Presenter

Stephan Jost

Director and CEO, Art Gallery of Ontario

Stephan Jost is the Michael and Sonja Koerner Director, and CEO of the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO).

Upon his appointment in 2016, Mr. Jost demonstrated immediate leadership by thoughtfully exploring the AGO’s visitorship, collection and key strengths in order to strategically focus on three mission-aligned areas: art, access and learning. He has overseen the revitalization of several key areas in the Gallery, including Maxine Granovsky & Ira Gluskin Hall; helped clarify new target segments to ensure sustainable audience development; and launched Look:Forward, a major reinstallation of the AGO’s remarkable Collection.

Before joining the AGO, Mr. Jost was Director of the Honolulu Museum of Art (HoMA) for five years, where he worked toward a goal of making the Museum a welcoming and accessible place for a more diverse audience to experience great art. Under his leadership, HoMA’s finances were dramatically improved; the education program expanded in reach and capacity; its membership increased by 64 per cent; and the visitor experience significantly energized.

Prior to that appointment, Mr. Jost was the Director of the Shelburne Museum in Vermont, the Director of the Mills College Art Museum in Oakland, California, and held several curatorial positions at the Allen Memorial Art Museum of Oberlin College in Ohio. He also worked at the esteemed international auction house, Sotheby’s, as part of the marketing department that coordinated the production of auction catalogues.

Born in Michigan, Mr. Jost holds a BA in art history from Hampshire College in Massachusetts and an MA in art history, specializing in the history of photography, from the University of Texas at Austin.