Jennifer Gilbert Elected Chair of Board of Governors for Cranbrook Academy of Art and Art Museum
Bloomfield Hills, Mich., June 26, 2017 – Cranbrook Academy of Art announced today that Jennifer Gilbert has been named the new Chair of the Cranbrook Academy of Art and Art Museum Board of Governors. She will begin her term on July 1, 2017. At the same time, Gilbert will also become a member of the Board of Trustees for Cranbrook Educational Community.
Gilbert succeeds Allan Rothfeder, who has served as Chair of the Cranbrook Academy of Art and Art Museum Board of Governors since July 1, 2016. Rothfeder will continue to serve as a Governor and as a Trustee of the Cranbrook Educational Community.
A well-known figure in the Detroit area, Gilbert works with a number of nonprofits focused on the arts, Jewish causes and finding a cure for neurofibromatosis (NF). She is President of NF Forward and serves as a board member for the Detroit Institute of Arts. She also uses her more than 20 years of experience and passion for interior design, art and Detroit to solve business and technology challenges existing in the design and home furnishings industry.
In 2015, Gilbert founded Amber Engine, a Detroit-based home furnishings services and solutions technology company with a mission to provide accurate, complete and timely records of product data for the home furnishings industry.
Prior to Amber Engine, Gilbert founded Doodle Home, a digital platform for residential interior designers. In 2013, Jennifer co-founded dPOP, a full-service commercial interior design studio located in Detroit, dedicated to creating inspiring workplaces for culture driven organizations.
“Jennifer is a visionary with a deep appreciation for the arts,” said Chris Scoates, the Maxine and Stuart Frankel Director of Cranbrook Academy of Art and Art Museum. “Her keen business sense and steadfast support of the city of Detroit will help the Academy and Art Museum advance several initiatives to ensure Cranbrook remains one of the top art and design centers in the world.”
Gilbert also founded the Detroit Art Collection to beautify and inspire public spaces and structures in downtown Detroit with sculptural and mixed media works from local artists, galleries or dealers.
“Cranbrook Academy of Art and Art Museum are international treasures in terms of art and design,” said Gilbert. “The foresight of the Booth and Saarinen families to create a place to both inspire and create was ahead of its time. I am honored to be charged with helping to preserve that legacy, and I look forward to carrying out our plans for the future.”
