Press Release - Anne Rothenberg Elected to Succeed Stewart R. Smith as Chair of The Huntington’s Board of Trustees

Incoming board chair Anne Rothenberg (front row, right), outgoing chair Stewart Smith (back row, left), and fellow Trustees Geneva Thornton, Loren Rothschild, and Andy Barth. Photo by Danielle Klebanow.

SAN MARINO, Calif.—Anne Rothenberg, longtime Huntington supporter and a trustee since 2005, has been elected chair of the Board, effective July 1, 2016.  She will be the first woman to lead the five-member governing board responsible for The Huntington’s financial sustainability and overarching direction. Rothenberg succeeds Stewart R. Smith, who has served as chair since 2006; he will remain on the board, along with fellow trustees Andrew F. Barth, Loren Rothschild, and Geneva Thornton.

“As the first woman president of The Huntington, I am absolutely thrilled that Anne has been named to this important role,” said Laura Skandera Trombley, Huntington president.  “Anne has been deeply involved at The Huntington for years, actively involved in a number of committees – from Art to Buildings and Grounds to Advancement and beyond.  I love her innate curiosity and strong support of all that we do, and I look forward to working with her in this new capacity.”

The Rothenberg name is a familiar one at The Huntington, as the family has played an essential role in leading philanthropic campaigns on the institution’s behalf. The sculpture loggia along the north side of the Virginia Steele Scott Galleries of American Art bears the Rothenberg name, as does the new lecture hall in the Education and Visitor Center, the reading room for scholars in the Library, the title of the chief financial officer, and the courtyard adjacent to the new board room.  Additionally, Anne and her late husband, Jim, have supported a wide range of programmatic activities including exhibitions and art acquisitions.

Originally from Short Hills, N.J., Rothenberg earned her BA in Classics at Boston University and worked as an editor at a variety of publications including Architectural Digest, Time, Life, and Fortune magazines.

As a community volunteer she has presided over the Pasadena Showcase House of Design, founded the Westridge Summer Opportunities Fair in Pasadena, and has been actively involved with the National Charity League and with Pasadena’s Chandler and Polytechnic schools.

Stewart Smith has served on the board since 2000.  Before that, he was a member of the Huntington’s Board of Overseers (elected in 1992), the 60-member governance group that assists the Board of Trustees in providing institutional leadership and support.

The president of Kinsmith Financial Corp., Smith has lent his expertise to a number of Huntington committees, including Finance (of which he was founding chair), Endowment Investment, the Campaign For Generations to Come, Buildings and Grounds, and Library. He also has served on two presidential search committees. Smith earned a bachelor’s degree from Pomona College and holds a law degree from Harvard Law School. He is the president and director of The H. Russell Smith Foundation.

“We have been extraordinarily fortunate to have had Stewart’s strong support and sound advice in helping us to advance the mission of The Huntington,” said Trombley. “Under his leadership The Huntington is stronger and more vital than ever before, with financially sound underpinnings and a robust and expanding program of research, educational activities, and exhibitions. I know I join a multitude of colleagues in my gratitude for his service as board chair.”

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Contacts
Susan Turner-Lowe, 626-405-2147, sturner@huntington.org
Thea M. Page, 626-405-2260, tpage@huntington.org