Hobart Medal of Excellence
Reynold Levy '66, L.H.D. '14
President of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts
With an unwavering dedication to the performing arts and a passion for philanthropy, Reynold Levy '66 has enriched the world of arts as the president of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts since 2002. Levy's distinguished career is marked by a devotion to philanthropy and for enhancing the lives of others through public service.
Throughout his tenure at Lincoln Center, numerous programs have thrived, and the center has been the recipient of several awards and recognitions for its work in the performing arts, as well as for the state of the art facilities and infrastructure. Since beginning his time at Lincoln Center, Levy has made it possible for thousands of New Yorkers - not to mention visitors - to enjoy and experience the arts.
His service extends beyond Lincoln Center, he has served as president of the International Rescue Committee, senior officer of AT and T, president of the AT and T Foundation, and executive director of the 92nd Street Y, as well as the staff director of the Task Force on the New York City Fiscal Crisis.
After graduating from Hobart in 1966 with a B.A. in political science, he went on to receive his J.D. from Columbia University School of Law and a Ph.D. in government and foreign affairs from the University of Virginia. He has published three books, "Give and Take: A Candid Account of Corporate Philanthropy," "Nearing the Crossroads: Contending Approaches to American Foreign Policy," and "Yours for the Asking: An Indispensable Guide to Fundraising and Management."
Levy has written and spoken extensively about philanthropy, the performing arts, humanitarian causes, and the leadership and management of nonprofit institutions. He has taught as a senior lecturer at The Harvard Business School, and has instructed at Columbia University, New York University and at the City University of New York. Recently, Levy was elected as a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Levy has served as a consultant, volunteer, and board member of nonprofit and profit organizations, including the Manhattan Theatre Club, The Municipal Art Society of New York, The Nathan Cummings Foundation, The Grove Foundation, The Charles R. Bronfman Foundation and the Consortium of the Advancement of Private Higher Education. Before joining Lincoln Center, Levy was the head of the International Rescue Committee. He has also been a member of the Advisory Board of the Aspen Institute's Program on Philanthropy, a trustee and chair of the Executive Committee of the Institute for International Economics, a trustee of Third Way, and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the Century Association.
In 2005, Levy received the Hobart College Alumni Association's highest honor, the Medal of Excellence, for his faithful and committed service to the HWS community. Only 20 graduates in the history of the college have been awarded this honor. He also received the Freedom Award from the International Rescue Committee and Columbia University awarded him the prestigious Lawrence A. Wien Prize for Social Responsibility.
Levy has been profiled on CNN's "Pinnacle" and Budd Mishkin's "One On 1 on New York One," and has been a guest on Gilbert Kaplan's syndicated public radio program, "Mad About Music."