The Executive Board of the Amsterdam University of the Arts has appointed Cathy Jager as the new director of the Reinwardt Academy from 15 August. She succeeds Roger de la Chambre, who has been filling this position on an interim basis since the departure of Nel van Dijk. With Cathy Jager, currently head of the Collections Department at the Rijksmuseum, the Reinwardt Academy gains a director with strong roots in the cultural heritage sector.

Cathy Jager has been head of the Collections Department at the Rijksmuseum since 2007. Under her leadership, this department has developed into a group of approximately 100 heritage specialists who work at a high level on collection management, art logistics and collection and exhibition management. She has also taken on several major projects: the redesign of the new Rijksmuseum in 2013, provenance research on World War II and the digitisation of the Prentenkabinet. As a member of the Rijksmuseum's management team, she is also closely involved in the development of the digital strategy and sustainability policy, among other things. 
Cathy Jager began her career in the heritage sector at the National Archives and the Overijssel Historical Centre. She was a member of the supervisory board of Museum Speelklok and is currently vice-chair of the supervisory board of the Groninger Museum.

Annet Lekkerkerker, president of the Executive Board of the Amsterdam University of the Arts, is looking forward to Cathy Jager's arrival: “As the only higher professional education programme in the field of cultural heritage, the Reinwardt Academy plays a central role in training the broad range of heritage professionals of the future. We believe that Cathy Jager, with her enormous knowledge of the heritage sector and her proven leadership qualities at the largest museum in the Netherlands, is the right person to lead this programme for a rapidly changing field. We are delighted that she wants to use her wealth of experience for a future-oriented and future-proof Reinwardt Academy.”

Cathy Jager on her appointment: "Recently, during an Open Day at the Reinwardt Academy, I found myself back in the lecture halls – listening and learning. Not as a prospective student, but as a heritage professional with thirty years of work experience. The broad view of heritage, the accessible style of the lecturers and the commitment of the students present touched me.
I am therefore very honoured by the appointment by the Executive Board and look forward to working with staff, lecturers, students and the professional field to further develop the Reinwardt Academy, the place where education, research and heritage practice come together. It is precisely in this context that we can prepare students for a meaningful role in a society in which the role of heritage is constantly changing."