As part of an ongoing partnership between the Oral History Center and the Getty Trust, we recently conducted interviews with two distinguished former members of the J. Paul Getty Trust Board of Trustees: Joanne Corday Kozberg and Bill Siart.
Joanne Corday Kozberg: The Getty Trust from a Trustee’s Perspective, 2005-2017
A Life of Service in Art and Education: Bill Siart and the Getty Board of Trustees
These oral history interviews with Kozberg and Siart document the successes and challenges of operating a major arts institution like the J. Paul Getty Trust. But they also demonstrate the importance of having solid leadership from experienced board members in times of crisis. When Kozberg and Siart joined the J. Paul Getty Trust Board of Trustees in 2005, the organization was facing an antiquities scandal, was the subject of an investigation by the California Attorney General, and was struggling with internal management. And not long after these issues were resolved, the 2008 recession rocked the Getty’s core, requiring significant financial and organizational restructuring.
Listen to Kozberg and Siart share their stories of these difficult times in the Getty’s history, and how they approached these challenges as members of the Board of Trustees.
Joanne Corday Kozberg is a consultant for the public affairs firm California Strategies, LLC, and served on the board of trustees for the Getty Trust from 2005 to 2017. Ms. Kozberg grew up in Los Angeles, California, and attended University of California Berkeley in the 1960s. She was a graduate of the Coro Fellowship Program and completed her master’s degree at Occidental College. Kozberg then worked at the Coro Foundation and the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. Kozberg served as the California Secretary of State and Consumer Services under Governor Pete Wilson from 1993 to 1998. She also served as the Chair of the California Arts Council from 1999 to 1991 and was a Regent of the University of California from 1998 to 2011. Kozberg was the President and Chief Operating Officer of the Music Center of Los Angeles County from 1999 to 2002.
Bill Siart is the founder and chairman of the nonprofit Excellent Education Development (ExED), and served on the board of trustees for the Getty Trust from 2005 to 2017. Mr. Siart grew up in Los Angeles, California, and attended Santa Clara University in the 1960s. He completed his master’s degree in finance from University of California Berkeley. Siart was the chairman of First Interstate Bank until it was purchased by Wells Fargo in 1996. Siart ran for the Superintendent of Los Angeles Unified School District in 1996. He also serves as the chairman of the board of the Walt Disney Concert Hall.
— Amanda Tewes, November 2018