January 3, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For more information, please contact:

G. Gary Moyer, Executive Director

(814) 472-3920

Travis Mearns, Public Relations Coordinator

(724) 238-6015

SAMA APPOINTS JOHNSTOWN MAN AS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

            Loretto – The Board of Trustees of the Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art is pleased to announce the appointment of G. Gary Moyer of Johnstown as Executive Director. He will assume the position in January, 2008.

            Shirley D. Lingenfelter, President of SAMA’s Board of Trustees, said Moyer’s strong business and management background made him an ideal candidate for the position. “Gary Moyer is a business professional with demonstrated leadership, a strategic orientation, a broad business perspective and diverse experiences,” she said. “He has been active in numerous professional and community organizations, and has shown tremendous commitment toward the growth of our region, as evidenced by his work as Chairperson for the John B. Gunter Community Leadership Initiative.

            “When reviewing candidates for this position, the Board believed Gary’s accomplishments, experience, education and enthusiasm were second to none. We are poised to begin a new era under Gary Moyer’s directorship, and we couldn’t be more confident and thrilled about our future.”

            Moyer joins SAMA after a career with Fortune 500 firms and a background in the college sector. Most recently, he was Manager, Human Resources, for Fleetwood Folding Trailers Division in Somerset. Prior to joining Fleetwood, he was a manager with Reliant Energy in Johnstown and the Dresser Clark Division of Dresser Industries in Olean, N.Y. Before working in business and industry, Moyer was Director of Admissions for Saint Francis University in Loretto. He continues to teach for the University in the business program as an Associate Professor with the Continuing Education Department.

            Moyer has an M.BA from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, as well as a Master’s of Arts degree in Industrial Relations and Personnel Administration from Saint Francis University. He received an undergraduate degree in English from Saint Francis University, and has several professional certifications, including Labor Relations from Cornell University and Executive Leadership from Penn State’s Executive Institute. Moyer also has served as Chairperson for the Cambria County Chamber of Commerce Leadership Program and Board President for New Choices, among several other positions with civic and charitable organizations. He received the Outstanding Advocate Award on two separate occasions from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s Department of Education. Moyer and his wife, Susan, reside in Johnstown. Their children and grandchildren also live in the area.

            “I am committed to creating and sustaining a cultural legacy for the people of Southwestern Pennsylvania,” said Moyer. “SAMA has a proud past and has every reason to be excited about the future. Given the Board’s support, the talents of the SAMA team, and the energy of the communities served, we do have a very bright future ahead of us. From my perspective, we will accomplish SAMA’s vision through the interplay of community support, business partnerships, school alliances, government participation, and individual involvement. My goal is to develop a community-oriented, high-involvement, performance-driven, professional organization characterized by service, creativity, and continuous improvement.”

            Founded in 1975, the Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art exists to preserve, exhibit, and advance American art and is dedicated to making its programs and activities accessible to the people of the southwestern area of Central Pennsylvania. Charged with the development, maintenance and perpetuation of a permanent collection, the Museum mounts exhibitions designed to evoke an interest in and an understanding and appreciation of American art through its facilities in Altoona, Johnstown, Ligonier and Loretto. Numbering more than 3,000 works of art, SAMA’s permanent collection includes 19^th and 20^th century painting, sculpture, drawing and prints highlighted with works by Mary Cassatt, Helen Frankenthaler, Andy Warhol, Alfred Stieglitz, Margaret Bourke-White, and John Sloan. In addition to exhibitions of the permanent collection, an ambitious calendar of special exhibitions is designed annually to provide opportunities to view important trends in American art.

            In partnership with the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts (PCA), SAMA also operates Arts-in-Education and Artist-in-Residence programs that serve approximately 45,000 students in more than 70 schools throughout Bedford, Blair, Cambria, Fayette, Somerset and Westmoreland counties. The Museum also instituted the Museum/Health Care Partnership Program, through which trained artists and museum educators work directly with therapists and patients to create meaningful works of art that act as a way to alleviate pain and discomfort brought on by health issues. For more information about the Museum or its programs, please call the Loretto Museum at (814) 472-3920 or visit www.sama-art.org.