Moca Los Angeles Appoints Jonathan Abbott as Director and CEO
On Thursday, 24 September, Jonathan Abbott officially took on the role of director and CEO at the Museum of Contemporary Art (Moca) in Los Angeles, following a year-long search for a successor. He replaces interim director Ann Goldstein, who will continue to provide support until November. Abbott is the first individual to hold this combined position since 2010 and aims to enhance community engagement with Moca. Prior to his new role, he served as president and CEO of Boston public media broadcaster GBH for 15 years, where he managed a $215 million fundraising initiative and increased assets from $225 million to $1 billion. Goldstein, who returned in August 2025, expressed her dedication to assisting Abbott during this transition.
Key facts
- Jonathan Abbott started as director and chief executive of Moca Los Angeles on Thursday, 24 September.
- Abbott is the first person to hold the joint title of director and chief executive at Moca since 2010.
- He previously served as president and chief executive of Boston public media broadcaster GBH for 15 years.
- During his GBH tenure, Abbott led a $215m fundraising campaign and oversaw growth in assets from $225m to $1bn.
- He left GBH in 2022 after more than 30 years in public media, including stints at PBS and KQED in San Francisco.
- Ann Goldstein, interim director, will assist with the transition through November.
- Goldstein first started her career at Moca in 1983 and worked there for 26 years; she returned in August 2025.
- Los Angeles museums are conducting the US’s biggest free admission experiment.
Entities
Artists
- Jonathan Abbott
- Ann Goldstein
- Owen Kolasinski
- Johanna Burton
- Klaus Biesenbach
- Philippe Vergne
- Helen Molesworth
- Laura Gardin Fraser
- Jarl Mohn
- Michael Govan
- Ann Philbin
- Maurice Marciano
Institutions
- Museum of Contemporary Art (Moca)
- GBH
- Public Broadcasting Service (PBS)
- National Public Radio
- Public Radio Exchange
- KQED
- Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles
- MOCA
- PBS
- Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA)
- Institute of Contemporary Art at the University of Pennsylvania
- Neue Nationalgalerie
- Museum of the 20th Century
- NPR
- Los Angeles County Museum of Art
- Hammer Museum
- Los Angeles Times
- The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles
Locations
- Los Angeles
- United States
- Boston
- San Francisco
- Berlin
- Germany
- Pennsylvania