Heather Seger will take the helm as the new executive director of the Martha’s Vineyard Museum, it was announced Wednesday.

Ms. Seger, who has served as interim executive director for the past year, was the unanimous choice of the board following an international search, the museum said in a press release.

“What good fortune to have engaged in a professional search, only to realize the museum was already being led forward by a tremendously competent, capable and professional individual,” board president Cathy Weiss said in the announcement.

Ms. Seger’s professional background includes serving previously as executive director of the Cornelia Connelly Center, a nonprofit championing girls at risk on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. During her 14 years at the center, she held several positions including development director for five years and executive director for five years.

She grew up on the south shore and graduated from the College of the Holy Cross with bachelor’s degree in philosophy. She began spending vacations on Martha’s Vineyard as an adult, and she and her husband Kevin Seger were married at St. Augustine’s Church in Vineyard Haven. They currently live in West Tisbury with their children Jackson and Addison. Ms. Seger is on the board of the Vineyard Montessori School.

She became interim executive director at the museum in June 2020 following the departure of Phil Wallis, who held the post for four years and helped complete the move from the original campus in downtown Edgartown to the current hilltop site in Vineyard Haven overlooking the Lagoon Pond and outer harbor.

In the announcement, Ms. Weiss took special note of the challenging past year on the Island.

“During what has been the most unprecedented year in any of our memory, Heather’s steady hand, respect among the Island’s nonprofit and municipal sectors, and inspiring leadership helped the museum continue to meet the needs of the community and motivate our staff to find new ways to provide an outstanding visitor experience,” she said.