Gardner Heads Texas Museum

Courtney Elliott Gardner

Courtney Elliott Gardner ’89 is the new director of the Pearl Fincher Museum of Fine Arts in Spring, Texas. She had been the executive director of the Peninsula Fine Arts Center in Newport News, Virginia, since 2011. It closed at the end of 2020, according to the Daily Press.

Gardner has received numerous awards including “Top Forty Under Forty” from Inside Business Hampton Roads, the Paul Harris Fellow Award from the Rotary Club of Newport News, and the YWCA Women of Distinction Award.

According to a press release from the Pearl Fincher Museum, Gardner is known for her leadership skills in increasing an organization’s visibility; fundraising and financial management; and overseeing exhibits, educational activities, and programs that offer broad appeal to the community.