James Stewart Snyder, born in 1952 in a small town south of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is a distinguished museum leader and Director of the Jerusalem International Policy Center. He graduated from Harvard University in 1973 with studies in literature and art history, served as a Loeb Fellow at Harvard's Graduate School of Design, and holds an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. His career includes serving as Deputy Director of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York (1986–1996), where he oversaw major expansions and international exhibitions; Anne and Jerome Fisher Director of the Israel Museum in Jerusalem (1997–2016), leading growth such as doubling attendance, expanding the endowment to $200 million, overseeing a $100 million campus renewal, and acquiring over 55,000 objects; International President of the Israel Museum (through 2018) as director emeritus; Executive Chairman of the Jerusalem Foundation, Inc. (2019–2023), promoting urban coexistence initiatives; and current Helen Goldsmith Menschel Director of the Jewish Museum in Manhattan, New York (since 2023). He is also a non-residential Senior Fellow at the Middle East Initiative, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School. Previously, he was an executive at the American Jewish Committee (AJC). Snyder authored Museum Design: Planning and Building for Art (1993) and RENEWED: The Israel Museum Campus Renewal Project (2011, 2015). He is married to graphic artist and designer Tina Davis and has two children: Lily Snyder (art gallery director) and Daniel Snyder (horticulturist). His awards include Commendatore dell’Ordine della Stella della Solidarietà Italiana (Italy), Chevalier de l’Ordine des Arts et des Lettres (France), the Teddy Kollek Award (2011), and Honorary Citizen of Jerusalem (2012).