Incoming President

Jiseon Lee Isbara Named SAIC’s Next President

On February 15, Jiseon Lee Isbara was announced as the School of the Art Institute of Chicago’s next president. Jiseon, who currently serves as the provost of Otis College of Art and Design in Los Angeles, will step into the role that will be vacated by Elissa Tenny upon her retirement.

Jiseon, the second woman to serve as president in SAIC’s 158-year history, comes to the School with extensive experience in higher education and the arts. During her tenure at Otis College of Art and Design, she led the implementation of a five-year strategic plan which resulted in substantive changes at the school, including enrollment growth, a curricular revision to better align pedagogy with student mental health and career preparedness, and a strengthening of the school’s diversity, equity, and inclusion infrastructure.

The appointment of Jiseon concludes a nearly year-long national search process at a time where the School is poised to build on the momentum generated by current President Elissa Tenny. After seven years of Tenny’s transformative leadership as president, the School is well-positioned to continue to remove barriers to accessing an art and design education; foster an equitable, just environment where the voices of all students, faculty, and staff are valued and respected; and prepare students for life after SAIC. Jiseon’s term will begin July 16.

Hear from Jiseon Lee Isbara

"SAIC is composed of a community of diverse people, philosophies, pedagogies, and goals, and I am honored to serve as the School’s next president. I will work tirelessly to advocate for our students’ futures and celebrate the talents that SAIC’s staff and faculty have nurtured, strengthening the School’s remarkable global community that makes a difference in art and design, education, and beyond." — Jiseon Lee Isbara

Hear from SAIC's Leadership

A portrait of Denise Gardner standing in front of Nighthawks by Edward Hopper at the Art Institute of Chicago

Denise B. Gardner

Board of Trustees Chair

“I am so thrilled that Jiseon will serve as the next president of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Given her record of bold leadership and deep commitment to creative communities, I have no doubt she will continue SAIC’s legacy as one of the world’s top art and design colleges. I look forward to working alongside her in service of the School’s artists, designers, and scholars.”

David J. Vitale

Board of Governors Chair

“SAIC is an exceptional place deserving of an exceptional leader, and I am certain we’ve found one in Jiseon. With her robust experience at Otis College of Art and Design and the Oregon College of Art and Craft, and her emphasis on student success and culturally responsive pedagogy, she’s demonstrated that she has the skills and vision to guide SAIC through its next chapter.”

Anita K. Sinha

Presidential Search Committee Chair

“Throughout the search process, I was consistently impressed by Jiseon’s passion, dedication, and creativity as both a leader in higher education and as an artist. Jiseon is going to be a voice for the future of art education, and I am excited to see the many ways in which she’ll enrich our incredible community of students, faculty, and staff.”

