Mariko Silver, PhD
President
Bennington College

Mariko Silver, PhD, was appointed the 10th President of Bennington College on July 1, 2013. A leading educational, public policy, and international strategist, Silver has held prominent roles at Columbia University, at Arizona State University, in the administration of Arizona’s governor Janet Napolitano, and in the Obama administration.

Silver came to Bennington from Arizona State University (ASU), where, as senior advisor to President Michael Crow, she was a key strategist in what Newsweek called “one of the most radical redesigns in higher learning since the origins of the modern university.” She designed and led international and community initiatives focused on economic development, cutting-edge science, and student success. Silver also served as Professor of Practice in ASU’s School of Politics and Global Studies and established international research and teaching partnerships, including the international University Design Consortium.

Silver served in the Obama administration as Acting Assistant Secretary for International Affairs and Deputy Assistant Secretary for International Policy of the US Department of Homeland Security where she created the first department-wide international strategy, managed the Department’s international engagements, and co-developed a global initiative to enhance aviation security. Prior to that, she served as Policy Advisor to Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano, with responsibility for the state’s public and private universities, community colleges, and vocational institutions; the Arizona Department of Commerce; and Science Foundation Arizona. In these capacities she has worked with multiple communities and constituencies around the world and very close to home.

In the Office of the Executive Vice-Provost of Columbia University, Silver co-developed a multi-institution research response to the events of 9/11 and helped establish the International Innovation Initiative (I-3). She has also worked in London; Bangkok, Thailand; and at the United Nations headquarters in New York City.

Silver has served on the boards of the Humanity in Action Foundation, Planned Parenthood of Arizona, and the Arizona Commission on the Arts, and is a term member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

Silver holds a BA in history from Yale University, an MSc in science and technology policy from the University of Sussex (UK), and a PhD in economic geography from the University of California at Los Angeles.