San Angelo Museum Names Interim Director

SAN ANGELO, TX — Laura Romer Huckaby will be the Interim Director of the San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts announced the museum’s Board of Trustees today. Huckaby has been with the museum since 2012 and has served as Assistant Director/Curator.

The museum said that the board fired CEO and President Alex Freeman. He was hired and joined SAMFA as Director in September 2022 and then served as President/CEO beginning January 1, 2023.

"He will no longer be with the museum as of September 1, 2023," SAMFA stated in a press release.

Freeman was fired 20 days after former President and CEO Howard Taylor retired. Howard said farewell August 9. Everyone was mum on why Freeman was terminated; however off the record, museum insiders said Freeman "was not a good fit" for the board. Freeman wrote a long letter to the board yesterday.

"When the August 9, 2023 press release stated that Howard Taylor was officially retiring because he and the board supported my leadership, I felt confident that my tenure would be long and fruitful. I wish you luck as you search for a new leader and hope some of the ideas I've planted will continue to improve the Museum, Concho Valley, and beyond," Freeman wrote.

“We wish Alex the very best and will begin a professional search immediately for an individual who will lead the San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts into the future,” said Tom Gregg, SAMFA’s Chairman of the Board of Trustees. “In the meantime, we have full confidence in Laura, and we’ll move forward to celebrate our beautiful new roof, new exhibits, and new vision during our Grand Re-Opening in the first quarter of 2024. Our commitment to serving San Angelo and the Concho Valley is steadfast.”

Freeman's departure aligns with difficulty San Angelo leaders have experienced filling open positions for a variety of highly visible, public-facing leadership roles at the Chamber and at the City of San Angelo Development Corporation.