Director's Office Staff | Getty Conservation Institute

About the Conservation Institute

Staff

Director's Office

Timothy P. Whalen, John E. and Louise Bryson Director: Tim Whalen is John E. and Louise Bryson Director of the Getty Conservation Institute. His professional association with the Getty dates to 1983, when he was appointed assistant director of the Getty Center for the History of Art and the Humanities (now Getty Research Institute), and then associate director of the Getty Building Program. In 1991 he assumed the position of senior program officer in the Getty Foundation overseeing the Foundation's conservation grant making activities. In December 1998 he was named the GCI's third director. Whalen is a trustee of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, a member of the international advisory board of studies for the Courtauld Institute of Art's MA program in the conservation of wall paintings, and a former member of the United States National Commission to UNESCO. A California native, he holds a BA in art history as well as an MA in museum studies and art history from the University of Southern California.
Maria Cummings, Executive Assistant: Maria Cummings first joined the Getty Conservation Institute from 2013 to 2018 as a Senior Project Coordinator in the Building and Sites department. In 2022, she rejoined the GCI as Executive Assistant to Timothy Whalen, John E. and Louise Bryson Director. Maria holds a BA in history from the University of California, Los Angeles, an MA in Contemporary History and Politics from Birkbeck College, University of London, and a certificate in project management. Maria’s experience includes work in the non-profit and government sectors.

Email: micummings@getty.edu
Phyllis Lapin, Manager, GCI Council: Phyllis Lapin first joined the GCI from 1991 to 1998 to manage the office of the director. She was responsible for trustee relations, planning meetings of the Institute's advisory committee, and producing major international conferences, including the GCI's Conservation of Archaeological Sites in the Mediterranean Region. In 2010, Phyllis returned to the GCI to oversee donor stewardship. She manages relationships with GCI supporters, plans activities focused on sharing the GCI's work and imparting a greater understanding of how conservation functions in the field, and mobilizes financial support to extend the GCI's mission and enhance the work of the GCI. Phyllis studied English at California State University Northridge and has prior experience working in real estate development, hotel management, project management, and fundraising.

Email: plapin@getty.edu