Leadership

Guided by President Crystal Williams, our leadership furthers the reach and champions the transformational power of creative education.

Crystal Williams — President

Crystal Williams believes that education, art and design, and commitments to equity and justice are essential to transforming our society. Williams has more than two decades of higher education experience. She is an institutional catalyst, helping to envision, define and achieve greater outcomes for students, faculty and staff. As a faculty member, she has focused on advancing artistic inquiry and engagement. As a leader, she ensures through her work that institutions are more effective, mission-aligned and diverse, equitable and inclusive.

President’s Cabinet

Lauren Bowen

Vice President for Human Resources

Renee Byas

General Counsel

Sofiya Cabalquinto

Chief Marketing and Communications Officer

Amanda Clark MacMullan

Vice President for Institutional Advancement

Antonia Craig

Special Assistant to the President & Secretary to the Board of Trustees

Touba Ghadessi

Provost

Rame Hanna

Vice President for Social Equity and Inclusion

Tsugumi Maki

Director, RISD Museum

Rick Mickool

Chief Information Officer

James O'Hara

Vice President for Enrollment Management

Ray Quirolgico

Vice President for Student Life

David Rosati

Senior Vice President for Finance and Administration

Board of Trustees

The primary responsibilities of the Board of Trustees are to:

advance RISD’s mission
provide organizational oversight
set policies

Officers of the Board

Hillary Blumberg FAV
New York, NY
Co-Chair
design director

Gabrielle Bullock BArch
Los Angeles, CA
Vice Chair
Principal and Director of Global Diversity, Perkins and Will

Karen Hammond
Providence, RI
Vice Chair
retired (former Managing Director, Devonshire Investors)

David Moon Ki Lee GD
New York, NY
Co-Chair
Chief Brand & Creative Officer, Squarespace

Term Trustees

Her Excellency Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani
New York, NY
Chair, Qatar Museums, Doha Film Institute and Qatar Leadership

Ashleigh Axios GD
Washington, DC
Founder and CEO, Public Servants LLC

Caroline Baumann
New York, NY
design leader; former Director, Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum

Jill Hertz Blaustein P
New York, NY
Co-Founder and President, The Strategic Muses

Roger Brooks P
Falmouth, MA
retired (former President & CEO, Facing History & Ourselves)

Helen Burnham
Providence, RI
curator

Ilene Chaiken GD/P
Los Angeles, CA
writer, producer, show runner

Norman Chan BArch
Hong Kong
Director, BTR Workshop

Donald Choi BArch
Hong Kong
retired (former Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer, Chinachem Group)

Geesun Chung P
Seoul, South Korea
Hyundai Motor Group

Ryan Cunningham FAV
New York, NY
Owner, Running Woman

Robert A. DiMuccio
Cumberland, RI
retired (former President and CEO, Amica Mutual Insurance Company)

Michelle Ebanks
New York, NY
President and CEO, Apollo Theater

Shepard Fairey IL / HD
Los Angeles, CA
artist and founder, OBEY

Fabian Fondriest P
Boston, MA
Executive Chairman, TRU Insurance

C.C. Melvin Ike
New York, NY
Founder and Managing Partner, The Visualize Group

Geetanjali Kirloskar
Bangalore, India
Chair and managing director, Kirloskar Systems

Mary Lovejoy
Wellfleet, MA
retired (former Vice President and Treasurer, Textron)

Michael T. Maltzan BArch / P
Los Angeles, CA
Design Principal, Michael Maltzan Architecture, Inc.

Jill Medvedow
Brookline, MA
Director Emerita, Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston

Katherine Megrue-Smith GD
Rowayton, CT
artist and founder, Edgartown Prints

Nicole J. Miller AP
New York, NY
fashion designer and Co-Founder/President, Kobra International Ltd.

Yvette Rivera P
McLean, VA
Associate Director, Equity and Access Programs Division
United States Department of Transportation

Michael Rock MFA GD
New York, NY
Founding Partner and Creative Director, x

Rex Wong BArch
Hong Kong
CEO, Kum Shing Holdings

Christina Wu P
Dallas, TX
Deputy Chief Investment Officer, Dallas Police and Fire Pension System

Ex Officio Trustees

William R. Hammer BArch
Cambridge, MA
Founding Principal, HKT Architects Inc.
Chair, Emeriti Trustees

Crystal Williams
Providence, RI
President, Rhode Island School of Design

Sol Armada de la Cruz AP
Venice, CA
Retail Strategy & Development, Global Experiences, Warner Bros Discovery
President, Alumni Association

Missy Waytena P
San Francisco, CA
public interest lawyer
Chair, Families Association

Emeriti Trustees

Anthony C. Belluschi BArch
/P
Portland, OR

Vincent A. Buonanno
Providence, RI

Jamie F. Carpenter IL
New York, NY

Jane Chace Carroll HD
New York, NY

Clara M. Dale BArch
New York, NY

Erica Di Bona P
Los Angeles, CA

Susan W. Dryfoos P
New York, NY

Bayard C. Ewing
Denver, CO

Katherine Freygang IA/MFA GD
Cornwall, CT

A. Corwin Frost AR/P
Bronxville, NY

Kim Gassett-Schiller P
Half Moon Bay, CA

Wilfrid L. Gates, Jr. LA
North Kingstown, RI

Cathy Barancik Graham PT
New York, NY

Richard W. “Dick” Haining Sr. P
Atlanta, GA

William R. Hammer BArch
Cambridge, MA

Ronne Hartfield
Chicago, IL

Dorothy Hebden-Heath PT
Boston, MA

Jon Kamen P
New York, NY

Se-Ung Lee P
Seoul, Korea

David A. Macaulay BArch / HD
Norwich, VT

Pauline C. Metcalf
New York, NY

Stephen A. Metcalf
Providence, RI

Stuart J. Murphy IL/P
Boston, MA

J. Terrence Murray
Narragansett, RI

Joan Ress Reeves
Providence, RI

M. Kate Rittmann P
Orinda, CA

Merrill W. Sherman
Jamestown, RI

Michael Spalter
Brooklyn, NY

Philip E. Tobey BArch
Reston, VA

* RISD alumni are noted by a class year and major acronym following their names. Parents and grandparents of alumni are designated by P or GP, plus the year of graduation, and honorary degrees are designated by HD plus the year awarded.