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Loyola University Museum of Art

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Loyola University Museum of Art Appoints New Board Members

Appointees Include Local Philanthropist, Scholars, and Corporate Executives  

CHICAGO, January 30, 2008 – The Loyola University Museum of Art (LUMA) announced today that it has appointed six new members to its board of directors. The new appointees begin their term immediately and will join current members of the two-year-old museum’s existing board. Board members serve as key advisors to LUMA’s director and staff and work to promote the mission of the museum.

  •  Marjorie Benton – A philanthropist and co-founder of the Chicago Foundation for Women, the Peace Museum in Chicago, and the Chicago Global Donors Network, Mrs. Benton has devoted her adult life to advocacy for women, children, peace, government service, and community development. Her efforts have earned her numerous awards and honors, including ten honorary doctorates. In 2004, the Chicago Sun-Times named Mrs. Benton one of the most powerful women in Chicago.

  • Rev. Mark Bosco, S.J. – Father Bosco currently serves as assistant professor in the departments of English and theology at Loyola University Chicago, a position he has held since 2003. Father Bosco is the author of Graham Greene’s Catholic Imagination (New York: Oxford University Press, January 2005), and he has contributed to a number of books and conferences throughout his career. Father Bosco is a member of the American Academy of Religion, the Modern Language Association, and the Christianity and Literature Conference.

  • Gisele DiSpigno – Mrs. DiSpigno, a 1969 Mundelein College graduate, is Director of Contracts and Negotiations, Americas, for the IBM Corporation, an organization she joined in 1977. In addition to her work with IBM, Mrs. DiSpigno and her husband, Guy J. DiSpigno, PhD, a 1974 graduate of Loyola’s Institute of Pastoral Studies and a member of the University’s Council of Regents, are both members of the Loyola University Museum of Art.

  • Bernard J. Dobroski, PhD – Dr. Dobroski currently serves as a John Evans Professor of Music at Northwestern University, and is the School of Music's former dean. Dr. Dobroski serves on the executive boards of the Andrew Carnegie Society at Carnegie-Mellon University and Loyola’s Artist-in-Resident Ensemble, “The Lira Singers.” He is currently chair of the College Music Society's 50th anniversary national conferences. Dr. Dobroski has also served on the board of directors of Lyric Opera of Chicago’s “Patrick G. and Shirley Ryan Opera Center” since 1990.

  • Laurence O. Gray – Mr. Gray currently serves as CEO and president of Gray & Company, an investment management consulting firm based in Atlanta, Georgia, that he founded in 1995. In addition to his work with Gray & Company, Mr. Gray serves on the board of directors at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago, and he has served on the board of the Alliance Theatre in Atlanta. 

  • Fidelis Umeh – Mr. Umeh, chairman of the Versay Corporation, is a former member of Loyola University Chicago’s board of trustees. Mr. Umeh is also the founder of the Enumbra (Nigeria) Foundation, established in 1991 to bridge the gap between people in Nigeria and the United States, and he also served as a member of the board of directors at the Illinois Institute of Technology.

“We are thrilled to add six impressive individuals to our board of directors,” says Pam Ambrose, director of LUMA. “Each appointee has an inspiring background and is uniquely qualified to partner with our existing board members to promote LUMA’s distinctive mission on a local and national level.”

About LUMA
Opened in 2005, the Loyola University Museum of Art is dedicated to exploring, promoting, and understanding art and artistic expression that illuminates the enduring spiritual questions of all cultures and societies. As a museum with an interest in education and educational programming, LUMA reflects the University’s Jesuit mission and is dedicated to helping people of all creeds explore the roots of their faith and spiritual quests. Located at Loyola University Chicago’s Water Tower Campus, the museum occupies the first three floors of the University’s historic Lewis Towers on Chicago’s famous Michigan Avenue. For more information, visit the museum’s website at LUC.edu/luma.

Art illuminating the spirit!

-LUMA-