The Silver Eye Center for Photography Board of Directors announced the appointment today of Ellen Fleurov as executive director of the South Side nonprofit, effective July 1.

Fleurov, a native Philadelphian presently based in Atlanta, is a historian, a scholar and a curator who has organized more than 50 exhibitions and authored, among others, an award-winning book on Walker Evans.

She replaces Linda Benedict-Jones, who left Silver Eye in December to head the newly formed department of photography at Carnegie Museum of Art. Tanya Smith, a former Silver Eye staff member, has served as interim director.

No stranger to Pittsburgh, Fleurov was here in the early 1990s for a museum conference. When she returned for a 2007 art and technology program at Carnegie Mellon University, she says she "was impressed and astonished by how much Pittsburgh had changed."

She praises the city's intellectual, artistic and architectural qualities, "not to mention the great food." Fleurov had long been aware of Silver Eye, observing that it was one of the first regional centers for photography and remains one of the finest.

Fleurov, 53, has until recently headed an arts consulting firm she founded in 2002. She was director of the Museum, California Center for the Arts, Escondido, from 1998 to 2001. In 1993 she became the founding curator of the department of photography at the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, a position she held until 1997. Before that, she was the High Museum's chief curator of education.

Silver Eye board chairman Joe Seamans says he believes Fleurov has the "knowledge, energy and expertise Silver Eye and Pittsburgh need now. She's very well qualified. There are a lot of tools on her tool belt, if you will."

One of the main things that impressed him about Fleurov was a presentation for a hypothetical exhibition that she made at the board's request. "She came with Power Points and handouts and gave a half-hour presentation. She had worked out all the details, such as who the audience would be and how to market it. She really had sharp answers to questions.

"We had a lot of good candidates, but she seemed to have all the bases covered."

"I do think she's kind of a powerhouse candidate. She's got a lot of great ideas. I see her as a vitalizing presence, not only at Silver Eye, but for the community in general," Seamans says.

Fleurov says she would like to expand Silver Eye's "exemplary" educational programming in the area of professional development for photographers. She also wants to enhance the organization's online presence, which she deems "a tremendous resource," including expanding online juried and curated exhibitions for members and nonmembers.

She hopes to work corroboratively with other local arts organizations, such as the Carnegie and Pittsburgh Filmmakers.

African-American studio photographers from the mid-19th century through the 1950s, and their relationships to the communities within which they worked, are of particular scholarly interest to her, Fleurov says. But she adds that her interests are broad and cover a diversity of material.

"The right mix and balance of [Silver Eye] exhibitions is not solely dependent upon my taste and staff tastes," she says. Consideration will be given to contemporary national and international photographers who haven't been seen in Pittsburgh. She also intends to continue the practice of recognizing the achievements of Pittsburgh and regional photographers.

"It is my privilege to accept this position at Silver Eye, especially as it celebrates its 30th anniversary," Fleurov says.

"I look forward to building upon its rich history of accomplishment and to introducing new ideas, approaches and collaborations that broaden the reach and scope of Silver Eye's programs and services."