Eric Lamar Motley (born 1972) is the Deputy Director of the National Gallery of Art, located in Washington, D.C.

Early life and education

Eric was born near

Montgomery, Alabama Montgomery is the capital city of the U.S. state of Alabama and the county seat of Montgomery County. Named for the Irish soldier Richard Montgomery, it stands beside the Alabama River, on the coastal Plain of the Gulf of Mexico. In the 202 ...

, United States and grew up in the Madison Park community (Montgomery, AL). Motley earned his bachelor's degree in Political Science and Philosophy from

Samford University Samford University is a private Christian university in Homewood, Alabama. In 1841, the university was founded as Howard College by Baptists. Samford University describes itself as the 87th oldest institution of higher learning in the United Sta ...

in 1996, where he graduated

Omicron Delta Kappa Omicron Delta Kappa (), also known as The Circle and ODK, is one of the most prestigious honor societies in the United States with chapters at more than 300 college campuses. It was founded December 3, 1914, at Washington and Lee University in ...

. There he served as president of the Student Government Association. As a Rotary International Ambassadorial Scholar at the

University of St Andrews (Aien aristeuein) , motto_lang = grc , mottoeng = Ever to ExcelorEver to be the Best , established = , type = Public research university Ancient university , endowment ...

, he earned a Master of Letters in International Relations and a Ph.D. in International Relations as the John Steven Watson Scholar.

Career

Since August 2021 he has served as Deputy Director of the National Gallery of Art. From 2007 to 2021 he worked at the

Aspen Institute The Aspen Institute is an international nonprofit organization founded in 1949 as the Aspen Institute for Humanistic Studies. The institute's stated aim is the realization of "a free, just, and equitable society" through seminars, policy programs ...

, most recently as Executive Vice President and Corporate Secretary. He formerly served as Executive Director of National Programs, Vice President and Managing Director of the Henry Crown Fellows Program as well as the Executive Director of the Aspen-Rockefeller Foundation's Commission to Reform the Federal Appointments Process. Prior to joining the

, he served as director of the Office of International Visitors in the

Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) of the United States Department of State fosters mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries around the world. It is responsible for the Un ...

at the

U.S. State Department The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs of other nati ...

. The office had a 100-person staff and a budget that exceeded $80 million. Prior to that, he had served as a Special Assistant to President George W. Bush for Presidential Personnel, where he managed the appointment process in the White House for over 1,200 presidentially-appointed advisory board and commission positions. He joined the White House staff as Deputy Associate Director, Office of Presidential Personnel in 2001 at the age of 27 immediately after receiving his Ph.D. from the

University of St Andrews (Aien aristeuein) , motto_lang = grc , mottoeng = Ever to ExcelorEver to be the Best , established = , type = Public research university Ancient university , endowment ...

in Scotland. He was the youngest appointee by the

George W. Bush Administration George W. Bush's tenure as the 43rd president of the United States began with his first inauguration on January 20, 2001, and ended on January 20, 2009. Bush, a Republican from Texas, took office following a narrow victory over Democratic in ...

. Motley sits on numerous national and Washington, DC boards. He is involved in the arts and humanities and is a book collector. In June 2006, his life story was featured in ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

'' as part of the series "Being a Black Man in America."

Bibliography

* ''Madison Park: A Place of Hope'' (2017,

Zondervan Zondervan is an international Christian media and publishing company located in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Zondervan is a founding member of the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA). They are a part of HarperCollins Christian Publ ...

, )

References

External links

National Public Radio interview

Linkedin – Eric L. Motley
* United States Department of State officials People from Montgomery, Alabama Living people Washington, D.C., Republicans Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs Henry Crown Fellows 1972 births Samford University alumni Alumni of the University of St Andrews George W. Bush administration personnel {{AfricanAmerican-stub