(New York, NY, February 28, 2024)—The Board of Trustees of The Metropolitan Museum of Art announced today that it has elected three new members as Elective Trustees: Robert Denning, Amanda Lister, and Jamie Singer Soros. The election took place at the February 27, 2024 meeting of the Board and was announced by Candace K. Beinecke and Hamilton (“Tony”) E. James, Co-Chairs of the Museum’s Board of Trustees.
Board Co-Chairs Beinecke and James remarked: “We are thrilled to add three new members to our Board. Each member brings a distinctive background and unique perspective to the Board. They have all been active and committed to The Met, and we look forward to collaborating with them in their new roles as Trustees.”
Robert Denning
Robert Denning is the co-founder of the eyewear brand Westward Leaning, where he served as CEO and Creative Director from 2011 until selling the company in 2019. Since then, he has worked at his family’s foundation, which focuses on higher education, the environment, and the arts. Mr. Denning helped with the conceptualization and planning of Denning House on the Stanford University campus, which serves the global community of Knight-Hennessy Scholars at Stanford. His family established an innovative endowment for new art at the building, which collects and commissions site-specific works by contemporary artists. At The Met, he is a major supporter of the renovation of the Oscar L. Tang and H.M. Agnes Hsu-Tang Wing for modern and contemporary art and a member of the Chairman’s Council, the Modern and Contemporary Art Visiting Committee, Friends of the Costume Institute, the Art and Artists Gala Committee, the Michael C. Rockefeller Wing Reopening Task Force, and the Tang Wing Task Force.
Mr. Denning was born in New York City and raised in Greenwich, Connecticut. He moved back to New York in the summer of 2022 after spending 12 years in the San Francisco Bay Area. He graduated with a degree in History and Art History from Columbia University and holds a Master’s in Global History from the London School of Economics as well as an MBA from Stanford University.
Amanda Lister
Amanda Lister joined The Met’s Volunteer Organization in 2009 and has served as a tour guide for nearly 15 years. She served in various leadership roles at The Met, including as Chair of the Volunteer Organization (2020–22). A longtime Met Member, she is also a Friend of Egyptian Art, European Sculpture and Decorative Arts, and the Thomas J. Watson Library and serves on the Egyptian Art Visiting Committee. She has been a supporter of the Education Department as well as numerous programs and events. Mrs. Lister has served on the Trinity Board of Visitors of Duke University for seven years and is its current Chair.
The preponderance of Mrs. Lister’s business career was at ING Group, where she was a Managing Director. She graduated from Duke University as a Public Policy Studies major and the NYU Stern School of Business, where she earned an MBA.
Jamie Singer Soros
Jamie Singer Soros is the CEO and Co-Founder of Ussie, which builds private online member platforms for non-profits and museums. She is also an investor in female-founded startups and a supporter of the arts and fashion. Ms. Soros mentors female entrepreneurs and has guest-lectured on entrepreneurship at Duke University and the University of Washington. She is a member of The Met’s Chairman’s Council and Friends of the Costume Institute and serves on the Visiting Committees for the Departments of Modern and Contemporary Art and Paper Conservation. She is also a Trustee of the New Museum and a member of the Dia Art Foundation’s Women’s Council.
The daughter of an artist, Ms. Soros grew up in New York City, immersed in the art world, and is a dedicated collector of contemporary art, along with her husband, Robert Soros. In addition to her focus on the arts, she is a passionate champion of fashion designers ranging from emerging to established. She graduated from Cornell University with a major in Economics and was recognized on the Dean's List. At Cornell, she also served as co-captain of the women's varsity squash team.
###
February 28, 2024
Contact: Stella Kim
Communications@metmuseum.org
Press resources