Walters Board of Trustees Elects Guy Flynn as New President

BALTIMORE, MD—The Board of Trustees of the Walters Art Museum announced today that it has elected Guy E. Flynn as its new President.

Flynn, a veteran lawyer, has been a member of the Walters’ Board for 11 years, serving for the past several years as a Board Vice-President. He also serves as a trustee and executive committee member of the Baltimore Community Foundation; a trustee of the Living Classrooms Foundation; a director of Maryland Legal Aid; a governor of The Center Club; and an appointee to the Maryland Attorney General’s newly-formed COVID-19 Access to Justice Task Force and Co-Chair of the Task Force’s Pro Bono Committee.

“I am honored to take on this position at an important and unique moment in the Walters history,” Flynn said. “It has been the highlight of my life to enjoy the Walters and to interact with its extraordinary staff and Board. This is a momentous time at the Walters as we reinforce valuable relationships with our staff, community partners, donors, and audiences, and also forge critical new paths ahead. As a leader, I have a history of bringing people together throughout my career. I look forward to continuing to do so in my new role at the Walters.”

Flynn practices law in the area of commercial real estate investment, development, and finance at DLA Piper, one of the world’s largest law firms. He has spent his entire 29-year career there, beginning as a first-year law school summer associate. He serves as chairman of its Maryland Real Estate Practice and partner-in-charge of its downtown Baltimore office. Flynn and his wife Nupur Parekh Flynn are committed patrons and supporters of the arts; Parekh Flynn serves as a trustee and Vice-President at the Baltimore Museum of Art, where she is a member of the museum’s executive, governance and public engagement committees. Dedicated philanthropists, the Flynns in 2019 became the 13th members of the United Way of Central Maryland’s Million Dollar Roundtable and were honored in 2020 by The Children’s Guild Alliance with its “Sadie Award” for their lifelong work on behalf of children in the Greater Baltimore and Washington, D.C. regions.

Flynn received his juris doctorate and bachelor’s degrees from the University of Virginia. He has been recognized for his service to the community and his accomplishments in the legal field, including being inducted 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. Consistently named one of America’s leading business lawyers by the respected English research publication Chambers USA and America’s Leading Lawyers for Business, Flynn has repeatedly been named one of America’s best real estate lawyers by The Best Lawyers in America and perennially recognized as a Maryland “Super Lawyer” by Law & Politics and Baltimore magazines.

“I’m thrilled to continue the amazing partnership Guy has built with the museum, and to begin working with him now as the President of the Board,” said Julia Marciari-Alexander, Andrea B. and John H. Laporte Director. “During this unprecedented time of COVID-19 and calls in our society for racial justice, we know we have a strong leader in Guy, who truly believes in our mission of bringing art and people together, and who has worked tirelessly to strengthen our relationships with businesses, schools, and individuals nationwide.”

Flynn succeeds James H. DeGraffenreidt, Jr., who served as President for three years and will become the new Board Chair. Previous Board Chair Ellen N. Bernard has been named Trustee Emerita, culminating her 12 years of service to the Walters.

The Board also elected two new trustees. Susan Gerardo Dunn, Founding Editor and Publisher of the online news website Baltimore Fishbowl, and Jacob (Jake) Hsu, CEO of software development and engineering company Catalyte, begin three-year terms starting July 1.

ABOUT THE WALTERS ART MUSEUM
The Walters Art Museum is a cultural hub in the heart of Baltimore, located in the city’s Mount Vernon neighborhood. The museum’s collection spans more than seven millennia, from 5000 BCE to the 21st century, and encompasses 36,000 objects from around the world. Walking through the museum’s historic buildings, visitors encounter a stunning panorama of thousands of years of art, from romantic 19th-century images of French gardens to mesmerizing Ethiopian icons, richly illuminated Qur’ans and Gospel books, ancient Roman sarcophagi, and serene images of the Buddha. Since its founding, the Walters’ mission has been to bring art and people together to create a place where people of every background can be touched by art. As part of this commitment, admission to the museum and special exhibitions is always free.

Visitor Information

Admission to the museum is free. The Walters Art Museum is located at 600 N. Charles St., north of Baltimore’s Inner Harbor. For general museum information, call 410-547-9000 or visit https://thewalters.org.

Free admission to the Walters Art Museum is made possible through the combined generosity of individual members and donors, foundations, corporations, and grants from the City of Baltimore, Maryland State Arts Council, Citizens of Baltimore County, and Howard County Government and Howard County Arts Council.