PEN America's board of trustees has named Summer Lopez and Clarisse Rosaz Shariyf as co-CEOs, effective immediately. The organization noted that each brings a decade of management and program experience at PEN America, and have been serving as interim co-CEOs since November 2024.
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Summer Lopez and Clarisse Rosaz Shariyf |
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Tracy Higgins, board v-p and chair of the executive committee, noted that the board had been committed to identifying leadership that could bring deep mission knowledge, crisis management skills, and a unifying roadmap for PEN America's future.
"Summer and Clarisse undoubtedly fit that bill," Higgins said. "They are highly respected in the free expression and literary communities, and their integrity, imagination, and steady hands are already shaping PEN America's next chapter. They know this organization inside and out and bring both urgency and vision to guiding its future at a time when defending free expression is both deeply essential and highly demanding."
Board president Dinaw Mengestu added: "Summer and Clarisse have been the guiding force behind PEN America's extraordinary literary programming and robust defense of free expression. They are relentless advocates for writers and our staff and members, helping to build a stronger and more engaged organization—one that stands firmly by its values and is prepared to meet the extraordinary challenges ahead."
Lopez observed, "We are in a moment of emergency for free expression and for democracy. In the U.S. and around the world, our ability to write, read, speak, and imagine freely is under grave threat. But it is not a time for despair; instead, it is a time for coming together in community to fight for what matters most. Drawing on our 104-year history, PEN America has an essential role to play in pushing back against the brutal repression we see today, from Minneapolis to Tehran. And as we do this work, we will put our community of writers at the center--providing vital support, building effective coalitions, and crafting an affirmative vision of what a truly free and open culture can look like."
Rosaz Shariyf commented: "At its very core, PEN America is a home for writers and a vibrant literary community that believes the freedom to write is the foundation of our democratic future and a more just world. As a membership organization of writers, academics, journalists, translators, and librarians, PEN America is uniquely positioned to be a powerful convener and act with a singular mission to protect voices that are under attack. Writers help us break through the noise and the information bubbles, and in a moment of division and anxiety, we will see to it that those who are writing the story of this time know that PEN America has their backs."