3 a position piloted by Jessica Berube. Jess’ creativity and social media savvy was a game changer and opened up new channels of outreach and opportunity for SCMA. We are very grateful to The Brown Foundation for supporting the expansion of this distinguished program launched with its funding in 2010, and invite you to read first-person reflections from Jess and curatorial post-baccalaureate fellow Colleen McDermott on pages 40 and 41. While the museum was sorry to see their tenures come to an end, I’m heartened knowing the future of museums is in such capable hands and I look forward to working with our new fellows this year. In addition to their catalytic role in the post-baccalaureate program, The Brown Foundation has been a valued philanthropic partner as we develop key parts of the strategic plan introduced last year. We’ve always understood that SCMA is a cherished space for teaching and learning; the strategic planning process also revealed just how much students and faculty alike look to the museum as a place for dialogue, connection and reflection. Our staff has worked thoughtfully and diligently to create responsive, relevant programming. To this end, we are grateful for the support that has allowed us to make good on our promise to align with the rhythms of student life and expand our hours into the evenings as well as activate the museum’s atrium as a place to study and socialize. Night at Your Museum, detailed on page 38, has become a distinct part of Smith culture and a beautiful example of people coming together to look at art and enjoy the space. Alumnae, of course, continue to play a vital role in all that we do. At last year’s Emily Hall Tremaine Symposium, funded through the initiative of Dorothy Tremaine Hildt ’49, Smith alumnae joined in conversation about the work of connecting people with art in deeply meaningful ways. The museum’s newly acquired Judith Baca mural is a wonderful representation of alumnae connection, art and meaning made possible through the generosity of Georgianna Bray Erskine ’54 (see page 58). Looking to make a gift in memory of distinguished curator and collector Eudorah Morse Moore ’40, Georgie invited the museum to identify works by a Southern California Chicana artist that would be meaningful in the collection, as well as reflective of Eudie’s love of Latin American art. We are grateful to Georgie for her thoughtful and visionary gift driven by the desire to remember a dear friend, commemorate her accom- plishments and do it in a way that would have lasting value here at the museum. Sophia Smith envisioned a college where women would increase their “power for good,” and this was the heart of Women for the World, the most successful campaign in Smith’s history. This $486 million institutional milestone was transformative, and here at SCMA we are incredibly grateful for the many gifts that have directly and indirectly helped to position us for this evolutionary time. These include supporting two new curatorships, doubling the number of SCMA’s spe- cialist curators and bringing new areas of expertise into the staff. Emma Chubb, the first Charlotte Feng Ford ’83 Curator of Contemporary Art, was hired last winter (see page 84) while Yao Wu, Jane Chace Carroll Curator of Asian Art, joined the museum’s staff in the fall of 2015. She has had a stunningly productive two years at SCMA, building strong partnerships with faculty, mentoring students, developing the collection, creating exhibitions and public programs, and activating the new Carol T. Christ Asian Art Gallery as a showcase for our growing collection and as a dynamic and responsive educational space. The alumnae Asian Art Task Force played a crucial role in making these dreams a reality. Under the leadership of trustee Mona Sinha ‘88, that group has assumed a new focus on South and South- east Asian art to begin exploring how the museum might valuably expand its collection and program beyond its historical focus on the art of East Asia. All of these changes, coupled with some big staff transitions, have opened up opportunities for restructuring to support implementation of the goals envisioned in our strategic plan. The biggest shift by far involves the collections and exhibitions management team, precipitated by the retirement of Associate Director of Museum Services David Dempsey. David’s long and remarkable tenure began in 1974 with a temporary position, and in 1976 he joined the staff as a preparator and conservator. As the museum evolved, so did his role in the care and security of the collection, expanding to encompass facilities management, visitor services,