Alison D Sowden

The Art Institute of Chicago has announced the appointment of Alison D. Sowden as the organization's new Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, effective April 28, 2014. In this capacity, Sowden will assume responsibility for overseeing strategic financial planning and management for the assets and investments of the Art Institute of Chicago, which encompasses both the museum and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, including more than $900 million of pension and endowment funds. Sowden comes to the Art Institute after 24 years at the Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens in San Marino, California, most recently as the vice president for financial affairs. Sowden will become the executive vice president and chief financial officer of both the museum and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, reporting to the President and Director of the Museum, the President of the School, and the Chairman of the Board of Trustees. Together the museum and the School hold $1.4 billion in assets, including endowment and property. The approximate annual operating budget of the museum is $105 million and the School $113 million.