Maryland Humanities CEO Lindsey Baker is leaving next month, after six years of leading the educational nonprofit.
Baker will depart the organization for “another leadership opportunity,” according to a news release. Her last day will be Oct. 8.
“Leading Maryland Humanities has been one of the great honors of my life,” Baker said in a statement. “I am endlessly grateful to have worked alongside a staff as talented and thoughtful as this one, a dedicated board, generous partners, and the countless Marylanders who believe in the power of the humanities to bring people together and strengthen our communities.”
In the coming months, Maryland Humanities’ Board of Directors will launch a search for the organization’s next chief executive officer.
“Lindsey has led this organization through some of its most challenging and transformative moments with vision, determination, and an unwavering belief in the importance of the humanities,” said Chanel Johnson, Chair of the Maryland Humanities Board of Directors. “She has strengthened Maryland Humanities’ statewide presence, championed the humanities at every level of government, and helped position the organization for a strong and sustainable future.”
Since joining Maryland Humanities in August 2020, Baker has led the nonprofit through the COVID-19 pandemic as well as the 2025 federal funding crisis, during which the organization saw its operating budget more than halved.
Despite the challenges, Baker has worked to expand opportunities for people to connect with history, literature, culture, and one another with programs in every Maryland county and Baltimore City.
Baker also helped build the Strengthening the Humanities Investment in Nonprofits for Equity, or SHINE, grant program. Since 2023, the program has awarded a total of $2.5 million to organizations across Maryland.
Baker said, “From the beginning, I wanted this to be a place where the work was excellent, and the experience of doing that work was excellent too, and I’m proud of the culture we built together…. I’m grateful for the chance to try new things, to build creative partnerships across the state, and to leave this role confident in the strength and dedication that will carry Maryland Humanities into its next chapter.”
