Sarah Stauder, executive director of the Rochester Art Center , will leave at the end of June.
Stauder, who has been at the art center since January 2008, will move to Houston, Texas, with her husband, Dr. Michael Stauder, who has accepted a position as assistant professor in the oncology department at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.
Stauder's departure is not a complete surprise.
"It's part of the culture here that people move on," Stauder said of Rochester. "We explored the option of trying to stay. I'm really sad to be leaving Rochester."
One of the most gratifying results of her tenure, Stauder said, has been the development of programs for under-served populations, including Hispanics, teens and members of the Rochester Boys & Girls Club. "It's exciting to see the fruits of that labor," Stauder said.
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In addition, she said, "Watching the exhibition program grow, and the consistency and quality that has been there, has really been rewarding."
Stauder, a Milwaukee native, came to Rochester from the Charles Allis and Villa Terrace Art Museums in Milwaukee, where she was executive director. She is a graduate of DePauw University in Indiana.
"We thank Sarah for her commitment to our institutional mission and strategic plan, her strong leadership, her skillful administrative and fiscal management, and her service to the community," said Paul Scanlon, president of the art center board of directors.
Scanlon is also a member of the search committee for a new executive director. Other members of the committee are Steve Troutman, Tracy Austin, Steve Lehmkuhle, Sandra Means, Roger Stahl and Kris Douglas.
"We look forward to recruiting our next leader to continue to promote artistic excellence in exhibitions and programs and to expand our connections with and service to the community and to continue to strengthen our fiscal support," Scanlon said.
