Ann Fortescue, President & Executive Director

International Museum of Art & Science, McAllen, TX

From her early years as a museum educator and now as a director, Ann Fortescue enthusiastically builds teams that strive to make the museum a place for everyone. She joined the International Museum of Art & Science (IMAS) in July 2019 as President & Executive Director after eight years as Executive Director of the Springfield (OH) Museum of Art and over 20 years in progressively responsible positions at the Heinz History Center in Pittsburgh, PA. With over 30 years of practice in history, art, and science museums, she brings a range of service to the field including past Chair of the American Alliance of Museum’s Committee on Education (EdCom), as an AAM Accreditation Commissioner from 2015-2018, and a MAP peer reviewer since 2005. Ann received her B. A. in history from Bates College in Lewiston, Maine and her M.S. in museum education from Bank Street College of Education in New York City. She attended the Museum Leadership Institute at the Getty Institute in Los Angeles and, with the IMAS staff, is currently participating in the Cultural Competence Learning Institute – a collaboration between the Association of Science and Technology Centers,  the Children’s Museum Association, and the Children’s Discovery Museum of San Jose with funding from the Institute of Museum and Library Services. Ann and her husband Jeff, a retired librarian and avid bicyclist, live in McAllen and have two grown children and two grandchildren.