UPPER WEST SIDE — Lincoln Center will have a new president this year.
Jed Bernstein, 58, a Tony Award-winning producer and arts executive, will succeed Reynold Levy in January 2014, the institution announced this week.
Levy is stepping down after heading Lincoln Center for 11 years. Members of the board said they hope Bernstein will continue the critical work of increasing fundraising and expanding the institution's reach.
"[Bernstein] understands how to leverage digital platforms to engage new audiences, and has deep experience in piloting complex collaborations," said Lincoln Center Board Chair Kathleen Farley, explaining the board's unanimous choice.
Bernstein, who grew up on the Upper West Side and spent his childhood attending Lincoln Center performances, called the leadership position a "once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."
Most recently, in 2011, he headed the Bridge Street Foundation's efforts to restore the Bucks County Playhouse in New Hope Pennsylvania.
Previously, for 11 years, Bernstein led Broadway's trade association, the Broadway League, and also formed a production company and marketing consultancy called Above the Title Entertainment.
Above the Title Entertainment's projects have included the Tony Award-winning Passing Strange, the revival of Equus, and David Mamet's Oleanna, starring Julia Stiles.
The next phase of Lincoln Center's evolution will be the renovation of Avery Fisher Hall, which Bernstein will lead, Farley said.
In reaching new audiences, Bernstein's experience working on large marketing campaigns in the advertising industry for Ogilvy & Mather, Ally & Gargano and Wells Rich Greene, as well as his management degree from Yale University, are noteworthy, according to Lincoln Center's release.