ATLANTA, Sept. 2, 2025 — The High Museum of Art announced the appointment of four new board members today to serve three-year terms: Robin Delmer, Katie Johnson, Kelly Layton and Hassan K. Smith.
“Each of our new board members is committed to our strategic vision and actively engaged in strengthening the High’s community impact,” said Director Rand Suffolk. “They each bring a unique perspective and impressive leadership acumen to their roles, and we look forward to their increased involvement as we build a stronger future for the museum.”
Robin Delmer is a partner, cofounder and co-CEO of Monarch Private Capital. For more than 15 years, he has introduced influential investors to projects that generate tax credits in leading-edge industries including renewable energy, the preservation of historically significant landmarks, affordable housing, and film and entertainment. Prior to Monarch, Delmer worked as an investment banker for Equitable Securities and was a founding partner of Capitol Development Group, an Atlanta-based affordable housing developer responsible for the creation of more than 5,000 high-quality residential units across Georgia and Florida. He serves on the boards of Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), Live Thrive Atlanta, Litehouse Partners, Atlanta Urban League and Atlanta’s Westside Future Fund, among other organizations. He earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from Vanderbilt University.
Longtime Atlantan Katie Johnson has been a supporter of the High for decades, having first attended the museum’s Wine Auction in 1996. Since then, she has continued her involvement in the Auction by hosting Winemaker Dinners, donating auction lots and twice serving as the fundraiser’s cochair (2007 and 2022). She serves as board cochair of the Georgia Committee of the National Museum of Women in the Arts.
Georgia native Kelly Layton is a freelance graphic designer, creating design work for businesses, individuals and non-profits. She serves on the advisory board of the University of Georgia’s Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, where she earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in graphic design. In 2023, she endowed the Layton Design Studio within the UGA Lamar Dodd School of Art. She began her career with Bellsouth/AT&T, and while living in Missouri, she served as marketing chair for The Woman’s Exchange, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to empowering others to lead financially productive and stable lives through retail, restaurant and artisan work-training programs.
Hassan K. Smith is committed to investing in the communities that have embraced him during his work as an entrepreneur, advocate, mentor and visual arts enthusiast. For the past two decades, Smith has served as a key member of Grammy Award-winning artist John Legend’s management team, currently as his senior advisor. Before joining Legend’s team, Smith founded Elite Personal Protection, a private security company, and he now serves as founder and lead strategist of the private equity firm Ellaby Holdings LLC. Under Ellaby Holdings, Smith has founded and invested in companies that reflect his commitment to the visual arts, community development and youth advocacy. He has also built an art collection focused on artists of the African diaspora. He serves on the board of directors for Youth Enrichment Services (YES) in Boston and is a member of the Black Trustee Alliance for Art Museums, the Hirshhorn Museum Collectors’ Council and 100 Black Men of Atlanta.
Delmer, Johnson, Layton and Smith join the 44 other members of the High’s Board of Directors, including Chair Dan Baldwin.
About the High Museum of Art
Located in the heart of Atlanta, the High Museum of Art connects with audiences from across the Southeast and around the world through its distinguished collection, dynamic schedule of special exhibitions and engaging community-focused programs. Housed within facilities designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architects Richard Meier and Renzo Piano, the High features a collection of more than 20,000 works of art, including an extensive anthology of 19th- and 20th-century American fine and decorative arts; major holdings of photography and folk and self-taught work, especially that of artists from the American South; burgeoning collections of modern and contemporary art, including paintings, sculpture, new media and design; a growing collection of African art, with work dating from prehistory through the present; and significant holdings of European paintings and works on paper. The High is dedicated to reflecting the diversity of its communities and offering a variety of exhibitions and educational programs that engage visitors with the world of art, the lives of artists and the creative process. For more information about the High, visit www.high.org.
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Media contacts:
Marci Tate Davis
Senior Manager, Public Relations
404-733-4585
marci.davis@high.org
Brittany Mizell
Senior Coordinator, Public Relations
404-733-4423
brittany.mizell@high.org