Emily K. Rafferty

President Emerita of The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Emily Kernan Rafferty, President Emerita of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, served for 40 years in a progression of leadership positions at the nation’s largest art Museum, culminating in her role as President of the Met from 2005 to 2015. As President, she was the Museum’s chief administrative officer, supervising a staff of 2,000 full- and part-time employees and volunteers. Her work spanned a global reach of international travel for fundraising and diplomatic initiatives, including collaborations with the UN.

Currently, Ms. Rafferty is a Vice Chairman of the National September 11 Memorial & Museum (Board Member 2005-present); a Board member of Carnegie Hall (October 2018-present); the Asia Society, (2021-); Civitella Ranieri, an Artist Residency Program in Italy (2018- ); and the Hispanic Society Museum and Library (2019- ).  She also serves on the corporate boards of PJT Partners (2015- present) and until recently, Koç Holdings, Istanbul (2018-2024). A member of the eight Women, a bipartisan Congressional Commission to study the feasibility of an American Museum of Women’s History in Washington, D.C., she continues to serve as an advisor to the project, which has received Congressional approval to proceed as part of the Smithsonian Institution. She is also a member of the Advisory Council of the American University of Beirut and the Trustee Advisory Council for Hospital for Special Surgery (2022-present).

Ms. Rafferty formerly served as UNESCO’s Senior Advisor for Heritage Protection and Conservation (2015-2017), and from 2012 to 2016 as Chair of the New York Federal Reserve Bank (board member 2011-2017). From 2008 to 2020, she was Chair of NYC & Company, the city’s official tourism and marketing organization, where she continues to serve as an ex-officio board member.

She is principal of Emily K. Rafferty & Associates, a consulting resource for non-profit institutions. She served at Russell Reynolds Associates as Senior Advisor in the non-profit sector (2015-2021), and has consulted for The Shed (2015-2019) and other, similar institutions. A member of the Council on Foreign Relations, she lectures widely on topics relating to non-profit and board governance issues, fundraising, and cultural heritage.

Ms. Rafferty is the recipient of many awards and honors, including New York University’s Lewis Rudin Award for Exemplary Service to New York City, a Lifetime Achievement Award from the 9/11 Memorial & Museum in 2018 and she was recognized in 2019 as a “Living Landmark” by the New York Landmarks Conservancy.