Executive Director

Home | Executive Director – Ashley Gibson Barnett Museum of Art, Florida Southern College

Job Profile

The Ashley Gibson Barnett Museum of Art (The AGB), formerly the Polk Museum of Art, at Florida Southern College (FSC) seeks an Executive Director to provide visionary leadership and strategic direction, advancing the Museum’s mission as a distinguished academic and cultural resource for the College and surrounding community. Following a recent 14,000-square-foot expansion, The AGB offers enhanced exhibition galleries and dedicated spaces for education and public programming, positioning it for a new and exciting era of growth and innovation guided by the Museum’s recently completed strategic plan.

FSC has retained a national executive-recruiting firm, Museum Search & Reference, to help guide its search.

Reporting directly to the College President, the Executive Director will oversee all aspects of the Museum’s operations, including curatorial vision, educational initiatives, community engagement, and collection stewardship, and provide guidance on acquisitions of The AGB’s Acquisitions Committee. This leader will also work collaboratively with campus and community partners to integrate the Museum’s resources into the academic life of the College, while expanding its reach and impact throughout the broader region.

The AGB maintains a strong commitment to community engagement, with long-standing area partnerships, including K-12 schools and educators. The Executive Director will be expected to sustain and strengthen these connections, ensuring the Museum remains a vital cultural and educational resource for all academic and community audiences.

This role includes managing a dedicated team of thirteen staff and overseeing an annual budget of approximately $2 million. This position carries significant fundraising responsibilities. Together with The AGB’s Board, the Executive Director will take an active role in external funding, working collaboratively with and supported by FSC’s advancement and marketing offices.

About Florida Southern College

Florida Southern College is a nationally recognized private college that remains grounded in its liberal arts heritage. Known for its commitment to engaged learning and outstanding faculty mentorship, academic offerings feature bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degree programs, including an undergraduate major in Art History and Museum Studies. Consistently ranked among the top regional universities in the South by U.S. News & World Report, FSC is home to one of the largest collections of Frank Lloyd Wright architecture in the world and is a proud member of the Associated Colleges of the South.

Located in Lakeland, Florida, between Orlando and Tampa, the College offers its 3,300 students access to a region rich in cultural and professional opportunities. With a strong emphasis on experiential education and a vibrant campus culture, the College prepares students to make a positive and consequential impact in their communities and professions.

About The AGB

“The Ashley Gibson Barnett Museum of Art (The AGB) at Florida Southern College is an academic and community museum that engages audiences of all ages with world-class exhibitions, programs, and experiences: the Museum offers avenues for lifelong learning and ways to see and reflect on our shared world through art and visual culture in new and innovative ways” (2025 AGB Mission Statement).

As an academic museum and cultural cornerstone of the FSC campus and surrounding community, The AGB offers a dynamic schedule of rotating exhibitions and a robust schedule of classes, workshops, lectures, tours and concerts. A significant permanent collection that contains over 3,400 works of art, including pieces by Rembrandt van Rijn, Pablo Picasso, Jose de Creeft, Andy Warhol, Dale Chihuly, and Faith Ringgold.

This diverse and expanding collection includes modern and contemporary American art and international works, European and American drawings and prints, European Old Master paintings, photography, and design and decorative arts objects.

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