Stuart Clarke, formerly MICA Board of Trustees vice chair, succeeds Gwen Davidson

Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) is pleased to announce that Stuart Clarke, formerly MICA’s Board of Trustees vice chair, was elected as board chair unanimously on Oct. 16. He assumes leadership of the College’s governing body immediately.

Clarke, who has been a member of MICA’s board since 2015, succeeds Gwen Davidson, who led as chair the last five years. Davidson received a commendation from the board for her outstanding service and will remain a trustee.

“It is with great pleasure that I pass the torch of leading the board to my colleague and friend Stuart. I have deeply enjoyed my time as chair of MICA’s Board of Trustees, and look forward to continued work as a member of the board. I know Stuart will bring a caring, thoughtful and visionary approach to the position, and will lead MICA into a bright future,” Davidson said.

Clarke brings an exceptionally broad range of expertise and perspectives. He has been vice president for strategic initiatives at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science (UMCES) since October 2019. He was executive director of the Town Creek Foundation, an environmental grant-making institution in Easton, from 2004 to 2019. Other prior professional roles include program officer with the Turner Foundation and development director of the Southern Partners Fund, both in Atlanta, Georgia. Clarke has also served on the faculty of Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts, as the director of the Atlanta Outward Bound Center, and as the CEO of Hands On Network, a national network of community-based centers for volunteerism and civic action.

Currently, he has board affiliations with Earthjustice, Greenpeace, Maryland League of Conservation Voters and Blue Mountain Center, with previous board appointments including the Center for a New American Dream, the Environmental Grantmakers Association, Outward Bound and the Chesapeake Bay Trust.

He received his undergraduate degree from Lafayette College in Pennsylvania and did his graduate work at Yale University.

“I am humbled to have been entrusted with this responsibility by my fellow trustees, especially at this time when MICA is confronting a unique confluence of challenges,” Clarke said. “I am honored to be able to support Sammy, the Board, and the entire MICA community as we work to emerge from these challenges as a more cohesive, resilient, and impactful institution.”

“Our times and MICA’s specific context and opportunities call for transformational work at the College. I cannot imagine a better board leader than Stuart to help usher in the College’s bold future,” MICA President Samuel Hoi said. “Gwen Davidson was an extraordinary board chair. I now look forward to working with Stuart to achieve a similar partnership in serving MICA and steering the College forward.”

Founded in 1826, Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) is the oldest continuously degree-granting college of art and design in the nation. The College enrolls over 3,000 undergraduate, graduate and continuing studies students from 49 states and 65 countries in fine arts, design, electronic media, art education, liberal arts, and professional studies degree and non-credit programs. With art and design programs ranked in the top ten by U.S. News and World Report, MICA is pioneering interdisciplinary approaches to innovation, research, and community and social engagement. Alumni and programming reach around the globe, even as MICA remains a cultural cornerstone in the Baltimore/Washington region, hosting hundreds of exhibitions and events annually by students, faculty and other established artists.