Ellen V. Futter led the American Museum of Natural History for nearly three decades. During her tenure, she reinvigorated the over 150-year-old institution and expanded its scientific and educational scope. She spearheaded the construction of the recently opened Richard Gilder Center for Science, Education, and Innovation, with a new state-of-the-art theater, exhibition galleries, classrooms, and a redesigned library and collections core, and of the Rose Center for Earth and Space, as well as the development of the Museum’s Richard Gilder Graduate School.
Futter has been a nationally recognized leader in the educational and nonprofit worlds since 1980, when she became the youngest person to be appointed president of a major American college: Barnard College, her alma mater. She remained president until 1993. Futter began her career as an associate at Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy (now Milbank), where she practiced corporate law from 1974 to 1980.
Futter also has the distinction of having been the first woman to head a major New York City cultural institution and the first woman to chair the board of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. A wide range of corporations and nonprofits seek out Futter’s advice and expertise.
Futter recently became a Senior Advisor to the Boston Consulting Group. She is a member of the board of trustees of the Brookings Institution and Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, a member of the board of overseers of the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, and an ex-officio member of the board of directors of NYC & Company. She also serves on the boards of Consolidated Edison, Inc. and Evercore Inc.
Futter has been recognized for her leadership with numerous awards and honorary degrees.
