Julia Marciari-Alexander, PhD
Andrea B. and John H. Laporte Director of the Walters Art Museum
Dr. Julia Marciari-Alexander has served as Executive Director & CEO of the Walters Art Museum since 2013. The fifth director of the Walters, she is the first woman to hold the post. During her tenure, the endowment has grown by investment and fundraising by over $100 million; she has overseen the award-winning, $11 million refurbishment of the historic Hackerman House at 1 West Mount Vernon Place and major reinstallation of the museum’s world-renowned Asian Art collection; launched a series of initiatives that examine the institution’s origins and mapped steps to embed diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion (DEAI) in the organization; and broadened and diversified the board of trustees and leadership team at the museum. She is inspired by the collaborative work that she and the team at the museum do to create exhibitions and educational public programs that connect with the wide-ranging and diverse communities in Baltimore and beyond.
In addition, Marciari-Alexander serves as President of the Association of Art Museum Directors’ (AAMD) Board of Trustees. In Maryland, she serves on the boards of the Maryland Citizens for the Arts, the Greater Baltimore Cultural Alliance, and the Center Club.
Prior to joining the Walters, Marciari-Alexander was Deputy Director for Curatorial Affairs at the San Diego Museum of Art where she served from 2008 to 2013, as Interim Co-Director (2009–2010) and Interim Deputy Director for Education (2010–2011). Before moving to San Diego, she spent more than 10 years at the Yale Center for British Art, first as Assistant/Associate Curator of Paintings & Sculpture, then as Associate Director of Programmatic Affairs and Associate Director of Exhibitions and Publications. During her tenure there, she also taught numerous courses for the university’s history of art department. Marciari-Alexander earned her BA in art history and French at Wellesley College; her MA in French at NYU; and her MA and PhD in the history of art at Yale University.
Guy E. Flynn
Chair of the Board of Trustees
Guy E. Flynn is Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Walters Art Museum. A retired corporate lawyer, Flynn has been a member of the Walters’ Board for 15 years, serving for the past three years as Board President.
Flynn retired from the practice of law on New Year’s Day 2023 as the sitting chairman of three practice groups—Maryland Real Estate, US Blockchain & Digital Assets, and Baltimore Real Estate—at DLA Piper, one of the world’s largest law firms, where he also served at the time of his retirement as Partner-in-Charge of the firm’s downtown Baltimore office. He spent his entire 33-year career at DLA Piper, beginning as a first-year law school summer associate.
Beyond his leadership roles at the Walters, Flynn is a prominent member of Maryland’s philanthropic, civic, arts and cultural communities, currently serving as co-chair (with his wife, Nupur Parekh Flynn) of The United Way of Central Maryland’s 100th Anniversary Campaign, as a trustee and board vice-chair of the Baltimore Community Foundation, as a governor and board vice-president of The Center Club, and as a trustee of the Living Classrooms Foundation.
Among the accolades Flynn received during his long career includes his induction in 2019 into the Maryland Chamber of Commerce Business Hall of Fame, winning the 2013 “Distinguished Marylander” and “Leadership in Law” awards from The Daily Record, being listed as one of 2019’s 100 notable attorneys across the United States by The Business Journals, and being honored in 2016 by the Israel-based B’nai Zion Foundation for his work as a legal and community leader in the greater Baltimore area. Flynn and his wife Nupur were named “Philanthropists of the Year” by The United Way of Central Maryland in 2020.
Flynn received his Juris Doctorate and Bachelor’s degrees from the University of Virginia.
Peter Bain
President of the Board of Trustees
Peter L. Bain has built a distinguished career in the financial services industry. He is currently a director of Virtus Investment Partners (NASDAQ:VRTS), where he qualifies as a financial expert and serves on the Compensation Committee. As CEO of OM Asset Management (OMAM, now BrightSphere Investment Group), he successfully restructured and then took the firm public on the NYSE. Previously, Mr. Bain helped build successful businesses at both Legg Mason and Berkshire Capital.
Upon becoming CEO of OMAM in February 2011, Mr. Bain developed and executed the firm’s comprehensive corporate strategy. He built the senior executive team and significantly restructured the business, improving margins, net client cash flow, and earnings. In 2014, Mr. Bain successfully executed the firm’s IPO, listing OMAM on the NYSE. The IPO was followed by three subsequent secondary offerings in each of the succeeding three years.
Prior to OMAM, Mr. Bain served as Senior Executive Vice President of Legg Mason, Inc. and Head of Affiliate Management and Corporate Strategy. Mr. Bain led the firm’s efforts involving collaborative strategic initiatives and operating relationships with its investment management affiliates. Previously, Mr. Bain was a senior equity partner and Managing Director at Berkshire Capital Securities, a leading boutique investment banking firm focused on the asset management and securities industries.
Mr. Bain received a Bachelor of Arts in American Studies from Trinity College, where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and graduated with honors in General Scholarship. He received his Juris Doctor degree from Harvard Law School.
Mr. Bain is President of the Board of Trustees of the Walters Art Museum and a member of the Board of the American Visionary Arts Museum. He was a member of the Advisory Board of the Johns Hopkins Carey Business School from its founding through 2018. Mr. Bain is on the Board of ReBuild Metro, an affordable housing initiative focused on reclaiming and rehabilitating disadvantaged neighborhoods in Baltimore. He also works with Turnaround Tuesday, a jobs-based organization working with returning citizens and others to prepare and assist them in regaining employment.