NEW YORK, NY.- Claudia Gould, Helen Goldsmith Menschel Director of The Jewish Museum, announced that Ellen Salpeter has been named the institution’s new Deputy Director for External Affairs, overseeing development, special events, and marketing and communications. She will assume this position on March 26, 2012.

Ms. Salpeter is currently Director of Heart of Brooklyn, a partnership of leading cultural institutions located near Grand Army Plaza in central Brooklyn, which she helped to found in 2001. Heart of Brooklyn members include Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Brooklyn Children’s Museum, Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn Public Library, Prospect Park and Prospect Park Zoo. For over a decade, Heart of Brooklyn’s award-winning initiatives have broken new ground for community development and cultural partnerships.

“Through her leadership, Ellen Salpeter has helped Heart of Brooklyn grow into a national model of cultural collaboration,” said Claudia Gould. “I am delighted to welcome Ellen to The Jewish Museum’s staff. Her two decades of not-for-profit experience in arts and culture will be a most welcome addition to our senior leadership team,” she added.

“I look forward to the opportunity to work with Claudia, the staff and Board of The Jewish Museum to build on the legacy of this extraordinary institution and engage new constituencies with the outstanding exhibitions and programs that it offers,” stated Ellen Salpeter.

For more than a century, The Jewish Museum has demonstrated the power of art and Jewish culture through critically acclaimed exhibitions, related education programs, and a renowned collection of 26,000 objects. Inspiring people of all backgrounds, the Museum is poised to enter a new phase and reach an ever broader and more diverse audience.

As the founding Director of Heart of Brooklyn, Ms. Salpeter has frequently been asked to share strategies with other cultural clusters that recognize the power of partnership. During her tenure at Heart of Brooklyn the organization was recognized with a National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award, the highest honor for out-of-school youth arts programs in the nation, with a Neighborhood Achievement Award presented by Mayor Michael Bloomberg, and was selected as a Finalist in The New York Times Nonprofit Excellence Awards.