New York, NY (July 2, 2025)—The Academy of American Poets announced that Ricardo Maldonado, President and Executive Director, will step down at the end of his second year in office. Under his leadership, the Academy strengthened its poetry education programs for people of all ages and deepened partnerships within the poetry community. His final day of service will be July 17, 2025.
“The Academy’s Board of Directors extends its appreciation to Ricardo Maldonado for his passionate leadership of the Academy and programming advances, including a beautiful pilot program that brought poetry back into New York City public school classrooms—and an online series of poetry seminars for adult readers interested in hearing directly from scholars about masters of the art form across geographies and time,” said Tess O’Dwyer, Board Chair. “We thank Ricardo for his service and wish him continued success in his life’s work in poetry.”
“It has been one of the great honors of my life to serve as President and Executive Director of the Academy of American Poets. Looking ahead to my own future, I’ve decided that it’s time for me to step down from this role in order to return to my first calling—writing—and to make space for poetry in a more personal way,” stated Ricardo Maldonado. “I leave this role with immense gratitude for our dedicated Board of Directors, our Chancellors, our brilliant staff, and the ever-growing community of poets and readers who make this work possible. Among them, I am especially thankful for Tess O’Dwyer, our fearless Board Chair, for her steadfast partnership and joyful support. I’m proud of what we’ve built together. At the heart of it all is our shared conviction: poetry is vital. It matters. And we must continue to protect a poet’s right to use language bravely and to shape forms that speak truthfully to our experiences.”
Founded in 1934, the Academy’s mission is to support American poets at all stages of their careers and to foster the appreciation of contemporary poetry. The organization culturally enriches the lives of millions of people around the world by providing free access to vital poetry programs such as National Poetry Month, the largest literary celebration in the world; Poets.org, a leading online resource for poetry; an annual series of poetry readings and special events, most notably Poetry & the Creative Mind; and a myriad of education programs, such as Teach This Poem.
The Academy has retained Isaacson, Miller to assist in the search for the next President and Executive Director. The Search Committee includes Sidney Clifton (Chair, Chancellors Committee); Tracie Hall (Chair, Long Range Planning Committee); Alexandra Jackson (Board Secretary); Camille Lannan (Chair, Archive Committee); Tess O’Dwyer (Board Chair); and Gerald Richards (Member, Emeritus Council).