March 3, 2020
The Archaeological Institute of America is delighted to announce the selection of Rebecca W. King as its new Executive Director.
Ms. King comes to the AIA most recently from her role as Executive Vice President at North Bennet Street School in Boston. While there, she worked to successfully stabilize the school’s operating budget and brought in well over half of institutional revenue, advised on successful closure of a multi-million dollar endowment campaign, and provided committed leadership to staff and faculty during strategic plan implementation, presidential transition, and reaccreditation.
Prior to her position at North Bennet Street School, Ms. King held positions with Rhode Island School of Design, the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York, and the Cambridge Center for Adult Education in Massachusetts. Ms. King’s educational background includes training in anthropology, professional fundraising, and an MA in International Affairs from The George Washington University.
Following the departure of former AIA Executive Director Ann Benbow, Kevin Quinlan, AIA COO and Publisher of ARCHAEOLOGY magazine, stepped into the role of Acting Executive Director. Then President Jodi Magness established a Search Committee for an Executive Director, which was chaired by current AIA President Laetitia La Follette, and, in addition to Past President Jodi Magness, included Treasurer David Seigle, Trustee Maria Vecchiotti, and former Treasurer David Ackert. The Search Committee tasked a recruiting agency, Sage Search Partners, to identify candidates who could best serve the needs of the Institute and its members.
The agency began by interviewing the AIA staff to help inform their creation of a candidate profile. After an exhaustive search lasting several months, Ms. King was appointed after a unanimous decision by the Selection Committee.
Thank you to Kevin Quinlan for his dedication to the Institute and his service as Acting Executive Director. Sincere thanks to the members of the Search Committee and to Sage Search Partners for their time and efforts towards this successful choice of a new Executive Director for the AIA.
We are pleased to welcome Ms. King as she joins the AIA as its new Executive Director!
