Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh board names 11th president

Steven Knapp, president emeritus of The George Washington University in Washington, D.C., will become the 11th president of the Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh, according to a news release.

Knapp is an English professor at the university, the release adds. He previously served as provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Md.

Knapp will assume his new position Feb. 3.

His 10-year tenure presiding over George Washington University includes spearheading the university’s groundbreaking collaboration with the Corcoran Gallery of Art and the National Gallery of Art. That collaboration includes the Corcoran College of Art and Design’s transferal to George Washington University, becoming the Corcoran School of the Arts and Design, the release states.

Knapp also played an instrumental role in partnering with the Textile Museum, leading to the creation of the George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum.

“Steve is such an accomplished and thoughtful leader, and a real champion of interdisciplinary collaboration and community engagement,” says Bill Hunt, chairman of Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh’s board of trustees, in a release. “He’s a convener and an exceptional strategist, and he immediately stood out to us as the kind of visionary leader who will be a strong voice not only for Carnegie Museums but also within the greater Pittsburgh region.”

Knapp is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and a member of the Modern Language Association.

“No city of comparable size has the wealth of cultural and educational institutions that Pittsburgh enjoys, and no institution contributes more to that richness than Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh,” Knapp says in the release.

“Each of its world-class museums is extraordinarily distinguished in its field, and I have no doubt that future increased collaborations among the museums and with the institutions surrounding them will only increase their impact, as well as their contribution to establishing Pittsburgh even more strongly as a cultural and intellectual destination. I am honored and excited to be joining this exceptional family of museums,” he says.

“The Carnegie Museums will benefit from the kind of collaborative leadership Steve brought to the George Washington University. His ability to forge connections across disciplines and between the university and D.C. institutions was a great asset to (the university) and redounded to the success of our students,” says Thomas LeBlanc, George Washington University president.

The author of three books and numerous articles, Knapp earned his bachelor’s degree at Yale University and his master’s and doctoral degrees at Cornell University.