Seasoned facilities professional selected for important role in managing the museum building

Joshua Thompson, Eiteljorg VP of Facility Operations.
Image courtesy of the Eiteljorg Museum

INDIANAPOLIS – The Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art has hired Joshua Thompson of Mooresville as its new vice president of facility operations. With more than 10 years of experience in facilities management, Thompson has overseen large-scale building operations and maintenance.

Thompson comes to the Eiteljorg from Marian University in Indianapolis, where he was maintenance manager and led teams that executed more than $1 million in capital improvements to the campus and infrastructure. Before that, Thompson served as director of building maintenance at Ivy Tech Community College in Indianapolis, where he managed buildings and repairs and achieved energy savings for the facilities.

Thompson holds a degree in business administration with a minor in engineering from Indiana State University. He currently is working on his MBA in project management through the University of Southern Indiana. He holds 30-hour and 10 hour OSHA workplace-safety certifications through Ivy Tech.

In his new role at the Eiteljorg, Thompson leads the teams who handle the building’s information technology, maintenance, facilities and grounds. He also works closely with the Eiteljorg’s security firm to maintain the safety of the museum for all its guests and staff.

“Sustainability is one of our priorities at the Eiteljorg Museum as we mark the museum’s 35 years serving the public. Josh Thompson’s extensive experience in managing buildings and operations will be instrumental to our efforts to position the museum for the future,” Eiteljorg President and CEO Kathryn Haigh said.

“I’m looking forward to leading the facilities, security and technology services to create a safe, secure, and connected environment for patrons, staff and volunteers of the Eiteljorg Museum,” Thompson said. 

Thompson is married to his high school sweetheart, the light of his life, and they have five children together. They relocated to Indiana in 2010 from upstate New York. In their free time, Thompson and his family enjoy the outdoors with their three dogs and walking through the trails of Brown County and other nearby parks.

Earlier in his career, Thompson served in multiple positions around Indiana, including at JLL Corporate Solutions that led facilities management for PepsiCo’s Frito-Lay site in Frankfort, and at Habitat for Humanity in Indianapolis. He also has volunteered for organizations in Attica, Ind., and elsewhere.

The Eiteljorg Museum opened in 1989, and an expansion in 2005 doubled the size of the building. Further renovations took place in 2021-2022. Unlike office buildings and other types of structures, the museum must operate at a consistent, regulated indoor temperature and humidity round the clock – even at night when visitors are not present – in order to properly preserve and maintain the more than 10,000 artworks in its collections. In 2023, the museum welcomed more than 100,000 visitors through its doors.

Having started at the Eiteljorg on April 22, Thompson succeeds Bart King, who left in December after two years at the museum to start his own contracting firm.

About the Eiteljorg
For 35 years, the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art has been an integral part of the cultural fabric of Indianapolis and scenic White River State Park. The Eiteljorg Museum explores the intersection of the arts, histories and cultures of the past and present by sharing the diverse stories of the American West and the Indigenous Peoples of North America. Located on the Central Canal at 500 West Washington St., the Eiteljorg is a 501c3 nonprofit organization.

Media Contacts
Bryan Corbin
Public Relations Manager
317.275.1315
bcorbin@eiteljorg.com

Bert Beiswanger
Director of Marketing and Communications
317.275.1317
bbeiswanger@eiteljorg.com

Brooke Sullivan
Digital Marketing Manager
317.275.1388
bsullivan@eiteljorg.com