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Madison, WI – The Wisconsin Historical Society is pleased to welcome Jill Sterrett to the organization in the role of administrator of collections. Sterrett was most recently a visiting scholar and researcher at the Getty Conservation Institute in Los Angeles, California, and her first day was September 26, 2022.

Sterrett is a nationally and internationally recognized collections leader, conservator, author and scholar. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Denison University in Granville, Ohio and both a master’s degree and a certificate of advanced study in conservation of historic and artistic artifacts from SUNY Buffalo State College in Buffalo, New York.

“I am pleased to welcome Jill Sterrett to the team and I know her leadership will be a terrific addition to the Society as we continue to create greater access to our world class North American and Wisconsin history collections,” said Christian Overland, Ruth and Hartley Barker Director & CEO for the Wisconsin Historical Society. “Jill’s work is highly regarded on a global level and her collections leadership expertise is particularly impressive. We are thrilled to have her join the Wisconsin Historical Society team as we plan and prepare for the new history center to open in 2026.”

In addition to her most recent role at the Getty Conservation Institute, Sterrett was Director of Collections at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) for many years. Her work at SFMOMA included organizing the installation of the museum’s celebrated collection into a new world-class and state-of-the-art building in 2016. She has held various museums positions in her career including serving as a paper conservator at the Library of Congress. She also served as Deputy and Interim Director of the Smart Museum at the University of Chicago and was a Fulbright lecturer on curatorial practice at the University of Porto in Portugal. Sterrett’s upcoming title co-written with Abigail Winograd, “Art in Pursuit of Common Cause,” will be published next year.

About the Wisconsin Historical Society
The Wisconsin Historical Society, founded in 1846, ranks as one of the largest, most active and most diversified state historical societies in the nation. As both a state agency and a private membership organization, its mission is to help people connect to the past by collecting, preserving and sharing stories. The Wisconsin Historical Society serves millions of people every year through a wide range of sites, programs and services. For more information, visit www.wisconsinhistory.org.