Lincoln Center Announces New President and CEO

Dr. Mariko Silver will assume the role in September 2024

New York’s Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts has appointed Dr. Mariko Silver to be its 12th President and CEO as of September 23, 2024. 

A leader in the fields of philanthropy, education, government, and the arts, Silver is currently President and CEO of the Henry Luce Foundation — she will be stepping down from this role in mid-September.

“We extend our heartfelt gratitude to Mariko, for her visionary leadership of the Henry Luce Foundation and unwavering commitment to fostering a more democratic and just world,” stated the Foundation’s board co-chairs. “We look forward to honoring her and celebrating her many accomplishments in the coming weeks.”

With Lincoln Center, Silver will build on a number of initiatives investing in the arts in New York City, including the reimagining of the Amsterdam Avenue side of Lincoln Center’s campus to the annual Summer for the City festival.

Silver’s experience at the Henry Luce Foundation — a non-profit and independent philanthropy organization — has seen her lead the creation of new initiatives supporting Democracy, Ethics, and Public Trust and Asian American Voices, fund exhibitions of and by American artists of color in art museums nationally, and more than double the Foundation’s funding commitment to Indigenous communities. 

Silver is also a fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration and a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. She further serves as the Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (MASS MoCA), and is on the boards of the Council on Foreign Relations and Philanthropy New York, plus the Migration Policy Institute.

Previously, she served as President of Bennington College, where she helped secure the largest endowment gift in its history, welcomed expanded diverse classes, and made lasting partnerships with international premier arts and cultural institutions. She was also pivotal in the transformation and expansion of Arizona State University.

Additionally, during the Obama administration, she worked in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security as Acting Assistant Secretary and Deputy Assistant Secretary for International Policy, plus was the Policy Advisor for Economic Development, Innovation, and Higher Education for the Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano.

Silver completed her doctoral studies in economic geography from the University of California at Los Angeles, plus attended Yale University, the University of Sussex, and holds an honorary doctorate from Hofstra University. 

“Mariko is an innovative and proven leader with deep experience at complex organizations,” said Lincoln Center’s board chair, Steven R. Swartz in the press release. “Her successful tenures as CEO of a prominent college and foundation, paired with her leadership and love of the arts, position Lincoln Center to thrive with her at the helm as we continue a number of important initiatives to strengthen our service to New York City and beyond.”

“Throughout my career, I have relished opportunities to unleash creativity, bridge cultures, and support communities and individuals to imagine their own best futures. Lincoln Center does all those things at the highest level of excellence and ambition. It is an honor to join Lincoln Center at this moment,” Silver commented. “I was born and raised in the glow of Lincoln Center and was fortunate to experience early in life the transformative impact of artistic greatness. Lincoln Center is a creative force, giving artists expansive reach and an extraordinary platform to bring forth their very best work. As we embark on this next chapter together, it is my privilege to build upon all that has come before and continue to advance the arts for all.”

“Mariko Silver is both a dynamic leader and a gifted collaborator — a rare combination that is a must for the President of Lincoln Center,” added Deborah Borda, the New York Philharmonic’s former President and Executive Advisor. “She brings her experience as President of Bennington College, a virtual ‘hotbed’ of the arts that is phenomenally stronger for her vision and the strategic plan she devised and led. Mariko is uniquely capable of forging a strong, unified and vibrant future for Lincoln Center and more broadly for the arts in general.”