The Smithsonian Institution fired the director of the Smithsonian American Art Museum (SAAM) in Washington, DC, after years of staff complaints about tumultuous leadership. WashingtonPost report published today, November 18.
Stephanie Stebich stepped down from her position as director of the museum in September, stepping down from a position she had held since April 2017 after informing staff in july that she would be taking indefinite medical leave, the WashingtonPost reported. According to her LinkedIn profile, she is now a senior advisor to the Under Secretary for Museums and Culture at the Smithsonian Institution. SAAM, which one claims to house the nation’s first collection of American art, announced the appointment of Jane Carpenter-Rock as acting director on September 3. Stebich’s departure or her new position was not announced.
The WashingtonPost said it interviewed nearly a dozen current and former employees, including senior leadership, who alleged that Stephanie Stebich’s management tactics created an environment of fear during her tenure. Employees said her instructions were often ‘contradictory’ and disruptive and she blamed staff for her mistakes, in addition to fueling rivalries through demotions and title changes.
Over a year before Stebich was removed from her role, senior staffers reportedly sent a letter of complaint to Smithsonian leadership. Informed by an anonymous member of the museum’s supervisory board, the WashingtonPost said the SAAM Advisory Board conducted an investigation into the grievances communicated in the July 2023 letter last spring. The newspaper revealed that some Smithsonian leaders had opposed letting go of Stebich, but other board members threatened to resign if she was not ousted. After some disagreement, the museum’s board subsequently recommended that Stebich be removed from her position, an action that the report said could only be finalized by Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie G. Bunch.
Before arriving at SAAM, Stebich served as executive director of the Tacoma Art Museum in Washington state for more than a decade. At SAAM, Stebich is credited with raising more than $100 million over the course of her seven-year tenure.
But while senior leadership said Stebich was a skilled fundraiser, some seemed to question her competency in leading an institution the size of SAAM. “She was a very good leader,” an anonymous board member told the newspaper WashingtonPost. “She wasn’t very good at managing the situation.” They added that the board was “quite shocked” that they had not heard of the employee dissatisfaction sooner, and claimed that the grievances against Stebich “were always isolated within the Smithsonian system” and its administrators.
Complaints about the work culture under Stebich predated the July 2023 letter that ultimately led to her removal, according to the WashingtonPostreporting that SAAM hired consultants to facilitate conversations after employee surveys showed a decline in satisfaction and morale. At an all-staff meeting of more than 100 employees in the spring of 2023, the consultants had attendees express anonymous concerns that would form a digital “word cloud.” The phrase “toxic director” emerged, following terms like “bullying” and burnout. Some employees also reportedly objected to donations Stebich accepted, including a monetary contribution from real estate developer Albert H. Small, accompanied by 1,297 model cars, some of which are on permanent display near works by artists Albert Bierstadt and Nam June Paik. Two employees said the display made them “cringe.”
SAAM and a spokesman for the Smithsonian Institution did not immediately respond Hyperallergic‘S to ask. Hyperallergic also attempted to contact Stebich for comment.
