The Widener Global Leaders Program has announced that Vivian Zavataro, executive and creative director of the Ulrich Museum of Art at Wichita State University, has joined its advisory board. The WGLP is led by the W. Frank Barton School of Business in collaboration with the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and the College of Fine Arts at Wichita State University, for students majoring in business, communication, and fine arts. It is an interdisciplinary program designed to create the next generation of global female leaders and provide them with a transformational, multidisciplinary educational experience to help them thrive upon graduation.
“As a Brazilian-Italian woman who has dedicated my life to the arts, I believe in the values and mission of the Widener Global Leaders Program,” said Zavataro. “By providing these women with an opportunity to engage with others inside and outside of their community, they can grow personally and professionally more than they ever thought possible.”
Before the Ulrich Museum of Art, Zavataro was the director and chief curator of the John and Geraldine Lilley Museum of Art at the University of Nevada, Reno. During her tenure, she established an operational endowment, grew the museum annual budget and staff and led multiple large scale strategic initiatives and partnerships. She has also worked at renowned arts organizations, such as documenta in Kassel, Germany; the Nevada Museum of Art; SFMOMA; and the J. Paul Getty Foundation. Her exhibitions have been funded by major national entities, such as the National Endowment for the Arts and the Terra Foundation for American Art. She holds a master’s in heritage and museum studies from the University of Amsterdam in the Netherlands, and a master’s in advanced studies in curating from the Zurich University of the Arts in Switzerland. Zavataro is currently pursuing her PhD in Practice in Curating at the University of Reading, United Kingdom.
“Vivian is a leader with a wealth of knowledge and experience from around the world,” said Dr. Larisa Genin, Dean of the Barton School and WGLP Executive Program Director. “As we aim to expand the global and artistic perspectives of our WGLP cohorts, Vivian will be an invaluable asset to these efforts.”
For more information, visit wichita.edu/academics/business/widener-glp/.