NEA Chairman Mary Anne Carter

“I am once again deeply honored to serve as Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts. I am committed to advancing the vision that the arts belong to all Americans, no matter who they are or where they live. The arts are essential to creating, innovating, healing, and recovery, and they provide vital economic stability to communities across the nation. I look forward to the many celebrations that will take place in 2026 in honor of America’s 250th anniversary, as well as to the agency’s continued research into the powerful role the arts play in healing—from illness to trauma to natural disasters.”�
—NEA Chairman Mary Anne Carter

Mary Anne Carter serves as chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), leading the agency with a strong, steady vision to bring the arts to every corner of the nation. Guided by the belief that the arts belong to all Americans, she works to expand opportunity and support the creative spirit that helps the nation grow.

Carter also served as chairman of the NEA during President Donald J. Trump’s first term. During that time, she advanced the expansion of Creative Forces, a creative arts therapy initiative supporting service members and veterans recovering from post-traumatic stress, traumatic brain injury, and other psychological health conditions. She also strengthened major national programs such as Shakespeare in American Communities, NEA Big Read, and Poetry Out Loud, ensuring agency activities engage audiences of all ages.

To demonstrate the agency’s reach, Carter held public meetings of the National Council on the Arts in cities beyond Washington, DC—including Charleston, West Virginia, and Detroit, Michigan—marking the first such gatherings outside the capital in nearly three decades.

Carter oversaw a period of steady growth at the agency, positioning the arts as significant economic assets for states and communities and expanding the conversation around their role in health and healing. Her leadership supported new research efforts, including the agency’s first report on the arts in opioid recovery and expanding work at the intersection of art, medicine, and well-being.

To broaden the agency’s national impact, she prioritized audiences that had long been underserved by federal resources. This included engagement with Historically Black Colleges and Universities; Native American, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian communities; and folk and traditional artists—efforts that helped launch initiatives such as the National Folklife Network. Carter also expanded partnerships across federal agencies, increasing collaboration with the Departments of War, Veterans Affairs, State, and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). These efforts contributed to new Creative Forces clinical sites, expanded cultural exchange programs, and the agency’s first deployment of staff to assist with disaster recovery.

Under her leadership, the agency also strengthened its engagement with civic leaders, business organizations, and professionals in the health and medical field to broaden understanding of the arts’ role in civic life, economic vitality, and public health. Her dedication to this work is informed by personal experience, including her daughter’s early learning difference and the transformative role the arts play in her education.

Prior to her federal service, Carter worked in public policy analysis, issue tracking, and communications—experience she draws upon in leading an agency built on public trust. Looking ahead, she remains focused on reaching Americans in every part of the country, advancing research on the arts’ role in healing, and guiding the NEA’s work as the nation marks its semiquincentennial in 2026.