Mariko Silver

Mariko Silver is the president and CEO of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. She was previously the president and CEO of the Henry Luce Foundation and the president of Bennington College. During the Barack Obama administration, she served in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security as acting assistant secretary and deputy assistant secretary for international policy. Silver also served under Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano as the 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, leading work on economic development policy and metrics, science, technology and innovation policy, state K-12 and higher education policy, sustainability science, and global health. She is a fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration and a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Silver is chair of the board of the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (MASS MoCA), and serves on the boards of Philanthropy New York, the Migration Policy Institute, and the Council on Foreign Relations. She holds a BA in history from Yale University, an MSc in science and technology policy from the University of Sussex, and a PhD in economic geography from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Updated April 2025