The Smithsonian Institution has removed Stephanie Stebich, previously the director of the Smithsonian American Art Museum (SAAM) in Washington, DC, from her role following years of complaints from staff members regarding her “toxic” management of the museum. Stebich was moved to a senior advisory role in September, working with Kevin Gover, the Smithsonian’s undersecretary for museums and culture.
Stebich’s reassignment was first reported by The Washington Post, which found that members of the Smithsonian’s board of commissioners learned about the allegations against Stebich last year and quickly requested Stebich’s removal from her role as director. The request was contested by several senior-level staff members, including Gover. Some board members also threatened to resign if Stebich was removed.
Contacted for comment, a spokesperson for the Smithsonian tells The Art Newspaper that the institution “does not issue press releases when a director is transferred to another department of the Smithsonian” and that “the Post story is accurate”.
Stebich was appointed director of SAAM in 2017 and previously served as the director of the Tacoma Art Museum in Washington, where she spearheaded significant capital campaigns that boosted the museum’s campus, operations and collections. However, former Smithsonian curator Virginia Mecklenburg—who was demoted under Stebich—claims that Stebich was “an inexperienced director for an institution the size and complexity of SAAM”, according to the Post report.
Stebich oversaw around 140 workers and managers, some who anonymously described “an atmosphere of fear and recrimination”, and alleged that Stebich “publicly rebuked staff” and “gave contradictory instructions and at times changed abruptly, disrupting routines and processes”. Stebich also “blamed staff for her mistakes, berating people in meetings”, and is accused of causing rivalries between curators.
The Smithsonian brought on management consultants and an executive coach to work with Stebich after reviewing declining employee satisfaction surveys over the years, although there were no noticeable improvements in her conduct. Last year, consultants held a virtual exercise with over 100 staff members to explore their concerns, in which staff members fed a word cloud that eventually became dominated with the words “toxic director”. A letter of complaint was later submitted outlining staff dissatisfaction.
Stebich told staff she was taking indefinite medical leave in July. Her reassignment was announced in August in an internal email by the Smithsonian’s secretary, Lonnie G. Bunch III, who oversees all personnel decisions for senior-level staff members. Bunch wrote that the “Smithsonian and SAAM have benefited from Stephanie’s passion, dedication and creativity”.
Stebich was allegedly well-liked by board members and had raised more than $100m for the institution. She achieved a series of notable milestones during her tenure, including spearheading a 50th anniversary acquisition campaign for the Renwick Gallery and organising a robust traveling exhibition programme. She also oversaw the reinstallation of SAAM’s modern and contemporary art galleries last year, which sought to give a more expansive view of American art through the inclusion of more Bipoc (Black, Indigenous and people of colour) and LGBTQ+ artists.
Stebich has not commented on the role change or the recent allegations. Jane Carpenter-Rock, the deputy director for museum content and outreach, has been appointed the acting director of the museum and the search for a permanent replacement is underway.