John S. Tamagni Elected Chair of Brooklyn Museum Board of Trustees

The Members of the Board of Trustees of the Brooklyn Museum have elected John S. Tamagni, a member of the Board since 1987 and currently Chair of the finance committee and Board Treasurer, as the Museum's Chair. He succeeds retiring Chair Norman M. Feinberg, who has served as Chair since 2006. Mr. Feinberg will continue to serve as an active Board member. Trustee Stephanie Ingrassia was elected Board President. Ms. Ingrassia has been a Trustee for ten years.

Upon his election as Chair, Mr. Tamagni stated, "Under the leadership of Norman M. Feinberg, the Museum has continued an exceptional period of growth. I look forward, as Chairman, to the challenge of building upon these accomplishments, and to helping move forward with the Museum's important mission: serving as a vital public resource by acting as a bridge between our extraordinary collections and our audience."

Born and raised in Brooklyn, Mr. Tamagni has recently returned to the Borough after living in Summit, New Jersey, for four decades. He has had a connection to the Brooklyn Museum since childhood, coming as a visitor when his mother studied art at the Brooklyn Museum Art School (which was moved to the Pratt Institute in the 1980s). Following his graduation from Dartmouth College with a degree in economics, he served as a Line Officer in the United States Navy. After his release from active duty in 1959, he joined Blyth & Co. as an investment banker in its Municipal Finance group. In 1972 he moved to Lazard Frères & Co. as a General Partner and retired as a Managing Director at the end of 2005. He subsequently assumed control of Capital Markets at Lazard for corporate, government, and municipal securities. He is currently a Founding Partner and Chairman of Castleton Partners, a fixed-income investment management and advisory firm. He was Vice-Chairman of the Securities Industry Association as well as a Director. He was also Director of the Bond Market Association.

Mr. Tamagni has long been involved in philanthropic causes. He is also a Trustee of the Orchestra of St. Luke's and an overseer of the Hood Museum of Art at Dartmouth College. He is a former Trustee of Overlook Hospital in Summit, New Jersey and a former Overseer of the Graduate School of the New School in New York City. With his late wife Janet, to whom he was married for 52 years, he collected American paintings of the mid-nineteenth through early twentieth century.

Stephanie Ingrassia, who takes over the long-vacant position of President, studied fine arts and art history at Michigan State and the University of London, and received a B. A. from the School of Visual Arts in New York. A career in graphic design has included the design of books, magazines, newsletters, and promotional materials as well as teaching computer graphics at the School of Visual Arts. A collector of contemporary art, Ms. Ingrassia has served on the Brooklyn Museum Board since 2001. Prior to her election as President, she was a Vice Chair. She has also been a board member of BRIC Arts/Media and of Creative Time. She and her husband, Tim Ingrassia, and their four children live in Brooklyn.

Outgoing Chair Norman Feinberg commented, "I have worked closely with Jack since I first joined the Museum Board in 1990. He has been one of its most dedicated members with a broad understanding of the Museum's strengths and challenges. He is superbly qualified to lead the Brooklyn Museum to the next level. Since Stephanie first joined the Board she has been an enthusiastic and deeply involved member. She and Jack will make a perfect team."

Museum Director Arnold L. Lehman stated, "Norman Feinberg had agreed to take on the position of Board Chair with the stipulation that it would be only from three to five years. We are all immensely grateful that it has been the latter and thank him for his exceptional leadership and support. During his tenure the Museum has undergone many significant capital and programmatic changes, among them much needed upgrades to the infrastructure, including our major climate control program, the beginning of a remarkable transformation of the entire first floor, enhanced public programming, and the recent change of the Museum's hours that makes them more responsive to our public's needs At the same time, we all enthusiastically welcome Jack Tamagni who, as longtime Treasurer and chair of our Finance Committee, is preeminently qualified to take on the role of Board Chair. His longtime engagement with the Museum, his fiscal expertise, and his dedication will be tremendous assets as he assumes leadership of the Brooklyn Museum. "