ATLANTA, April 10, 2017 – The High Museum of Art is pleased to announce that Kristie Swink Benson, APR, has joined the Museum as the director of communications. Benson leads the teams responsible for marketing, advertising, public relations and digital communications.
Benson comes to the High from Southern Company Gas, where she served as director of public relations and media relations. Before joining Southern Company Gas, Benson served as press secretary for the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities, where she supported three divisions: behavioral health, developmental disabilities and substance abuse. Benson started her career as a public information officer for the DeKalb County government, where she was promoted to director of communications. She joins the High with extensive experience in communications planning, public relations, crisis communications and executive media training.
“We are very excited to have Kristie join the High as a member of our senior leadership team,” said Rand Suffolk, Nancy and Holcombe T. Green, Jr., director. “Her proven track record of driving strategic communications and fostering community engagement, coupled with her personal passion for the arts, make her a great asset for the Museum as we continue to grow and reach new audiences.”
“This role aligns my personal passion for the arts with my love for communications, and I am extremely honored to join the High family,” said Benson. “The High Museum of Art is a well-respected institution that I have grown up loving. I am humbled to be a part of how we engage future generations and make the arts essential to every community throughout Georgia.”
Benson earned a Master of Arts in public communication from American University (Washington, D.C.) and a Bachelor of Arts in mass communications from Winston-Salem State University (Winston Salem, NC). In 2015 she obtained her Accreditation in Public Relations (APR), a prestigious designation given by the Universal Accreditation Board. Benson is a member of the Georgia Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America.
Benson resides in midtown Atlanta with her husband. Together they enjoy traveling, collecting art and eating their way through Atlanta’s thriving restaurant scene.
About High Museum of Art
The High is the leading art museum in the southeastern United States. With more than 15,000 works of art in its permanent collection, the High Museum of Art has an extensive anthology of 19th- and 20th-century American art; a substantial collection of historical and contemporary decorative arts and design; significant holdings of European paintings; a growing collection of African American art; and burgeoning collections of modern and contemporary art, photography, folk and self-taught art, and African art. The High is also dedicated to supporting and collecting work by Southern artists. Through its education department, the High offers programs and experiences that engage visitors with the world of art, the lives of artists and the creative process. For more information about the High, visit high.org.
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DIGITAL IMAGES AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST
Media contact:
Marci Tate Davis
Manager of Public Relations
E-mail: marci.davis@high.org
404-733-4585