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CINCINNATI— September 24, 2025 — The Cincinnati Art Museum (CAM) is pleased to announce the election of new Board Officers for its 2025–26 fiscal year: Chair Bruce Petrie, Jr., Bricker Graydon (retired); President Andrew Quinn, Bardes Corp.; Vice President Eric Kearney, Greater Cincinnati & Northern Kentucky African American Chamber of Commerce and former Ohio state senator; Treasurer Cheryl Rose, Constellation Wealth Advisors; and Secretary Jake Ragland, Salt Creek Capital. These roles began September 1, 2025, and will run through August 31, 2026.

Four newly elected trustees will serve their first term from 2025–2028: Shakila Ahmad, PhD (h.c.); Ivy Bayer; Ryan Hays, PhD; and Kristi Nelson, PhD. As president of the CAM Catalysts–the museum’s YP board–Natalie Leonard will serve as a trustee from 2025–2027.

Shakila Ahmad, PhD (h.c.), serves as CEO and co-founder of Empowering Spaces, a Greater Cincinnati-based organization dedicated to helping businesses build meaningful connections with Muslim employees, clients and partners through tailored education and strategic guidance. Ahmad has dedicated more than three decades to championing community engagement and social impact. In 2013, she made history as the first woman to serve as both Chair and President of the Board at the Islamic Center of Greater Cincinnati (ICGC)—and notably, the first woman to hold such a leadership role at any institution of its kind.

Ivy Bayer is a Cincinnati-based media and marketing trailblazer and the publisher of both Cincinnati Magazine and Indianapolis Monthly. Cincinnati Magazine has been honored as Best Magazine in Ohio 10 times by the Cleveland Press Club’s Ohio Excellence in Journalism Awards and has twice been named Best Monthly Magazine in Ohio by the state’s Society of Professional Journalists. Meanwhile, Indianapolis Monthly has garnered prestigious accolades from the City and Regional Magazine Association, including the General Excellence Award and Best Ancillary General Interest Award for its celebrated City Guide. In addition, Bayer also serves on the board for The Health Collaborative and formerly served as the Madeira Chamber of Commerce Vice President and Marketing Chair.

Ryan Hays, PhD, serves as Executive Vice President and Chief Innovation & Strategy Officer at the University of Cincinnati—the second largest university in Ohio. Hays was the primary architect for the university’s 10-year strategic direction, Next Lives Here—a plan by the university to create a mature ecosystem for involvement, innovation and impact. Prior, Hays was the Assistant Dean of Faculty at Princeton University where he co-managed a $600 million faculty budget and facilitated the appointment of approximately 500 lecturers and visiting professors.

Kristi Nelson, PhD, serves as Provost Emeritus and Professor Emeritus of art history at the University of Cincinnati and is the former interim Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost. Over the course of her 40-year career, Nelson has received numerous awards including the University of Cincinnati President’s Award for Excellence (2015), the Excellence in Teaching and Distinguished Service Award from the University of Cincinnati’s Honors Program (2015) and the Charles Cuttler Award for Contributions to the History of Art (2019). In 2021, she served as co-curator of The Berlin Masterpieces in America: Paintings, Politics, and the Monuments Men exhibited at CAM from July 9–October 3, 2021.

Natalie Leonard is an occupational therapist in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center. She serves on the Executive Leadership Team for the March of Dimes annual fundraiser and Signature Chefs: Feeding Motherhood (Cincinnati/NKY). She also serves as a proud member of Friends of Tiny Hearts, a philanthropic initiative of the UC Health Foundation, and is a dedicated advocate for families experiencing neonatal intensive care, actively supporting them through their journeys. In September 2025, Leonard was elected as the President of the CAM Catalysts, CAM’s young professional board. With that position, she will also serve as a trustee during her presidential term.

About the Cincinnati Art Museum

The Cincinnati Art Museum features a diverse, encyclopedic art collection of more than 73,000 works spanning 6,000 years. In addition to displaying its own broad collection, the museum conducts extensive research and creates and organizes several exhibitions each year. It also hosts national and international traveling exhibitions. Through these critical projects and art-related programs, activities, and special events, the museum contributes to a more vibrant Cincinnati by inspiring its people and connecting its communities.

The Cincinnati Art Museum is supported by the tens of thousands of people who give generously to the annual ArtsWave Campaign, the region’s primary source for arts funding. The Ohio Arts Council helps fund the Cincinnati Art Museum with state tax dollars to encourage economic growth, educational excellence, and cultural enrichment for all Ohioans. The Cincinnati Art Museum gratefully acknowledges operating support from the City of Cincinnati, as well as its members. Free general admission to the Cincinnati Art Museum is made possible by a gift from the Rosenthal Family Foundation. Generous support for the museum’s extended Thursday hours is provided by Art Bridges Foundation’s Access for All program. Exhibition pricing may vary. Parking at the Cincinnati Art Museum is free. Accessibility accommodations are available. More information is available at cincinnatiartmuseum.org.

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