Dr. Mariko Silver—a leader in the fields of philanthropy, education, government, and the arts—has been named the next president and chief executive officer of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts.
Silver, who will be the 12th president and CEO of Lincoln Center, will join the New York organization September 23. She comes to Lincoln Center from her role as president and CEO of
the Henry Luce Foundation. She succeeds Henry Timms, who has departed the role after five years in order to become chief executive of the Brunswick Group, a public relations company.
During the Obama administration, Silver served as Acting Assistant Secretary and Deputy Assistant Secretary for International Policy for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Before that, she was Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano’s Policy Advisor for Economic Development, Innovation, and Higher Education. Prior to her government service, Silver was instrumental in the transformation and expansion of Arizona State University. She was also president of Bennington College.
At Lincoln Center, Silver will build upon a number of initiatives in recent years that invest in the vibrancy of New York City through the arts—from the reimagining of the Amsterdam Avenue side of Lincoln Center’s campus to the annual Summer for the City festival, which welcomes hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers and visitors from around the world to free and Choose-What-You-Pay events across the Lincoln Center campus. She will also deepen Lincoln Center’s commitment to advance the arts for all.
“Mariko is an innovative and proven leader with deep experience at complex organizations,” Lincoln Center Chair of the Board of Directors Steven R. Swartz said in a statement. “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.”
Added Silver: “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. 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.”
Stated Deborah Borda, the former president and executive advisor of the New York Philharmonic, “Mariko Silver is both a dynamic leader and a gifted collaborator—a rare combination that is a must for the president of Lincoln Center. 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 lead. Mariko is uniquely capable of forging a strong, unified, and vibrant future for Lincoln Center and more broadly for the arts in general.”
