Jillian Jones is the Deputy Director at the Buffalo AKG Art Museum. In this role, Jones serves on the museum’s Leadership Team, managing most aspects of the visitor interface and general business operations. She works closely with the Peggy Pierce Elfvin Director and the Board on all key museum initiatives such as project implementation, strategic planning, equity and diversity, and sustainability.

Prior to this role, Jones served as the Director of Advancement, which is the Buffalo AKG’s chief fundraising officer. She shared leadership responsibilities with the Peggy Pierce Elfvin Director and Board President for the museum’s $230 million capital campaign, the largest such campaign for a cultural institution in the history of Western New York. She extensively worked with, and continues to liaise with leadership donors, including individuals, corporations, foundations, and public sector representatives, to ensure that the museum’s operations are adequately and sustainably funded.

Prior to joining the Buffalo AKG, Jones served as Manager of Major Gifts and, later, Manager of Individual Giving at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. She began her professional career at the George Washington University School of Business, Office of Development and Alumni Relations.

Jones received her MA in Museum Studies with a concentration in Public Administration from George Washington University. In 2021, Jones was named one of Buffalo Business First’s 40 under 40. She has received a Certificate in Fundraising Management from the Lilly School of Philanthropy at Indiana University and is a member of the Art Museum Development Association, the Western New York Planned Giving Association, and the Western New York Women’s Foundation.