Emily Rafferty, President Emerita, The Metropolitan Museum, and Senior Advisor to UNESCO, and Russell Reynolds

The Caring Economy with Toby Usnik

Emily Kernan Rafferty, President Emerita of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, served for 40 years at the Museum: as chief of institutional advancement, Senior Vice President of External Affairs, and as President 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. Ms. Rafferty’s global experience took her to more than 50 countries as she worked with government and private sector officials on initiatives involving funding, marketing, international art loans, legislative affairs, and cultural issues.

Ms. Rafferty served as a Board member of the New York Federal Reserve Bank (2011-2017; Chair, 2012-2016); as Chair of NYC & Company, the city’s official tourism and marketing organization, from 2008-2020, where she continues to serve on the Executive Committee; and as a UNESCO Senior Adviser for Heritage Protection and Conservation (2015-2017). She is a Board member of the National September 11 Memorial & Museum (2005-present; Vice Chairman, 2019-present), Carnegie Hall (October 2018- present), Civitella Ranieri’s Artist Residency Program (2018-present), the Hispanic Society Library & Museum (2019-present), and the Association of Art Museum Curators (2019-present). She also serves as a Board member of PJT Partners (2015-present) and Koç Holdings, Istanbul (2018-present). An Advisory Board member of the Bipartisan Congressional Commission for the feasibility of an American Museum of Women’s History in Washington, D.C. (May 2015-December 2016), she continues to serve as an advisor to the project, which received Congressional approval to proceed as part of the Smithsonian in December 2020.

As principal of Emily K. Rafferty & Associates, she currently consults for several organizations, including Russell Reynolds Associates, serving as a Senior Advisor to the Firm in the Non-Profit Sector and independent clients. She is a member of the Advisory Council of the American University of Beirut and a member of the Advisory Board of The European Fine Arts Fair (TEFAF). She served as a Hauser Leader at Harvard Kennedy School's Center for Public Leadership (Fall 2019). A member of the Council on Foreign Relations, she also lectures widely on topics relating to non-profit and board governance issues, fundraising, and cultural heritage.

The recipient of many awards and honors, Ms. Rafferty was named by Crain’s New York Business one of New York City’s 100 most influential women over a five-year period, and in Fall 2015 she was elected to its Hall of Fame. She is a recipient of New York University’s Lewis Rudin Award for Exemplary Service to New York City, a Lifetime Achievement Award from the 9/11 Memorial and Museum, and was recognized as a Living Landmark by the New York Landmarks Conservancy.

Don't forget to check out my book that inspired this podcast series, The Caring Economy: How to Win With Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).