School of the Art Institute of Chicago Announces Jiseon Lee Isbara as Next President
Download images of Jiseon Lee Isbara
February 15, 2024
Dear SAIC Community,
We are pleased to share that Jiseon Lee Isbara has been named the next president of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Under her leadership, SAIC looks forward to continuing to foster the next generation of groundbreaking artists, designers, and scholars.
Jiseon is currently the provost at Otis College of Art and Design. During her tenure, she led the implementation of a five-year strategic plan which resulted in substantive changes at the school, including enrollment growth, a curricular revision to better align pedagogy with student mental health and career preparedness, and a strengthening of the school’s diversity, equity, and inclusion infrastructure.
Previously, she served in several roles at Oregon College of Art and Craft (OCAC), including as interim president, dean of academic affairs and chief academic officer, and head of the Fibers Department. She also taught as a faculty member during her 16-year administrative tenure. In each of her roles, she has shown a deep understanding of the innovations and evolutions driving effective teaching and learning. At both OCAC and Otis, she navigated challenges with poise and empathy, demonstrating a clear ability to bring people together to drive meaningful change.
As a practicing artist herself, Jiseon understands firsthand the power and importance of an art and design education. She earned a master of fine arts degree from Colorado State University and a master of fine arts and bachelor of fine arts degree from Ewha Womans University in Seoul, where she was born and raised. Her textile work, which addresses the complexity of current cultural discourse through the lens of her experience as an immigrant of color, has been exhibited nationally and internationally.
The appointment of Jiseon concludes a nearly year-long national search process at a time when our institution is poised to build on the momentum generated by current SAIC President Elissa Tenny. After seven years of Elissa’s transformative leadership as president, the School is well-positioned to continue to remove barriers to accessing a world-class art and design education; foster an equitable, just college that is home to a diverse, global community of students, faculty, and staff; and prepare students for life after SAIC.
Jiseon will bring a significant record of bold and courageous leadership, administrative and financial acumen, and managerial skills to SAIC, and we know that under her leadership, the School will continue to flourish as one of the top art and design colleges in the world. Jiseon’s appointment will begin July 16.
We are grateful to the search committee for their tireless commitment to this endeavor, and we thank the many students, faculty, and staff across our campus who provided feedback during this process.
Regards,
Denise B. Gardner
Chair, Board of Trustees, Art Institute of Chicago
David J. Vitale
Chair, Board of Governors, School of the Art Institute of Chicago
Anita K. Sinha
Chair, Presidential Search Committee
To arrange an interview with Jiseon Lee Isbara, please contact a member of our Communications team at communications@saic.edu.

The Presidential Search Committee was formed with representatives from the Board of Trustees, Board of Governors, faculty, staff, and students and worked with Isaacson, Miller (IM), a firm with deep experience supporting leadership searches for the Association for Independent Colleges of Art and Design and other higher education institutions. The committee was charged with advising the Board of Governors who will then make a recommendation to the Board of Trustees on a candidate to become the next president.
Claire Ashley (MFA 1995)
Professor, Adjunct, Painting and Drawing and Contemporary Practices
Anita Blanchard
Board of Trustees
Tanvi Dev
Graduate Student
Felice Dublon
Vice President and Dean of Student Affairs Emerita
Sarah N. Garvey
Board of Trustees and Board of Governors
Jay Frederick Krehbiel
Board of Trustees and Board of Governors
Camille Martin-Thomsen
Dean of Faculty and Vice President of Academic Affairs
Cary D. McMillan
Board of Trustees and Board of Governors
Alisia “Ali” Medina (BFA 2024)
Undergraduate Student
Samuel M. Mencoff
Board of Trustees
Cherilyn Murer
Board of Governors
Jefferson Pinder
Professor, Sculpture
Charles T. Price
Board of Governors
Courtney Rowe
Vice President, Advancement
Anita Sinha
Chair, Presidential Search Committee
Board of Trustees and Board of Governors
Anne Sullivan
Associate Professor, Historic Preservation; Chair, Faculty Senate
Joseph R. Trpik, Jr
Board of Governors
David J. Vitale
Board of Trustees and Board of Governors
Kenneth W. Warren
Board of Governors
SAIC’s Presidential Search Committee invited members of the community to share their thoughts about the qualities and experience that we should seek in our next president.
During the week of April 10, 2023, SAIC’s Presidential Search Committee hosted 10 separate listening sessions with graduate students, faculty and staff, and undergraduate students. The Search Committee incorporated feedback from those sessions in the SAIC Presidential Search Profile. Additionally, the SAIC community was invited to share nominations and inquiries with the search firm, Isaacson, Miller.
A position profile for the School’s president was shaped by community input after the search firm conducted 10 listening sessions with faculty, staff, board members, and students and has been circulating broadly. It reflected the core qualities and desired experiences that were shared with the Presidential Search Committee.
To protect the identities of potential candidates, the beginning of summer 2023 marked the search's entry into the confidential phase.
During fall 2023, finalists came to campus to meet with select groups of faculty, students, and staff. Groups shared their feedback on each candidate and, in the winter of 2023-24, the Search Committee made their recommendation to the School’s Board of Governors. In February 2024, the Board of Trustees voted to elect Jiseon Lee Isbara as the next president of SAIC.