more than 300,000 guests engage with critically acclaimed national and international exhibitions and the Museum’s collection of more than 20,000 works of American and Western American, Asian, European, Latin American, modern and contemporary art, and fashion design. The Museum also presents a comprehensive film program, live performances, and educational programs designed for visitors of all ages, along with vibrant photography exhibitions made possible through the Museum’s landmark partnership with the Center for Creative Photography, University of Arizona. To learn more about Phoenix Art Museum, visit phxart.org, or call 602.257.1880.