President

We are pleased to announce that the Minneapolis College of Art and Design has selected Dr. Gwendolyn Freed to serve as its next President, effective June 1, 2025. 

Dr. Freed is a leader deeply rooted in the Twin Cities' higher education, arts, and nonprofit communities.  

An experienced fundraiser, she is currently the interim chief development officer for one of Minnesota’s largest nonprofits, Second Harvest Heartland, a food bank with a budget over $250 million, where she is a member of the executive leadership team and closed the last fiscal year with more than $60 million in gifts and pledges secured.

Dr. Freed has served as a vice president at two private colleges, including a visual and performing arts college (Cornish College in Seattle). In addition, she chaired a large arts department at the University of Minnesota for two years, where she managed a budget of $13.2 million and oversaw an academic department that offered applied and academic bachelor’s, master's, and doctoral degree programs. A published scholar on organizational identity in higher education, Gwen has two graduate degrees from the University of Minnesota: a PhD in educational policy and administration, and a masters of public affairs. She also has bachelor’s and masters degrees in music from Juilliard and Oberlin.

Gwen has followed art and design trends since the early years of her career as an arts journalist, and currently serves on the faculty of the Arts and Cultural Leadership Program in the College of Continuing and Professional Studies at the University where she co-teaches a course entitled Reimagining Cultural Leadership. She also brings well-honed skills in communications from her journalism days and from five years as the vice president for marketing and communications at Gustavus Adolphus College.

Read the full press release here.

Ben Tobin and Sheryl Ash led this search with Andrew Marshall and Alaine Small.