PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK

Mario R. Rossero, who worked as an arts educator at The Andy Warhol Museum earlier in his career, is coming home.

Rossero has been named the new director of The Warhol and the vice president of Carnegie Museums. He will start his position at the museum on March 31. The public is invited to meet him at the museum on March 14 from 5-8 p.m.

MARIO R. ROSSERO | PHOTO COURTESY ANDY WARHOL MUSEUM

Rossero replaces Patrick Moore, who stepped down on May 31, 2024 after filling leadership roles at the museum on the North Side for 13 years.

A native to the Pittsburgh region, Rossero is the executive director of the National Art Education Association, a membership organization for arts educators. He has also served as the senior vice president of education at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington D.C., leadership positions within the Chicago Public Schools system and the senior program officer for arts education at Pittsburgh Public Schools.

“For me this is a homecoming, returning to an institution that played a pivotal role in my early career, shaping my approach and trajectory as an artist, educator and organizational leader,” Rossero stated in a press release. “I am excited to share lessons learned from a national lens to invest in the Pittsburgh community and to leverage the opportunity that The Pop District provides for greater sustainability and furthering Warhol’s story and impact.”

Committed to the arts, he began his career as an art teacher at Shaler Area School District after receiving his bachelor’s degree in art and education from Washington & Jefferson College. He later received a master’s degree in education in supervision and administration in visual arts from Bank Street College of Education and Parsons School of Design, both in New York City.

Steven Knapp, president and CEO of Carnegie Museums, stated in a press release, “This is really a full-circle moment for Mario and The Warhol, where Mario began his career just three years after the museum opened in 1994.”

In his role at the National Art Education Association, Rossero and his team have received an $8.5 million federal education grant to fund arts education across the United States. He also fought for increased access to the arts for all students during his time in the Chicago Public Schools.