Art Institute of Chicago Names Deborah Johnston as New Controller

CHICAGO - The Art Institute of Chicago Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Alison Sowden is pleased to announce the appointment of Deborah Johnston as the organization's new Controller, effective April 13, 2015. In this capacity, Johnston will be responsible for all accounting activities of the museum and the School of the Art Institute, which have a combined annual budget of $230 million.

Johnston, who is a certified public accountant, will oversee a staff of 21. She comes to the Art Institute from the Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens in San Marino, California, where she has been Controller for the past seven years.

"Deborah will be a wonderful asset to the Art Institute, bringing us a great depth of experience and outstanding accounting and systems skills," said Sowden. "We are pleased to welcome her to Chicago."

Johnston, a native of the Midwest, has extensive experience is both the non-profit and for-profit sectors, having served as Controller of the Lowe Enterprises Real Estate Group in Brentwood, California, and at Hearthstone Inc., an institutional investment manager in Encino, California. She holds a bachelor of science in Accounting from Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles and began her career at Deloitte.

"I'm so excited for this opportunity at the Art Institute of Chicago," said Johnston. "Not only is it an amazing place, but all the people I've met have been extremely welcoming".