Brendan Foster is the new executive director of the National Veterans Art Museum, officials said. View Full Caption DNAinfo/Heather Cherone; submitted photo

PORTAGE PARK — The former chief operating officer of the Albany Park Community Center is the new executive director of the National Veterans Art Museum, officials said.

Brendan Foster, 41, will replace Levi Moore, who led the museum from 2010-15, said Lionel Rabb, the executive director of the museum's board of directors.

Foster's 15 years of experience in the nonprofit world will make him a great fit at the museum, 4041 N. Milwaukee Ave., which collects, preserves and exhibits art inspired by combat and created by veterans, Rabb said.

“We looked for someone who has the experience about systems, enthusiasm, drive and heart to help the museum continue to expand and connect with our veterans, our visitors and fulfill our mission, and [Foster] was that person,” Rabb said.

The museum moved to Portage Park in 2012 from the South Side. It features all types of art from veterans of all of America's wars, and hosts a variety of events designed to help veterans cope with the trauma of war through art.

"I’m excited to be joining the museum at such a transformational time,” Foster said. “We want visitors to experience the deep impact service and war have on our soldiers as seen through the eyes of veterans and veteran artists.”

The museum will strive to expand its educational efforts, Foster said.

"By bringing people to the museum to engage with our nation’s veterans and their art, we can help untold numbers gain a deeper perspective and appreciation of war’s impact on those who serve and on our society,” Foster said.

The museum's current exhibit is "100 Faces of War Experience: Portraits and Words of Americans Who Served in Iraq and Afghanistan," by Matt Mitchell.

The museum's next exhibit is "The Joe Bonham Project,” which is based on the central character in Dalton Trumbo's 1938 novel "Johnny Got His Gun" and explore wounded soldiers’ medical-treatment experience through art, officials said.

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