Worcester Art Museum Announces George W. Tetler III as New Board President at Annual Meeting 

Worcester MA—November 6, 2026—The Worcester Art Museum (WAM) announced today the election of George W. Tetler III as its new Board President. Tetler is joined by two new Vice Presidents, Christina Villena and Carl D. Rapp, as well as three new Trustees. Elections took place during the Museum’s 130th Annual Meeting of the Corporation, which was held virtually on the evening of November 4. The event was attended by 126 members of the Museum’s community, including staff, Corporators, and Trustees.

“This has been a year of transformation for the Worcester Art Museum,” said Matthias Waschek, the Museum’s Jean and Myles McDonough Director. “The opening of our Arms and Armor Galleries last November was a defining moment in the Museum’s history. All within this same year, we reimagined and reopened our galleries for American art, modern art, and Chinese and Korean art, continuing a trend of change and revitalization that has been years in the making.”

During the meeting, Waschek was joined by Barry M. Maloney, President of Worcester State University, and Vincent D. Rougeau, President of the College of the Holy Cross, for a conversation on the collaboration between the Museum and Worcester’s college and university communities.

George W. Tetler III assumes the role of Board President from outgoing President Kent dur Russell. With over 40 years of business and finance law expertise, Tetler has earned a reputation as a highly effective and analytically sharp business lawyer. Tetler is a partner at the Worcester law firm, Prince, Lobel Tye, LLP. He has been a key member of the Worcester community; In April 2025, he was awarded the Isaiah Thomas Award for distinguished community service. This award recognizes individuals who volunteer their time, energy, and abilities to the benefit of others, and work to improve the quality of life in Worcester. Tetler also recently served as chair of the New England Commission of Higher Education, the first non-academic to hold the position. He joined the WAM Board of Trustees in 2020 and previously served as Vice President to the Board, as co-chair of the Facilities Committee, and as a member of the Executive Committee.

Assuming the role of Vice President are Christina Villena and Carl D. Rapp. Villena is a leader in the insurance and financial services sector, and she has a passion for art and cultural institutions. She has over 25 years of risk management consulting experience and is currently the Vice President of Risk Solutions and Premium Audit at Hanover Insurance Group. She joined the WAM Board of Trustees in 2020 and currently serves as the Chair of the Human Resources Committee and as co-chair of the Facilities Committee.

Rapp is a Worcester native whose family has been involved at WAM for over 50 years. He has been a Corporator at WAM since 2013 and joined the Board of Trustees in 2023 and today serves on the Executive Committee, Governance (chair), Nominating, and Development Committees. Professionally, Rapp is the President of Philadelphia Gear and the Power Systems group at The Timken Company.

Additional biographical information about the new trustees is as follows:

Ed M. Augustus Jr. currently serves as Chief Executive Officer of UniBank, headquartered in Whitinsville, Massachusetts, and brings more than 35 years of public service and executive leadership focused on building effective teams and strengthening communities. Most recently, Augustus served as secretary of the Massachusetts Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities, where he led efforts to create more homes and lower housing costs for residents. He previously served as Worcester City Manager, spearheading the $240 million redevelopment of the Canal District and Kelley Square, including negotiations to bring the Boston Red Sox AAA affiliate, now the WooSox, to the city and the construction of Polar Park. Ed previously served as a WAM Corporator and on the WAM Board of Trustees from 2021 to 2023. 

Marla Curtis has run an architectural and consulting firm (Marla Glanzer Curtis, A.I.A) in Boxford, Massachusetts for over three decades. Her work largely focused on the design of affordable housing in historic buildings. Curtis holds a Bachelor of Architecture from Cornell University. She currently serves as a Board Member at the Transatlantic Institute and has previously served as a Board Member of the AntiDefamation League, Boston, and as a Parent Fund Volunteer at Phillips Academy, Andover.  

Robin Starr is the General Manager of Bonhams Boston. She has been a pivotal member of the team for over three decades and prominent leadership roles, including Vice President and Director of American & European Works of Art, while establishing herself as one of the auction house’s leading auctioneers. Outside of Bonhams Boston, Starr conducts numerous benefit appraisal days, lectures and auctions throughout the year, and lectures in art history at various colleges across New England. She is also an appraiser for the PBS television series The Antiques Roadshow. Starr has been a WAM Corporator since 2007 and has served on the Corporator Nominating Committee, the Corporators’ Council, and the Education and Community Engagement Committee. Starr also served as a volunteer auctioneer at five WAM Galas. 

In addition, the Museum elected 10 new Corporators: Nicholas Benoit, Jonathan Bober, Karmen Bogdesic, Heath Boote, Carol Donnelly, Dennis F. Kerrigan, Robin Kornegay-Rougeau, Andrew Pillsbury, Judy Pugh, and Amy Wolf.

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