The Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art has announced a significant organizational restructuring, promoting Inga Harrington to the newly created position of Vice President of People and Culture on Nov. 6.
The move establishes a dedicated division focused on employee development, community engagement and organizational culture, separate from the museum’s financial operations.
Harrington, who has served as the museum’s director of human resources for the past 13 months, now leads the People and Culture division. This new branch oversees human resources functions, including payroll, benefits administration and employee relations, while also expanding its scope to manage the museum’s volunteer initiatives, intern program, and external community engagement efforts.
“I am so blessed and honored to be entrusted with the role of Vice President of People and Culture at the Eiteljorg Museum. I am deeply grateful for the confidence and support of my colleagues and the leadership team,” Harrington said. “As a lover of the arts and culture, it is a privilege to help advance the museum’s mission and to continue strengthening our role as a place where art, history, and culture come together to inspire and connect our communities in meaningful ways.”
The restructuring is designed to create more focused leadership within the institution. The museum’s chief financial officer, a position currently being sought, will now concentrate exclusively on earned revenue, finances and the endowment.
Harrington will supervise the human resources staff, and the museum plans to hire a new HR generalist to support its approximately 54 employees.
Eiteljorg President and CEO Kathryn Haigh endorsed Harrington’s leadership, highlighting her impact during the past year.
“Inga Harrington has been an invaluable partner to our leadership team as we work to transform our organizational culture into one of collaboration, trust and shared purpose,” Haigh said. “Her thoughtful leadership in developing new policies and guiding the implementation of our new payroll system has strengthened our operations considerably over the last year.”
Haigh added that the new division is central to the museum’s strategy, stating it “will play a central role in advancing a positive workplace culture and supporting employee engagement as well as balance workloads in the museum.”
Harrington brings over 24 years of experience in program, policy and personnel development to the role. A native of Indianapolis and a graduate of Broad Ripple High School, she holds a Bachelor of Science in Public Health Administration from Indiana University-Bloomington and a Master of Science in Management with a concentration in Human Resources from Indiana Wesleyan University.
The leadership transition also involves the departure of Sunny Reed, the museum’s chief financial and administrative officer. Reed is leaving after four years to become the chief financial officer for the United Way for Southeastern Michigan in Detroit.
Contact Multi-Media & Senior Sports Reporter Noral Parham at 317-762-7846. Follow him on social media @HorsemenSportsMedia. For more arts & culture, click here.
Noral Parham is the multi-media & senior sports reporter for the Indianapolis Recorder, one of the oldest Black publications in the country. Prior to joining the Recorder, Parham served as the community advocate of the MLK Center in Indianapolis and senior copywriter for an e-commerce and marketing firm in Denver. He is also the owner and founder of Horsemen Sports Media.
