Lissa Frenkel is the President & CEO of the Charleston Gaillard Center, a leading performing arts center in the Southeast and anchoring cultural institution in the heart of Charleston, SC. Since she was appointed in 2021, she has transformed the organization into a destination for dynamic performances, robust education programs, and thoughtful community initiatives that create connection and promote essential cultural and civic dialogue. Under her leadership, the Gaillard commissions and presents ambitious, multidisciplinary artists and performances that reflect the city’s diversity and push artistic boundaries, particularly around telling underrecognized stories of Southern artists and activists of color. Frenkel has strengthened the Gaillard’s commitment to world-class and risk-taking dance performances, commissioned several regional premieres, deepened engagement with local artists and the community, and enhanced access to the arts locally and across the state.

Previously, Frenkel served as managing director of the Park Avenue Armory, a premier cultural institution producing and commissioning unconventional works in the performing and visual arts in Manhattan. During her tenure with the Armory, she was instrumental in building its operating budget from $6 million to $27 million and in leading the $165 million in capital redevelopment projects that invested in the adaptive reuse and restoration of the building.

Prior to the Armory, Frenkel worked at the Lincoln Center Development Project, a $500 million cultural redevelopment of the Lincoln Center complex in Manhattan that included the expansion of The Julliard School, Alice Tully Hall and multiple public spaces.
Originally from Boston, Frenkel earned her undergraduate degree in art history from Emory University and her master’s degree in urban planning from the Graduate School of Design at Harvard University.