RICHMOND, VA.- The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts announced today the appointment of Linda Lipscomb as the new deputy director for advancement beginning September 1, 2011.

As the leader of the museum’s development team, Lipscomb will work toward raising unrestricted money, which supports museum operations, exhibitions and education funding, as well as endowments and special projects. VMFA Development also oversees the John Barton Payne and Heritage societies, which support art donors and planned giving, respectively.

“The Virginia Museum is currently experiencing unprecedented growth and visitation as a result of the reopening last year and the blockbuster Picasso exhibition this spring,” Director Alex Nyerges said. “We are pleased to welcome such a valuable member to our team as we continue to strive to bring world-class exhibitions to the Commonwealth.”

Continual fundraising efforts are essential in determining the exhibitions that occur at VMFA, Nyerges said. The museum conducted a national search for the new director.

Lipscomb is moving to Richmond from Dallas, Tx., where she has been the Dallas Museum of Art’s associate director of development since 2007. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Art History from Sweet Briar College in Virginia and a Master of Business Administration from Southern Methodist University in Dallas. She served as the director of development at the American Red Cross and previously was a sales and marketing executive with American Airlines.