ROM Announces Appointment of New Deputy Director for Museum Operations & Chief Operating Officer

TORONTO, March 20, 2025 – Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) is pleased to announce the appointment of Yoke Chung as Deputy Director for Museum Operations & Chief Operating Officer (COO), effective April 7, 2025. Chung brings to ROM a wealth of knowledge gleaned from over 30 years in the Ontario public sector, and she will report to ROM’s Director & CEO and serve on the Museum’s senior leadership team.

In this role, Chung will manage ROM’s day-to-day operations and capital work – including the transformational OpenROM project – to drive the Museum’s creativity, accountability, execution, and mission. The position will also be responsible for deepening the alignment of ROM’s human, financial, and physical resources as the Museum continues to implement its Strategic Direction to become one of the world’s foremost 21st-century cultural institutions, and for contributing to the Museum’s ongoing financial sustainability through efficient and innovative operational practices.

Chung joins ROM from the Ontario Science Centre, where she served as Vice-President of Corporate Services and Chief Operating Officer. At OSC, Chung oversaw an operational budget of $37 million across a diverse range of functions – including finance, human resources, technology and IT, revenue generation, and strategic planning – and was instrumental in guiding the institution through a period of significant change and major organizational projects. 

Prior to her role at the Ontario Science Centre, Chung served within the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services and was responsible for managing two interdependent budgets totaling more than $15 billion during her tenure as the Ministry controller, manager of fiscal strategies, and interim director of finance.

“From managing complex capital projects to championing community engagement initiatives, Yoke Chung has proven herself to be a visionary public-sector leader,” says Josh Basseches, ROM Director & CEO. “And in her new role at ROM, she will have the opportunity to oversee some of the Museum’s most ambitious endeavours, including OpenROM.”

“I’m thrilled and honoured to join the ROM at such a transformative time,” says Chung. “I look forward to collaborating with the Museum’s visionary leaders and exceptionally talented teams to further shape its future and amplify community connection through ROM’s strategic plan and capital projects. The OpenROM project is dear to my values of engagement and access, and I am excited to step in and help steer it towards completion and public opening.”

Chung will replace ROM Deputy Director for Museum Operations & COO Sue Fruchter, who is retiring to close an impressive 23-year career in the museum sector.  

-30-

CONTACTS:

ROM Communications 
media@rom.on.ca

ROM Social Media 
Instagram: @romtoronto 
Facebook: @royalontariomuseum 
Twitter: @ROMToronto 

About ROM 
Opened in 1914, ROM (Royal Ontario Museum) showcases art, culture, and nature from around the world and across time. Today, ROM houses more than 13 million objects, from Egyptian mummies to contemporary sculpture, from meteorites to dinosaurs. ROM is the most visited museum in Canada and one of the top ten museums in North America. It is also the country’s preeminent field research institute, with a diverse range of experts who help us understand the past, make sense of the present, and shape a shared future. Just as impressive is ROM’s facility - a striking combination of heritage architecture and the cutting-edge Michael Lee-Chin Crystal, which marks the Museum as an iconic landmark and global cultural destination. 

We live on in what we leave behind.  

ROM is an agency of the government of Ontario.