The Farnsworth Art Museum in Rockland has elected Jim Rowan as president of its board of trustees and added seven new trustees for the 2026-27 term.
Rowan, who has served on the board since 2022, was elected president at the museum’s July 24 board meeting. He is a partner at Parchman, Vaughan & Co., an investment banking firm in Baltimore, and has more than four decades of experience in corporate finance and investment banking. He previously held leadership positions at ITT Corp., Legg Mason and Stifel Nicolaus. He also serves on the board of Carpenter’s Boat Shop in Pemaquid.
The museum’s new trustees (listed below) bring backgrounds in finance, higher education, law, architecture, design, landscape architecture and philanthropy.
New trustees
Stephen Langlois is a managing principal at Seaport Consulting Partners and a financial services executive whose previous positions include roles at Kestra Financial, Fidelity Investments, eMoney Advisor, LPL Financial and Bain & Co. He is a graduate of Colby College and Dartmouth College’s Tuck School of Business.
Leah Popowich is a senior advisor to the president and associate vice president in the office of the president at the University of Pennsylvania, where she oversees strategic communications, stakeholder engagement and presidential initiatives. She is a Penn graduate and holds a master’s degree in public administration from the university’s Fels Institute of Government.
Peter Rothschild is a landscape architect and planner and co-founder of Quennell Rothschild & Partners. His projects included the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, Hudson River Park and Princeton University’s campus landscape plan. He has served on the boards of the Maine Community Foundation and Maine Coast Heritage Trust and is the chair of the Islesboro Select Board.
Leslie Rylee is a retired designer; she graduated from Parsons School of Design. She operated a design practice with projects in New York City, Connecticut and Maine.
Meredith Sadler has worked in finance, public service and philanthropy. She began her career in Washington, D.C., working with U.S. Reps. John J. Rhodes and former U.S. Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine. She holds degrees from Brown University and Columbia University and has served on several nonprofit and civic boards.
Ron Stern spent 40 years practicing law in Washington, D.C., including positions with the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and General Electric. He previously served on the Farnsworth board from 2015 to 2025.
Norbert W. Young Jr. is managing director of Duck Cove Associates and has more than 45 years of experience in architecture, construction and design. He previously served as president of McGraw-Hill Construction and as a partner at Lehrer LLC.
“Each brings unique professional expertise, thoughtful leadership and a deep appreciation for the arts,” said Christopher J. Brownawell, executive director of the Farnsworth Art Museum. “Their perspectives and dedication will help guide the museum as we continue to grow our impact, expand access to our collections and programs, and strengthen the Farnsworth’s role as one of Maine’s premier cultural institutions.”
About the Farnsworth
The Farnsworth Art Museum boasts a collection of more than 15,000 works, including works by three generations of Wyeths. Current exhibitions include “By Design: The Worlds of Betsy James Wyeth,” about the influential wife of artist Andrew Wyeth and mother of Jamie Wyeth. That exhibition runs through the end of 2026.
