Orange County Museum of Art appoints new director of development

The Orange County Museum of Art recently announced the appointment of a new director of development, Susan E. Totten, who starts May 1.

The Newport Beach-based Totten was most recently the senior vice president at Arts Consulting Group, Inc., and she previously served in senior fundraising positions at UCLA, UCI Irvine Health Advancement, Pacific Symphony and more.

At Pacific Symphony, she developed a $30-million capital campaign.

“We are thrilled that Sue is joining us in these next stages of our capital campaign. Her deep knowledge of the fundraising landscape in Orange County and elsewhere, as well as her institutional and organizational expertise, will be invaluable as we move forward,” OCMA Director and CEO Todd Smith said in a news release. “In addition to running the campaign, Sue will further develop the museum’s fundraising capacity once the new museum opens.”

Their temporary location OCMAExpand - Santa Ana at the South Coast Plaza Village has been hosting seasonal exhibits since 2019, though the current exhibit is postponed as the museum monitors the coronavirus pandemic.

OCMA plans to move to the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in 2021. The new 52,000-square-foot museum is designed by Pritzker Laureate Thom Mayne of Morphosis in Culver City and will include space for exhibition galleries, as well as education programs, performances and public gatherings.

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