Henry Timms

Lincoln Center announced Wednesday February 6 2019 that its next president and chief executive would be Henry Timms, who leads the 92nd Street Y. The difficulties Mr. Timms, 42, will face at the center, the nation’s largest performing arts complex, are substantial. He must help get the long-delayed renovation of the New York Philharmonic’s home, David Geffen Hall, back on track after a series of false starts. He will need to keep the complex’s finances stable at a tough time for arts organizations. Mr. Timms helped create #GivingTuesday, which urges people to donate to charities on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving and has grown into a national movement. He raised $160 million toward a $180 million capital campaign for the Y. And he helped the Y recover from one of its most difficult periods. His predecessor there, Sol Adler, was fired amid accusations that he had an affair with an employee, and there was an investigation into whether another manager there had been demanding kickback payments from vendors. Mr. Adler committed suicide in 2014, and his widow sued the Y. Mr. Timms — who grew up in Exeter, England, and is the author, with Jeremy Heimans, of “New Power,” a book about leadership in an increasingly interconnected world.