WHEREAS, Monroe E. Harris, Jr., DMD, the first Black president of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Board of Trustees, has worked diligently to support local artists and expand collections featuring contemporary Black artists; and

WHEREAS, Monroe Harris has served the Richmond community as an oral and maxillofacial surgeon for many years and has long been a collector of African and African American art; and

WHEREAS, Monroe Harris had previously offered his visionary leadership to the board of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (VMFA) Foundation and had served on the museum's Board of Trustees for five years before he was elected as board president in 2018; and

WHEREAS, Monroe Harris was not only the first Black president in the VMFA's 82-year history, but the first Black board chair of a major comprehensive art museum in the United States; and

WHEREAS, during his tenure as president, Monroe Harris worked to achieve diversity among the museum's staff and leadership positions and added numerous pieces by Black artists to the museum's permanent collections; and

WHEREAS, Monroe Harris has provided his wise insights to the boards of the Black History Museum and the Cultural Center of Virginia in Jackson Ward, the American Civil War Museum, and Virginia Repertory Theatre; and

WHEREAS, in addition, Monroe Harris and his wife, Jill, established The Monroe E. Harris, Jr. & Dr. Jill Bussey-Harris Endowed Scholarship to support African American students at the University of Louisville School of Dentistry; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend Monroe E. Harris, Jr., DMD, for his service as president of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Board of Trustees; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Monroe E. Harris, Jr., DMD, as an expression of the General Assembly's admiration for his contributions to cultural life in Virginia.