Building on Legacy: A New Chapter Begins at Fenimore

Joshua Campbell Torrance officially takes the helm as President & CEO

COOPERSTOWN, NY: Fenimore Art Museum and Fenimore Farm and Country Village announce Joshua Campbell Torrance as their new President and CEO effective September 28, 2026. Torrance joined the museums in January 2026 as Senior Vice President to begin the leadership transition process.

This position represents a professional homecoming for Torrance. As a student at the Cooperstown Graduate Program, he interned at Fenimore Art Museum. He studied under and was a mentee of Dr. Paul S. D’Ambrosio. D’Ambrosio is retiring as President and CEO after over 40 years with the museums. Torrance was his hand-picked successor.

Torrance is coming to Fenimore Art Museum and Fenimore Farm with over 26 years of experience in museum leadership.

He served as the Executive Director of Woodlawn Museum, Gardens & Park in Ellsworth, Maine from 2000 until 2019. He led the Bennington Museum in Bennington, Vermont in 2020 during the start of the COVID-19 pandemic before moving to direct the Webb Deane Stevens Museum in Wethersfield, Connecticut from 2020-2023. At Webb Deane Stevens, Torrance opened a new 9,300 square foot visitor and education center and raised significant funds.

In 2023, Torrance became the Executive Director of the Florence Griswold Museum in Old Lyme, Connecticut. There, Torrance laid the groundwork for an upcoming $17.8 million renovation and expansion project. He oversaw changes that led to increases in revenue and visitorship.

“Returning to Fenimore in this role is both a tremendous honor and a meaningful homecoming for me,” said Joshua Campbell Torrance. “My connection to this institution began as a graduate student, and I am deeply grateful to Paul D’Ambrosio for his mentorship and extraordinary leadership over the past four decades. I look forward to building on that remarkable legacy alongside our talented staff, strengthening our connections with the community, and finding new ways to share the incredible art, history, and stories that make Fenimore so special.”

Throughout his career, Torrance has pursued opportunities to give back both to the museum field and to the communities in which he resided. He currently serves on the Advisory Committee for the Keepers Education Preservation Fund at the Maine Community Foundation. Joshua is a past Chair of the American Association for State and Local History Historic House Museums Committee. He has served in leadership roles in local Rotary Clubs, as a chamber of commerce board member and on a loan committee for a regional economic development corporation.

In addition to a MA in history museum studies from the Cooperstown Graduate Program, Joshua holds a BA in history from Elmira College and a MA in public history from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Joshua holds a certificate in Governance Leadership for Nonprofit Chief Executives from BoardSource and is a graduate of the executive orientation program from Leadership Greater Hartford.