OMCA CEO and Director Heidi Zuckerman Announces Plans to Move on

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Heidi Zuckerman. Photo courtesy of OCMA/Luke Fontana

Heidi Zuckerman Announces Her Decision to Move on as CEO and Director of Orange County Museum of Art at the End of Her Contract in December 2025

Under Zuckerman’s Transformational Tenure, OCMA Opened its New Campus, Presented Acclaimed Exhibitions, and Welcomed Record-Breaking Crowds

The Orange County Museum of Art (OCMA) today announced that Heidi Zuckerman has decided to move on from her role as CEO and director at the end of her contract in December 2025 to focus on her media platform. Zuckerman, who has led the museum through a period of remarkable growth, will assist the executive committee in the search for her successor. She is the museum’s thirteenth director since its founding in 1962. 

OCMA has thrived under Zuckerman’s visionary leadership, including the successful completion and 2022 grand opening of the museum’s world-class new home, designed by Morphosis Architects under the direction of Pritzker Prize winner Thom Mayne.

She leaves behind a legacy of institutional growth, impactful exhibitions, free access to art and community engagement that has solidified the museum’s position as a premier cultural destination. In the two years following the opening of OCMA’s new building, the museum welcomed over 500,000 visitors — a surge twelve times greater than its former location’s annual attendance.

David Emmes II, chair of the OCMA Board of Trustees, expressed gratitude for Zuckerman’s leadership, stating, “Heidi has been a trailblazing force at OCMA, realizing a long-held dream of building and operating a new museum that is now a cornerstone of Orange County’s cultural landscape. Her dedication to bringing world-class exhibitions and thought-provoking programming to our community has elevated OCMA to unprecedented heights. Though it is always bittersweet when someone decides to embark on a new chapter, we are excited to witness the great strides Heidi will continue to make in expanding access to the arts.”

“Serving as CEO and director of OCMA has been an extraordinary privilege, and I am deeply grateful to have played a role in shaping this institution and its connection to the community,” Zuckerman said. “The vision for a world-class contemporary art museum for the 21st century in Orange County has become a reality, embraced by visitors, artists and supporters alike. As I look forward to what comes next, my commitment to the arts, to making art accessible for all and this vibrant cultural landscape remains unwavering.”

During Zuckerman’s nearly five-year tenure, OCMA has achieved significant milestones, including:

• Completing and opening a new, state-of-the-art 53,000-square-foot museum, fulfilling a decades-long vision for the institution and doubled its size of the museum’s former Newport Beach location.

• Presenting critically acclaimed exhibitions such as “Yves Saint Laurent: Line and Expression” (2024), “Alice Neel: Feels Like Home” (2023), and “Fred Eversley: Reflecting Back (the World)” (2022).

• Establishing free admission for 10 years with a gift from Lugano Diamonds.

• Raising more than $85 million to support the museum’s exhibitions, public programs and operations. 

• Welcoming more than 500,000 visitors since OCMA’s 2022 grand reopening.

• Acquiring over 100 new objects to enhance and expand OCMA’s permanent collection, including significant works by Andrea Bowers, Joan Brown, Derek Fourdjour, Robert Nava, Hilary Precis and the Anderson Collection, adding 45 key works, many of which had previously been included in the museum’s exhibitions.

• Ranking as the third most efficient museum among the 153 largest museums in the country and first in visitation in the category of free museums in a major metropolitan area with a smaller budget by Remuseum, an independent research project promoting innovation among art museums across the U.S., demonstrating an outstanding ability to maximize impact with available resources.

For over two decades, Zuckerman has been a leader in the art world, curating more than 200 exhibitions, authoring numerous books and shepherding the completion of two major museum buildings, including the Aspen Art Museum, where she built the highly acclaimed building by architect Shigeru Ban from the ground up. Her contributions to the field have shaped how global audiences experience and engage with contemporary art.

Following her departure, Zuckerman will focus on her media company HZ Inc., including her podcast About Art, in partnership with Pardon, a modern family office and venture studio working at the intersection of art and entrepreneurship. Through newsletters, podcasts, books and curated experiences, she continues her mission of bridging contemporary art, culture and lifestyle for a global audience.