Janice Price appointed President and CEO of ROM Governors

Following an extensive international search in collaboration with Isaacson, Miller: Executive Search, the Royal Ontario Museum Board of Governors is pleased to announce the appointment of Janice Price as the new President & CEO of ROM Governors, the foundation responsible for philanthropic activities in support of the Museum’s mission. Ms. Price assumes the role on October 1, 2024. 

With over two decades of experience as a senior executive in leadership roles across the arts and cultural sector in Canada and the United States, Ms. Price is uniquely qualified to be a strong and engaged partner with ROM as it enters the next phase of its evolution as a 21st century Museum through OpenROM, an ambitious plan that encompasses capital and programmatic improvements. 

“On behalf of ROM’s Board of Governors and the Foundation’s staff, I congratulate Janice on this well-deserved appointment,” said Jeff Willner, Chair of the ROM Board of Governors. “I know she will achieve great things as we work towards ROM’s mission to become an even more vibrant community hub and a global leader on the world stage.”

Most recently, Ms. Price served for eight years as President and CEO of Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity. Prior to that appointment, she served as the Founding CEO of Toronto’s Luminato Festival, leading it to become one of the world’s largest and most respected annual multi-disciplinary arts festivals. From 2002 to 2006, Ms. Price was the first operating President and CEO of The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts in Philadelphia. Prior to holding that position, she was Vice President of Marketing and Communications and then Interim Executive Director at New York’s Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. 

“Janice has a deep understanding of what makes a cultural organization successful,” said Josh Basseches, ROM Director & CEO. “Her belief in the power of philanthropy to bring a mission and strategic plan alive gives me tremendous confidence that she will be a strong partner in this transformative era for ROM, as we advance OpenROM and other exciting initiatives. I look forward to working with Janice, and I welcome her to the Museum.”

Ms. Price has served on numerous national and international arts sector boards including ISPA (International Society for the Performing Arts), the National Board of Culture Days, the Toronto Arts Foundation, and FEO (Festivals and Events Ontario). She served on the 2016-17 National Executive of the Governor General's Leadership Conference and chaired the national FAME (Festivals and Major Events) board from 2013 to 2015. Ms. Price currently serves on the board of Business/Arts, and on the Advisory Board of Magnet at Toronto Metropolitan University. Ms. Price was a recipient of the 2018 WXN Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women Award in the category of Arts, Sports, and Entertainment. In 2022, she was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal in recognition of her contributions to the arts sector in Canada.

“ROM is deeply important to me as a Canadian who believes in the power of art, culture, and nature—especially when paired with education and engagement,” said Janice Price. “I have always been attracted to opportunities to build and grow an organization, and I’m proud to join ROM Governors at a time that will allow me to play a role in working alongside Josh Basseches, the Board of Governors, and the Board of Trustees to bring the Museum’s inspired vision and mission to life, especially through OpenROM. ROM has an achievable goal to create dramatic change in the world, to respond to a changing public, to bolster communities and to act as the central gathering place that our city and province deserve.”

Please join us in welcoming Janice to ROM Governors!