ST. LOUIS, Aug. 22, 2024—The Saint Louis Art Museum has named Aubrey DeZego the new chief of philanthropy and external relations. She will oversee the museum’s philanthropic giving, sponsorship, membership, visitor services and marketing initiatives.
A St. Louis native, DeZego brings 16 years of professional fundraising, corporate philanthropy and integrated communications experience to the role. During her career, she has helped to raise more than $50 million for legacy nonprofit institutions across the country.
“I am pleased to welcome Aubrey back to the St. Louis community and to the museum’s leadership team,” said Min Jung Kim, the museum’s Barbara B. Taylor Director. “Bringing a wealth of experience in legacy nonprofit institutions as well as corporate settings, Aubrey’s expertise will be invaluable as we seek to grow our membership program, deepen existing donor relationships and develop new sources of philanthropic support.”
DeZego has 12 years of fundraising experience at the Dallas Museum of Art and Indianapolis Museum of Art, where she successfully increased revenue and institutional capacity for special exhibitions, educational programs and capital needs.
Her experience also spans to the corporate sector, where she led philanthropy and corporate communications for the retailer JCPenney, headquartered in Plano, Texas. As the youngest president of the JCPenney Communities Foundation in the company’s history, she directed the retailer’s charitable giving nationwide, in addition to overseeing media outreach, public relations and internal communications initiatives following the retailer’s emergence from bankruptcy.
Most recently, DeZego served as director of development for Methodist Health System Foundation in Dallas. The foundation helps support the mission of the $2-billion health system, one of the largest in North Texas. During her tenure, she effectively led two seven-figure capital campaigns for the system, contributing to the foundation’s most successful fundraising years in the past decade.
She holds a bachelor’s degree in arts management from Butler University’s Jordan College of Fine Arts in Indianapolis.
DeZego’s first day at the museum will be Sept. 16.
The appointment is the culmination of an extensive national search led by Arts Consulting Group, a leading provider of hands-on management consulting services to the arts and culture industry.
CONTACT: Molly Morris, 314.655.5250, molly.morris@slam.org
Aubrey DeZego, Saint Louis Art Museum chief of philanthropy and external relations