MacDowell welcomed six distinguished individuals to its Board of Directors on Medal Day weekend in July 2024.
MacDowell is proud to announce the election of six new members to its Board of Directors. These distinguished individuals bring a wealth of expertise and diversity of perspectives to the all-volunteer board, which is dedicated to steering one of the nation’s premier contemporary arts institutions into the future. Chaired by best-selling author, visual artist, and MacDowell Fellow Nell Painter, the board encompasses a broad spectrum of interests and knowledge.
The Board of Directors voted unanimously in April to elect the six new members, and they were welcomed by the MacDowell staff and board in a series of events corresponding with MacDowell’s Medal Day on July 21, 2024. These six individuals include Lincoln Center Vice President of Innovation & Business Development Laura Ives Colony, KKR Real Estate Finance Trust CFO and Treasurer Kendra Decious, Ballroom Marfa Co-Founder and Artistic Director Fairfax Dorn, Marble Fairbanks Architects founding partner and Barnard College professor Karen Fairbanks, journalist and bestselling author Christine Gros-Loh, and Putnam Foundation and 1911 Office CEO Jessica Lawrence Quinn.
Laura Ives Colony is a strategic and creative leader who thrives in the intersection of brand development and revenue generating initiatives through high level partnerships. With deep cross-category experience and cross-sector exposure in sales, marketing, brand strategy, and partnerships, she joined Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in 2022 to focus on innovation in the arts.
Kendra Decious is a Managing Director in the Finance group at KKR, which she joined in 2006, and serves as the CFO and Treasurer of KKR Real Estate Finance Trust Inc. From 2006 to 2010, she was the CFO of KKR Private Equity Investors, L.P., and most recently, served as KKR’s Head of Strategic Planning and Budgeting.
Fairfax Dorn is the Co-Founder and Artistic Director of Ballroom Marfa, a non-profit cultural art space dedicated to exploring varied perspectives and issues through the visual arts, film, music, and performances. Since 2003, Dorn has been responsible for the artistic and programmatic vision of the organization. Dorn was the 2023 Marian MacDowell Awardee.
Karen Fairbanks is a founding partner of Marble Fairbanks Architects and the Claire Tow Chair Professor and Chair of the Architecture Department at Barnard College. She is recognized as a leader in current library design, speaking around the world and participating as a member and past Chair of the American Libraries Association Buildings for College and University Libraries Committee.
Christine Gross-Loh’s most recent book is The Path: What Chinese Philosophers Can Teach Us About the Good Life, coauthored with Michael Puett. The Path, a New York Times and international bestseller, is being published in more than 25 countries. She is also the author of Parenting Without Borders: Surprising Things Parents Around the World Can Teach Us.
Jessica Lawrence Quinn is currently the CEO of the Putnam Foundation and the 1911 Office. Previously, she was the Executive Director of Civic Hall, a one-of-a-kind non-profit collaborative community center in New York City that advanced the use of technology for the public good. Prior to joining Civic Hall, Jessica served as CEO of NY Tech Alliance.
Full biographies of MacDowell’s new board members can be found here.
The MacDowell Board of Directors is composed of 53 volunteer members of a broad spectrum of professional and artistic backgrounds. Its members support MacDowell’s mission and values and champion MacDowell Fellows, ensuring the livelihood of a residency program that each year hosts 300 creators working in multiple disciplines who are selected via a highly competitive application process.
