The Board of Directors of the African American Museum in Philadelphia (AAMP) announced that Claire Lomax, Esq. has been elected as its new Board Chairperson. Lomax becomes the first female chair in the museum’s 35-year history. Lomax has served as the Board’s Vice Chair since 2006. She succeeds Ernest E. Jones, Esq., who will now become Chairman Emeritus. Harold T. Epps has been elected to the position of Vice Chair.
Three additional new board members are: Jack Ferguson, President & CEO of the Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau (PCVB); Adrian L. Harris, Senior Vice President Banking Director of PNC Bank; and Melanie Johnson, City Representative for the City of Philadelphia, who becomes an Ex Officio member of the Board.
Lomax, the General Counsel of The Lomax Companies, LP and CEO of the Lomax Family Foundation since 2003, brings a number of key strengths to her role as board chair. As head of one of the nation’s handful of African American grant-making foundations, she is well-versed in the area of philanthropy, especially the specialized needs of African American legacy organizations. In addition, Lomax has a wealth of institutional knowledge and has been part of the leadership that has guided the museum’s five year transition to financial stability.
Among the results are new core exhibits and extensive renovations to the facility. “We are moving into a dynamic new phase in the life cycle of the African American Museum, one that requires creative strategic alliances and partnerships as well as diversification of funding streams. Our focus will be to develop a plan that allows us to tell the story of the African American experience to a much broader audience,” says Lomax.
Lomax is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and Georgetown University Law Center. Over the last two decades, Lomax has not only served in the capacity of General Counsel for the Lomax Companies, LP but also as CEO of the Lomax Family Foundation (LLF). LLF awards grants to programs and non-profit organizations that work to promote art, health, education and culture in the African American community. She is a member of the Board of Trustees for the University of Pennsylvania; the Board of Trustees for the Penn School of Social Policy and Practice; and co-chair of the James Brister Society, an alumni organization dedicated to promoting diversity on Penn’s campus.
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