Left to right: Harry J. Elam, Jr. (photo: L. A. Cicero, courtesy Stanford University); Pamela J. Joyner; Sonya Yu (photo: Zack Lara); Davida Lindsay-Bell; Ann von Germeten
SAN FRANCISCO, CA (January 30, 2020) — The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) today announced the election of three new members to its Board of Trustees: Harry J. Elam, Jr., Pamela J. Joyner and Sonya Yu. Each will serve a three-year term, effective immediately. The new trustees bring substantial experience in education, philanthropy, collecting, creativity and technology to their board service. For a complete list of the museum’s Board of Trustees, click here.
In addition, the museum announces the appointment of two senior leaders: Davida Lindsay-Bell joins as chief human resources officer and Ann von Germeten joins as chief marketing and communications officer.
New Trustees
HARRY J. ELAM, JR.
Harry J. Elam, Jr. is the Olive H. Palmer Professor in the Humanities, the Senior Vice Provost for Education, the Vice President for the Arts and the Freeman-Thornton Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education at Stanford University.
Elam is an internationally recognized scholar on African American theater and performance, most particularly on the late playwright August Wilson. He is the author and editor of seven books, including the Erroll Hill Prize-winning The Past as Present in the Drama of August Wilson. His articles and essays have appeared in a wide variety of journals and collections in the United States and abroad.
Professor Elam is the winner of the Betty Jean Jones Award for Outstanding Teaching from the American Theatre and Drama Society, the winner of the Excellence in Editing Award from the Association of Theatre in Higher Education and the winner of the Distinguished Scholar Award from the American Society of Theatre Research. He was inducted into the College of Fellows of the American Theatre in 2006 and, in 2014, awarded the Career Achievement Award from the Association of Theatre in Higher Education. In October 2019, Elam was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. At Stanford, he has been awarded six different teaching awards.
In addition to his scholarly work, Elam has directed professionally for over 25 years. Most notably, he has directed many of August Wilson’s plays, including Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, Two Trains Running, and Fences, the latter of which won eight Bay Area “Choice” Awards.
Professor Elam received his AB from Harvard College in 1978 and his PhD in Dramatic Arts from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1984.
PAMELA J. JOYNER
Pamela J. Joyner has nearly 30 years of experience in the investment industry. She is the founder of Avid Partners, LLC, where her expertise has been in the alternative investment arena. Currently, Joyner is focused on her philanthropic interests in the arts and education.
Joyner is a trustee of the Art Institute of Chicago and the J. Paul Getty Trust, chair of the Tate Americas Foundation and a member of the Tate International Council and the Tate North America Acquisitions Committee. She is also a member of the Director’s Circle of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and a member of the Modern and Contemporary Art Visiting Committee of The Metropolitan Museum of Art. In the education arena, Joyner serves on the board of the Art + Practice foundation in Los Angeles.
Joyner’s previous philanthropic positions included serving as a member of President Obama’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities; a trustee of Dartmouth College and chair of its Investment Committee; a trustee of the New York City Ballet; a board member of the School of American Ballet; a trustee and co-chair of the San Francisco Ballet Association; a board member of the MacDowell Colony; and a trustee of the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco, as well as other arts and educational organizations.
SONYA YU
Sonya Yu is a business coach, creative director, startup advisor and philanthropist dedicated to cultivating local creative communities and driving positive social impact. She is also a photographer, and her clients include Trick Dog, PayPal, Instagram, Postmates, Yumi and many more. Yu is also the co-founder of fouronenine, a multidisciplinary studio space supporting creativity and culture in San Francisco, curated by herself and Zachary Lara.
Yu is on the Board of Directors for SFFilm, and co-chaired the SFFilm Awards Gala in 2017, 2018 and 2019. She also sits on the Board of Overseers for the Hammer Museum; Board of Advisors for Re:Store Justice; and Board of Directors for Active Cultures. Yu joined the FOG Design+Art Fair committee in 2019.
SFMOMA Senior Leadership
DAVIDA LINDSAY-BELL, Chief Human Resources Officer
Davida Lindsay-Bell joins SFMOMA with over 20 years in the human resources field. Most recently, she was vice president, people and culture, at Imperfect Foods, a mission-driven organization that reduces food waste while simultaneously lowering the cost of groceries to build a better food system for everyone. Prior to that, she held senior human resources positions at Kaiser Permanente and Dr. Pepper Snapple Group. Throughout her professional history, Lindsay-Bell has played an integral role in fostering collaboration and developing progressive programs to grow high performing teams and achieve companywide transformational goals.
Lindsay-Bell joins the museum’s executive team, where she will lead all HR and staff engagement functions, including recruitment and development, employee experience, internal communication and diversity and inclusion initiatives.
Lindsay-Bell holds BS and MA degrees in organizational behavior and industrial organizational psychology from the University of San Francisco and Capella University, respectively.
ANN VON GERMETEN, Chief Marketing and Communications Officer
Ann von Germeten joined SFMOMA in December as chief marketing and communications officer, having served in this role in an interim capacity since last summer. She is responsible for the museum’s branding, communications, marketing and advertising programs.
Previously, von Germeten served as executive vice president and chief marketing officer for Bank of the West where she was responsible for brand and advertising, multi-channel marketing and CRM, corporate sponsorships and events.
Prior to joining the bank in 2013, she spent 15 years at Charles Schwab where she held a variety of leadership roles in brand, advertising, marketing and communications, analytics and product/segment marketing. Von Germeten also has extensive experience in consumer packaged goods, both in-house and on the agency side, having worked earlier in her career at Procter & Gamble, Leo Burnett and Philip Morris. She previously served on the SFMOMA Board of Trustees’ marketing and communications committee.
Von Germeten earned an MBA from the Harvard Graduate School of Business Administration and graduated magna cum laude from Harvard College.