Jennifer Schantz is the newly appointed Executive Director at The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art. She most recently was the Barbara G. and Lawrence A. Fleischman Executive Director at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center in Manhattan, an educational research and circulating library and museum of theatre, dance, music, and recorded sound. While there, the library and museum grew its public profile, raised over $14 million dollars for strategic initiatives, and launched numerous innovative exhibitions, programs, and projects, including the Harvey Fierstein Theatre Lab, the largest outdoor reading room in New York City, and the blockbuster exhibition Lou Reed: Caught Between the Twisted Stars in collaboration with multimedia artist Laurie Anderson. With performance spaces closed, artists urgently needed new ways to connect. The library launched the innovative “Tech Kits for Performing Artists” initiative, so performers could borrow hardware and software and publish their works online, giving artists in need a voice at an especially crucial time.
From 2007 to 2020, Schantz held a number of key executive roles at the New-York Historical Society, including acting museum director, acting director of the DiMenna Children’s History Museum, acting director of development, secretary to the board of trustees, and—ultimately—executive vice president and chief operating officer. In that role, she oversaw the museum’s day-to-day operational and administrative activities, including major capital projects. Throughout her tenure, she led a team of more than 80 staff members and multiple departments, including curatorial, exhibition design, collections management, visitor services, legal, labor relations, human resources, maintenance, and security. Schantz also launched the museum’s Citizenship Project, providing civics classes to thousands of green card holders, helping them pass their United States Citizenship and Immigrant Services naturalization test. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg presided over a naturalization ceremony at the museum in 2018.
Schantz began her career as an attorney, first at a large New York City firm and later at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, where she prosecuted civil actions and criminal forfeiture cases.
Schantz, who is classically trained on flute and piccolo, is from a long line of musicians. She attended the Juilliard Pre-College, has a B.A. in international relations from Tufts University, and received her J.D. from the University of Buffalo School of Law.
