Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts named Mariko Silver its next president and CEO beginning Sept. 23. Silver joins the organization at a critical time as it seeks to modernize and broaden its audience, including plans to rebuild part of its campus to better connect with local residents.
Silver was previously the president and CEO of the Henry Luce Foundation, where she led initiatives that elevated artists of color, particularly Asian Americans, in museums across the US. She also more than doubled the foundation’s funding commitment to Indigenous communities.
Before working in philanthropy, Silver was president of Bennington College in Vermont, and earlier she served as Acting Assistant Secretary and Deputy Assistant Secretary for International Policy for the US Department of Homeland Security under President Obama.
Silver will be the first woman of color to serve as president and CEO of Lincoln Center. She replaces Henry Timms, who announced in February he was stepping down after a five-year tenure to join public relations firm Brunswick Group.
