Anne-Imelda Radice
Anne-Imelda Radice is an art museum director and arts administrator. She has most recently served as executive director of the American Folk Art Museum in New York. Education. Radice earned a BA in art history from Wheaton College, Massachusetts (1969). When starting at Wheaton she planned to major in chemistry. But she soon found herself drawn to the art history department and its instructors, notably, the legendary longtime professor Mary Heuser. Radice earned a Ph.D. in Art and Architectural History from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (1976), and an MBA from American University (1985 ). Radice also has an MA from the Villa Schifanoia in Florence, Italy (1971), and did graduate coursework in northern Italian architecture at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Career. Radice began her career in 1971 as assistant curator and staff lecturer at the National Gallery of Art. From 1976 to 1985, Radice served first as architectural historian (1976 to 1981) and then later as curator in the office of the Architect of the Capitol. Radice was the first director of the National Museum of Women in the Arts. From 1989 to 1991, Radice was Chief of the Creative Arts Division of  the United States Information Agency (USIA) where she supervised the presidentially-appointed Cultural Property Advisory Committee. The committee, formed in response to the 1970 UNESCO Convention, promotes long-term measures to safeguard cultural heritage artifacts. She also managed the USIA's international planning of fine arts, museum technology, art conservation, and cultural tourism. Appointed by President George H.W. Bush in May 1992 to serve as the Acting Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts, Radice oversaw the development, congressional approval, and management of a $175 million budget and 273 employees. Prior to her appointment, Radice was Senior Deputy  Chairman, the number two spot at the agency, where she developed substantial private funding opportunities and partnerships for a variety of projects. For a few years, Radice served as consultant. From 1993 to 1995, she consulted for New River Media, World Affairs Television Production in Montreal and Washington, D.C., and Grey and Company II. In 1998, Radice became executive director of the "Friends of Dresden, Inc.", an organization focused on the reconstruction, restoration, and preservation of Dresden's architecture. In 2001, she left her position at "Friends of Dresden" to become executive director of the Appeal of Conscience Foundation in  New York City. The foundation was founded by Rabbi Arthur Schneier. From 2003 to 2005, Radice served as chief of staff to the Secretary of the United States Department of Education, where she was a member of the Secretary's executive team. From 2005 until 2006, she was acting assistant chairman for programs at the National Endowment Humanities. On December 13, 2005, the President of the United States appointed Radice to be Director of the Institute of Museum and Library Services. The U.S. Senate confirmed Radice's nomination on March 13, 2006. IMLS, an independent United States government agency, is  the primary source of federal support for the nation's 122,000 libraries and 17,500 museums. During her tenure, Radice led Connecting to Collections: A Call to Action, a national conservation initiative designed to raise public awareness, inspire action, and encourage private sector support. Radice's enduring commitment to conservation and preservation was recognized in April 2008 when she was honored with the Forbes Medal for Distinguished Contribution to the Field of Conservation from the American Institute for the Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works (AIC) and received a resolution of appreciation from the American Association of Museums (AAM). Under her  direction, IMLS began the International Strategic Partnerships initiative to establish international strategic partnerships and make connections around the globe. In May 2008, she served on the faculty of the Salzburg Global Seminar in Austria, sharing her expertise on international exchanges of knowledge and objects, and recommending ways to overcome circulation obstacles. Radice became executive director of the American Folk Art Museum in September 2012. In 2018 The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) announced that Radice had been appointed as new director of NEH´s Division of Public Programs. Personal life. Radice grew up in Buffalo, New York. She was married  in August 2016 to Stephanie Stebich, then executive director of the Tacoma Art Museum in Washington state.