Photo by Matt Flynn
SAN FRANCISCO—The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) announces the appointment of Jennifer Northrop as its new director of marketing and communications. In this role, Northrop will lead marketing and advertising, communications, community affairs, visitor experience and editorial communications. Guiding all museum marketing and communications strategies, policies and goals, she will serve as a member of the senior management team.
“With deep expertise in building global brands, Jennifer Northrop has launched innovative marketing and communications campaigns and developed creative partnerships with leading corporations and publications,” said Neal Benezra, SFMOMA director. ”She will be a tremendous asset to SFMOMA as we look towards our opening in spring 2016.”
Prior to joining SFMOMA, Northrop was the director of communications and marketing at Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum in New York City for over 13 years. There, she successfully led the communications, marketing and community relations initiatives for the museum’s reopening in 2014, following a three year renovation. She also spearheaded the redesign of Cooper Hewitt’s visual identity and the viral launch of the new Cooper Hewitt typeface as a free download.
Before her tenure at Cooper Hewitt, Northrop worked for Polo Ralph Lauren in brand management and marketing in both Europe and the United States. While based in London, she helped re-launch the Ralph Lauren Home Collection business in Europe, in major department stores such as Galeries Lafayette in Paris and El Corte Ingles in Spain. From New York, she held senior marketing positions and worked on the global launch of Ralph Lauren and Lauren by Ralph Lauren accessories, and developed the global licenses for the Polo Jeans Company.
Northrop is a founding member of NYCxDesign—New York City’s initiative to celebrate design within the city—and she helped launch its first official citywide celebration in 2013 bringing together numerous disciplines in design, commerce, culture, education and entertainment. She has won numerous Webby Awards, and holds a MA from the University of London, and a BA from Providence College.