Cynthia Chen

Cynthia Chen is a versatile arts and culture professional with diverse experiences in development, marketing, grant writing, and advocacy at local, state, and international levels. Trilingual in English, French, and Mandarin, Chen has helped with the production of cultural projects in the United States, France, China, and Taiwan. Chen contributed to revenue and international development for publicly managed cultural institutions such as the Centre Pompidou and Musée d’Orsay. Raised in the Salt Lake City area, Chen began her career working as a legislative fellow for the Utah Cultural Alliance and continued to engage actively in public policy issues as the development associate for the nationally-recognized youth media arts nonprofit, Spy Hop Productions, where she worked on a legislative appropriation at the Utah State Legislature for the construction of a new media arts education facility. Chen graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in music (with honors) from the University of Utah where she majored in flute performance and minored in political science. She holds a master’s degree in public policy with a specialization in cultural policy and management and the distinction of summa cum laude from Sciences Po Paris. Chen is also an alumna of the Harvard Kennedy School’s Public Policy and Leadership Conference and WESTAF’s Emerging Leaders of Color program.