Sarah Spinner Liska, J.D., Ph.D.

Spinner Liska is an arts leader with extensive experience in exhibitions, communications, fundraising and project management. She was recently recognized with the Ohio Museums Association’s “Professional of the Year” Award for her work uplifting museums and arts organizations across the region. 

As Managing Director of FRONT International, a region-wide contemporary art triennial, Spinner Liska developed partnerships across Northeast Ohio, working closely with museums, galleries, artists and funders. She also championed pay equity through WAGE certification and led an award-winning accessibility initiative to open art access to people of all abilities.

Spinner Liska’s civic leadership has focused on expanding access and audience within the arts and museums field. She founded and chaired the North American Arts 'Ennials Alliance, a professional network of arts leaders from across the continent, hosting the inaugural conference in Cleveland in 2022. She serves on University Hospitals National Arts Leadership Council, the Johns Hopkins University Second Decade Society and as a trustee of The Sculpture Center and Zygote Press.

Originally from Hamilton, Ontario, Canada Spinner Liska has called Northeast Ohio home for the last 11 years. She holds a Ph.D. in history from Yale University, where she received the Hans Gatzke Prize, and a J.D. from Yale Law School. She was awarded a Golieb Fellowship in legal history at NYU Law School and holds a B.A. in the history of art and french and an M.A. in humanistic studies from Johns Hopkins University. Spinner Liska is admitted to practice law in Ohio and is a member of the Ohio State Bar Association.