Terry Karges has been named Executive Director of the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles. Karges will succeed Buddy Pepp, who is retiring after a two-year stint that saw him implement significant contributions to the long-term stability and prosperity of the Museum.
“Terry is a very well qualified businessman with a strong management background that the Board of Directors feels will do a terrific job as the Petersen Automotive Museum Executive Director,” said Stephen Young, Petersen Automotive Museum Chairman of the Board. “In addition to being a Southern California native familiar with our unique car culture, Terry also has valuable experience leading sales and marketing operations for major California theme parks, which makes him the best candidate to lead the Museum in unique and exciting ways.”
The Board acknowledges that Buddy Pepp will be a hard act to follow and his infectious enthusiasm for the Petersen Automotive Museum will be sorely missed by all that had the opportunity to work with him. “Buddy committed his heart and soul to the well-being of the Museum and we can’t thank him enough for his work and achievements on behalf of the institution that we all love so much,” said Young.
Karges will be leaving his role as Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Venchurs Inc., a Michigan based OEM supplier. As the former Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Roush Performance, Karges helped grow the company into the largest specialty high performance car brand in the world. As owner of Karges Sport, he was involved in motorsports marketing and ran his own team. Karges also previously held marketing management positions at Disneyland, SeaWorld and Marine World.
“As a lifelong automotive design enthusiast and someone who spent his formative years at tracks like Riverside and Laguna Seca, the opportunity to take the reins at The Petersen – arguably one of the premier automotive museums in the world – is a humbling and thrilling prospect,” Karges said. “I look forward to working with the Museum’s incredibly talented staff of curators, historians and restoration experts, as well as with the knowledgeable and enthusiastic Board, to come up with innovative and interactive ways to share Robert E. Petersen’s legacy and world’s love affair with the automobile.”
Karges will begin representing the Petersen Automotive Museum during the 2012 Monterey Classic Car Week.
For more information, visit www.petersen.org.
