Maggie Gilburg joins The Wittliff Collections as senior director of development

Inside TXST

Julie Cooper | October 17, 2022

Texas State University announced Maggie Gilburg will join the university as senior director of development for The Wittliff Collections, a unique gallery and collection of exhibitions within University Libraries dedicated to preserving and sharing the creative legacy of the Southwest’s literary, photographic, and musical arts.

As the new director of development Gilburg will be responsible for fundraising to support and elevate The Wittliff Collections, located on the San Marcos Campus. Gilburg begins on November 7. 

“I am thrilled to join Texas State University as it continues on its path of excellence,” said Gilburg. “With diverse holdings that document the deep wells of creativity in Texas and the Southwest, The Wittliff Collections are unique in the world and an incredible resource for all. I look forward to helping expand donor support during The Wittliff’s next phase of growth.” 

Gilburg comes to Texas State with 35 years of experience, most recently at the Harry Ransom Center at The University of Texas where she was director of development. There she provided strategic direction for the center’s fundraising activities, scholarly research, and public programs. She previously served as the director of development for the LBJ School of Public Affairs and the Texas Tribune. Gilburg graduated from Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota, with a degree in English. She earned an M.B.A./M.A. in arts administration from Southern Methodist University.

In 1986, Austin screenwriter Bill Wittliff and his wife Sally founded the Southwestern Writers Collection at Texas State University.  In 2007, the Southwestern Writers Collection and the Southwestern & Mexican Photography Collection were formally joined as The Wittliff Collections. Also in 2007, the Lonesome Dove Collection — a permanent exhibition gallery — opened. Bill Wittliff wrote the teleplay for the four-part miniseries “Lonesome Dove,” based on the novel by Larry McMurtry. In 2017, the Texas Music Collection was established. The seventh floor of the Albert B. Alkek Library is home to The Wittliff Collections. Learn more about The Wittliff Collections.