City Center Receives $5M Gift to Establish Dance Endowment

New York City Center has recei ved a transformational $5 million gift from outgoing Board Chair Richard Witten and his wife and fellow Board member Lisa Witten. The gift will establish a permanent endowment for dance presentations while also providing support for education and community engagement programming. In recognition of this extraordinary gift, City Center will name its Artistic Director for Dance position, currently held by Stanford Makishi, the Witten Family Artistic Director for Dance.

‘City Center is proud to be a premier home for dance and musical theater, dedicated to making the arts accessible to all New Yorkers,’ said Michael S. Rosenberg, President & CEO. ‘Our continued success is due in large part to Lisa and Richard’s generosity and steadfast leadership. This remarkable gift reflects their unwavering support to strengthen our programming and grow the impact of our education and community engagement work across the City.’

‘City Center has been an important home for dance since our founding in 1943,’ said Stanford Makishi, Witten Family Artistic Director for Dance. ‘Lisa and Richard’s generous gift provides us with the resources to continue to present world-renowned dance companies, invite International Artists to share their perspectives, and provide artists with essential, long-term support. I am honored to have their commitment to City Center’s mission and programming reflected in my title.’

‘We have always believed that dance is central to what makes City Center such a special place, and we have tremendous admiration for Stanford and the vision, warmth, and artistry he brings to the institution,’ said Lisa and Richard Witten. ‘It is deeply meaningful to us to support the future of dance at City Center and to help ensure that extraordinary artists and performances continue to inspire and engage audiences for generations to come.’

Lisa and Richard Witten are long-standing, passionate supporters of the arts. Lisa first became involved with City Center as a member of the Dance Council and later as a member of the Board of Directors since 2010. She has been a School Groups guide for New York City school children at the Metropolitan Museum of Art since 2009 and is also a member of the HICC Cancer Advisory Council and Chair of the Women’s Health Care Council at Columbia University Irving Medical Center. Richard became Co-Chair, alongside Stacey Mindich, in 2013, joining his wife Lisa on the City Center Board of Directors. In 2022, he was named Chair, a position he held through the 2025 – 2026 Season. Richard also serves as Special Advisor to the President of Columbia University, a position he assumed after retiring as Vice Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the University. He is the Founder of Columbia Entrepreneurship; Co-Chair of the Columbia University Medical Center Board of Advisors; a member of the Boards of the American Museum of Natural History, the Harlem Children’s Zone (Emeritus), and the Columbia University Investment Management Corporation. He is also the Founder and Senior Managing Director of The Orienta Group and a retired General Partner of Goldman Sachs & Co. Together, Lisa and Richard helped establish City Center’s Artistic Innovation Fund in 2015, allowing City Center to take artistic risks and pursue unique presentations that engage new audiences. Their most recent support to expand the institution’s education and community engagement initiatives has enabled City Center to reach more New Yorkers of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities.

Stanford Makishi was appointed to his current position at City Center in 2021 after serving as vice president for programming since 2015. He began at the organization in 2011 as associate producer of its Fall for Dance Festival. Makishi danced with Trisha Brown from 1992 to 2006 and has taught and restaged her work internationally. He also served as artistic advisor for the Ringling International Arts Festival in Sarasota, executive director of the Baryshnikov Arts Center, director of programs at the Asian Cultural Council, and director of creative services at Carnegie Hall.

New York City Center’s 2026 – 2027 Season opens with the Fall for Dance Festival (Sep 22 – Oct 3), followed by The Australian Ballet | Oscar© (Oct 8 – 11), and Annual Gala Presentation In the Heights (Oct 28 – Nov 15).