Leslie Jackson Chihuly ’83

AB, MA; Seattle, Washington

Leslie Chihuly is an American arts executive and philanthropist with a focus on democratizing access to the arts. She is the president and CEO of Chihuly Studio, the working studio of American artist Dale Chihuly; co-founder of Warm Springs Productions, which strengthens community through music, art, sport, and visual media; and co-founder of The Dale and Leslie Chihuly Foundation which ensures ongoing viability for artists and arts organizations.

As president and CEO, Chihuly balances the creative energy of an artist’s studio with the demands of the arts sector to ensure stability for the Studio. She co-founded The Dale and Leslie Chihuly Foundation in 2009 with a mission to provide support to artists and arts organizations. Through their Foundation and Studio programs, the Chihulys support non-profit and philanthropic organizations with a focus on health, education, music, and the arts.

In 2022, Chihuly was appointed by President Joe Biden to serve as a member of the President’s Advisory Committee on the Arts (PACA). The organization was established in 1958 and comprises civic and cultural leaders selected by the president to represent their communities for the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.

Chihuly is Chair of Seattle’s Benaroya Hall Music Center and serves on the boards of Vassar College, Pilchuck Glass School, and the Seattle Symphony. In 2018, she was elected chair emerita of the Seattle Symphony after serving nine years as board chair. Chihuly graduated from Vassar College with an AB in English and holds an MA in international studies from the Henry M. Jackson School at the University of Washington.