Salem's Peabody Essex Museum Names New Director

SALEM, MA -- The Peabody Essex Museum ended a five-month search by naming Brian Kennedy, who currently heads the Toledo Museum of Art, its new director and chief executive. Kennedy, 57, will replace longtime director Dan Monroe, who is retiring.

"His distinguished work leading the Toledo Museum of Art, the Hood Museum at Dartmouth, and the National Gallery of Australia has prepared him well to take the helm of, not only one of our nation’s oldest and most eminent museums, but also one of our community’s leading employers and partner in our city’s success," Salem Mayor Kim Driscoll said in a statement released Friday morning. "Mr. Kennedy has a strong reputation for community engagement and I hope he will continue this during his time here in Salem."

Monroe has been in the position since the 1992 merger of the Peabody Museum of Salem and the Essex Institute. In addition to expanding the museum's endowment, Monroe is credited with expanding the museum's audience, turning it from a regional destination to a nationally-noted museum.

Kennedy was born in Dublin. Before arriving in Toldeo in 2010, he worked for the National Gallery of Australia, the Hood Museum of Art at Dartmouth College and the National Gallery of Ireland. In Toledo, he has expanded the museum's visual learning components.

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Dave Copeland can be reached at dave.copeland@patch.com or by calling 617-433-7851. Follow him on Twitter (@CopeWrites) and Facebook (/copewrites).