The Abbe Museum announced today that Cinnamon Catlin-Legutko has been selected as its new chief executive officer. She will assume the position June 1st.

Since 2003, she has been director of the General Lew Wallace Study and Museum in Crawfordsville, Indiana. During that time, Catlin-Legutko led this National Historic Landmark from a seasonal operation to a year-round professional museum. As part of that effort, she raised $250,000 for the rehabilitation of the site's 19th century Carriage House for use as an interpretive center. In a 2008 White House ceremony, the Lew Wallace Study was awarded the National Medal for Museum Service. This is the nation's highest honor for museum achievement and is awarded annually by the Federal Institute for Museum and Library Service.

Previously, Catlin-Legutko was director at the Miami County Museum in Indiana where she oversaw a facade restoration of the property that is on the National Register of Historic Places, led a reinterpretation of four newly-opened exhibits, implemented an aggressive five-year exhibit program, and revitalized the Cole Porter Music Festival. In 2001, she established The LCL Company, a cultural resources consulting firm that specializes in collections management contract work, grant writing, organizational planning and historical research, and produces artifact-labeling kits to museums and other collecting organizations around the nation.

Catlin-Legutko holds an MA in anthropology from the University of Arkansas with a specialization in museum studies, and a BA in anthropology and art history from Purdue University. In graduate school she pursued her interest in Native American culture and history, focusing on Arctic Studies and studying with experts in Native American anthropological studies. She has authored a number of articles for museum and historical society periodicals and is co-editor of the upcoming Small Museum Toolkit. In 2004, her first book, The Art of Healing: The Wishard Art Collection, was published by the Indiana Historical Society. She has a distinguished record of service to the field that includes serving on program and grant review panels and on a number of program committees of the American Association of Museums and the Association of Indiana Museums. She is sought out for national and regional conference and workshop presentations on strategic planning for small museums. She is a board member and National Program Chair for the 2010 Annual Meeting of the American Association of State and Local History.

In naming Catlin-Legutko as the new CEO, Donna Gann, Board of Trustees President, said, "It gives me great pleasure to announce that Cinnamon will be our new CEO. CTPartners, an international search firm based in Washington DC, conducted a national search for us, and they could not have found a better fit for the Abbe Museum. From a pool of highly qualified finalists, Cinnamon?s leadership and management skills stand out, and her interest in Native American anthropology will serve the Abbe and our community well."

In accepting the position, Catlin-Legutko said, "I am tremendously honored by this opportunity to lead the Abbe, an organization I have admired for many years. I look forward to working closely with the staff and board in strengthening the museum for the future and positioning it as a cultural magnet for the MDI community and New England."

Cinnamon Catlin-Legutko is married to Larry Legutko, an information technology and project management professional. They have a nine-year old son, Jacob.

The Abbe Museum is the only museum in the world dedicated to the Wabanaki, the Native American people of Maine and the Maritimes. The museum's mission is to preserve the Wabanaki past and celebrate their vibrant and enterprising present. The Abbe has a collection of over 50,000 archeological, historic and contemporary objects including stone and bone tools, pottery, beadwork, carved root clubs, birch bark canoes, and supporting collections of photographs, maps, and archival documents. It holds the largest and best-documented collection of Maine Native American basketry in any museum. Its collections conservation program is recognized nationally as a model for museums.

For more information on the museum, visit the website.

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