David Matheny named the M. Smith Griffith Volunteer of the Year

Congratulations to David Matheny, who was named the M. Smith Griffith Volunteer of the Year, an award also known as the "Smitty," at the Friends of the Georgia Museum of Art Annual Meeting on Tuesday, May 17.

Matheny began his service to the Georgia Museum of Art during the late 1990s, when he was first asked to serve on a fundraising committee for a museum event. He was nominated to the board of directors of the Friends of the Museum in 2002, on which he served for six years. He was president of the board of the Friends from 2006 to 2008. He continues his service on the Nominating Committee and as a committee member for the next Friends’ fundraiser.

Matheny has also contributed professionally to the Georgia Museum of Art. He was an architectural consultant for the museum’s 1996 building, and when the first plans for Phase II were being drawn, his expertise was invaluable. He is also a principal in the Armentrout Matheny Thurmond architectural consulting group and was the primary architect for the renovation and expansion of Barbara and Vince Dooley's house.

As a result of his service to the museum, Matheny was nominated in 2008 to serve on the Board of Advisors of the Georgia Museum of Art. He is currently an active member of the board and serves on the Public Affairs and Outreach committee.

Matheny has distinguished himself in one area in particular: fundraising. Since his first committee assignment, he has served on every fundraising committee for every major Friends’ fundraiser during the past decade. During 2006, 2008 and 2011, he was the chair of the Elegant Salute fundraising committee, setting new records for fundraising and a new standard for the Friends. During the past year, his tireless efforts netted almost $100,000, much of which will be directed toward educational programming.