Centennial Conversations: Two Atlanta Museums at 100

Rand Suffolk is the Director of the High Museum of Art. Since his arrival in 2015, he has championed a renewed commitment to community engagement, placing emphasis on collaboration, inclusivity and access. To support these objectives, the museum has reduced admission fees, greatly diversified its exhibition schedule, added more than 4,000 objects to the collection, worked collaboratively with nearly 30 community partners annually, and developed a variety of new programming to serve its increasingly diverse, multi-generational audience. In 2018, Suffolk led a sweeping reinstallation of the museum’s collection galleries.

F. Sheffield Hale is President and CEO of Atlanta History Center. Prior to joining Atlanta History Center in 2012, he served as Chief Counsel of the American Cancer Society, Inc. and was a Partner practicing corporate law in the firm of Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP. Mr. Hale serves as a Trustee of the Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Buckhead Coalition, Midtown Alliance, and The Westminster Schools. He is a Past Chair of the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation, Atlanta History Center, St. Jude’s Recovery Center, Inc., and the State of Georgia’s Judicial Nominating Commission. He was the Chair of the City of Atlanta Cyclorama Task Force and the Co-Chair of the Advisory Committee on City of Atlanta Street Names and Monuments Associated with the Confederacy. Mr. Hale was a recipient of the 2021 Georgia Governor’s Award for Arts & Humanities.

Julia Forbes has worked at the High Museum of Art, in Atlanta, for over 20 years. For 18 years she served as the first head of the museum interpretation team and was a founding member of the Association for Art Museum Interpretation (AAMI). As the Associate Director of Institutional Research, Forbes is now focused on designing, implementing, and reporting on studies regarding the High’s impact and finding ways to share the work of the Museum with the wider field and the public. In 2022 she co-authored the book, Family Spaces in Art Museums: Creating Curiosity, Wonder, and Play.

Pola Changnon is the Chief Content Officer of the Atlanta History Center, where she leads the strategic vision for marketing, public relations, archives, exhibitions, collections, education, digital storytelling, and gardens. In this role, she fosters collaboration across departments to bring Atlanta’s rich history to life in dynamic and innovative ways, enhancing how visitors engage with the Center both onsite and online.

Before joining the Atlanta History Center, Changnon served as the Executive Vice President and General Manager of Turner Classic Movies (TCM), overseeing all aspects of the brand’s operations. Under her leadership, TCM expanded its reach and influence through groundbreaking initiatives such as the TCM Classic Film Festival and the FilmStruck streaming service. She also held key leadership roles at Cartoon Network, where she spearheaded creative development for on-air and digital platforms.