Newfields finds new CEO in Field Museum executive
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For the second time in three years, Newfields is hiring a new leader to close a contentious chapter in the history of the art museum and gardens.
Le Monte Booker, chief financial officer of Chicago’s Field Museum, will succeed Colette Pierce Burnette in the role of Newfields CEO and president starting in late October, officials announced Monday.
Burnette’s tenure at Newfields, a 152-acre campus that includes the Indianapolis Museum of Art, began in August 2022 and ended in November 2023 with her abrupt and unexplained departure.
She was hired in the wake of a race-related controversy that led to the resignation of CEO Charles Venable in 2021. Venable departed after more than 85 Newfields employees and affiliates signed a letter calling for his ousting in response to a job posting that referenced the need to maintain “the museum’s traditional, core, white art audience” while attempting to attract guests from all backgrounds.
Burnette became the first Black top executive and the first woman hired for the role at the institution founded in 1883.
Booker, an alum of Chicago’s DePaul University who earned a MBA degree from the DeVry University’s Keller Graduate School of Management, will be the first Black man in the top executive role.
Newfields has provided no explanation for Burnette’s exit, citing a policy of not discussing the details of internal employment matters.
Six board members stepped down in the weeks before and after the announcement of Burnette’s exit.
Martin University President Sean Huddleston was one of six Newfields board of trustees members to resign. A Martin spokesperson told the IBJ in December that Huddleston left the Newfields board in response to Burnette’s departure.
“Given the current climate, her departure represents an unfortunate setback to the progress our community has made,” the spokesperson wrote in an email.
Burnette joined the Martin University board of trustees in January.
This weekend, Burnette will serve as one of the curators of the Butter fine art fair at the Stutz. The showcase for Black artists is the signature event of cultural firm GangGang.
GangGang served as a guest curator for “We. The Culture,” a yearlong exhibition at the Indianapolis Museum of Art featuring work by 18 artists who painted a Black Lives Matter mural on Indiana Avenue in 2020. Burnette led Newfields during the “We. The Culture” show.
Booker joined the Field Museum’s staff in 2015. His primary areas of responsibility included finance, protection services and facilities planning and operations. The Field Museum was the 17th most visited museum in the U.S. in 2022, with more than a million visitors, and is one of the largest natural history museums in the world.
According to 2022 tax filings by the Field Museum, Booker received a salary of $311,657. According to tax filings by Newfields, the organization spent $667,148 on CEO compensation during the fiscal year that began in July 2022 and concluded in June 2023. Former leader Venable received $478,398, while Burnette received $188,750 for a partial year of employment.
Booker previous served as CFO of Easter Seals Inc. and the American Academy of Pediatrics.
In a written statement, Newfields board chair Darrianne Christian said Booker “possesses the right mindset, temperament, aptitude and leadership skills needed for this role. … His extensive museum experience gives him a comprehensive understanding of how institutions like Newfields need to operate to thrive. He has a solid track record of strategically maximizing value for all stakeholders in a thoughtful and inclusive manner.”
In a written statement, Booker described Newfields as “an outstanding example of a cornerstone cultural institution in the unique position of having both a world-class art collection as well as important gardens and historic homes.”
Newfields also announced that Michael Kubacki will exit his role as interim CEO and president. Kubacki, a former board member and former chair of Lake City Bank, was hired as the interim leader in November.
A national search for Burnette’s successor was launched earlier this year by seven Newfields board members in conjunction with Chicago-based recruiting firm Koya Partners.
Anne Sellers, the board’s vice chair, served as the search committee chair. Sellers was managing principal of Indianapolis-based audio-visual tech firm Sensory Technologies from 2006 to 2020, when the company was acquired by Diversified.
In a written statement, Sellers characterized Booker as “an inspirational and collaborative leader with two decades of experience in the not-for-profit and museum sectors. His visionary approach, coupled with his operational skills and his trusted presence as an ambassador, makes him an exceptional fit for Newfields and the Indianapolis community.”