The National Academy of Design has made Gregory Wessner its new executive director.

Wessner has spent much of his career in various positions at The Architectural League of New York. He also worked as an administrator at the National Academy School of Fine Arts from 1997 to 1998 and most recently served as the executive director of Open House New York.

Wessner will assume his new position on September 8.

The National Academy of Design was founded in New York City in 1825 to promote American art and architecture. The organization has at most 450 members, all of whom are American artists and architects and who elect new members. Current members include artists Carrie Mae Weems and Marina Abramovic, as well as architects Frank Gehry and Maya Lin. The academy has amassed one of the largest public art collections in the country, largely through donations from its members. In 2016 the National Academy of Design split for its school, and in 2019, the academy sold its three buildings on New York’s Upper East Side, raising $65 million for the organization. The organization currently operates out of the National Arts Club at 15 Gramercy Park in New York.

Correction: An earlier version of this article said that Wessner has a PhD in art and architectural history from The Graduate Center, City University of New York. He has completed doctoral research but not a PhD at that school.