Silver serves as the fourth president and chief executive officer of the Henry Luce Foundation. She is the former president of Bennington College where she was responsible for all dimensions of life at the college and emerged as a recognized thought leader for her writings on experiential learning, the future of work, institutional innovation and diversity in leadership. In her time at Bennington, Silver spearheaded the development of a 10-year strategic plan; forged lasting partnerships with some of the world’s premier arts and cultural institutions; oversaw a revitalization of the campus, including the iconic commons building; quadrupled commitments to the endowment since 2013; and guided the establishment of the largest capital campaign in the school’s history, raising over $90 million. Silver previously served in the Obama Administration as acting assistant secretary and deputy assistant secretary for international policy for the United States Department of Homeland Security. Prior to that, she served as policy advisor for economic development, innovation, and education in the administration of former Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano. She is an expert in institutional transformation, organizational change and intercultural program development. She has worked with governments, non-profits and industry leaders in the United States with a particular emphasis on East Asia, India and North America as well as across Latin America. Silver holds a bachelor’s degree in history from Yale University, a master’s in science and technology policy from the University of Sussex (UK), and a Ph.D. in economic geography from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and an honorary Ph.D. from Hofstra University.
