Joy Bailey-Bryant is president, US, of Lord Cultural Resources and has spent over 20 years making the world a better place through culture. She was appointed to the position of president of Lord US in January 2021, where she is responsible for leading all services throughout the United States, based in the New York office. Bailey-Bryant also serves on the firm’s global leadership team.
“From day one, this company has placed people at the centre of every aspect of cultural strategy,” said Lord co-founder Gail Lord, speaking after her appointment. “Joy embodies our ‘pro-people’ values in every way. We are fortunate to have such a talented, visionary leader to drive our growth in the United States.”
Bailey-Bryant is a leader in the development of culturally specific museums where people of colour are able to tell and interpret their own stories. She has helped to plan projects like the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C., where she organised consultations with over 1,000 stakeholders across the country to learn their expectations for the new museum. She also worked on the National September 11 Memorial and Museum at the World Trade Center in New York.
Driven by the engagement philosophy of “meet people where they are, Bailey-Bryant has been an innovator in creating a new type of city and regional cultural plan from the bottom up by facilitating citywide engagements with people in their neighbourhoods. She was part of the team that planned and opened the expansion of the Albany Civil Rights Institute in Albany, Georgia—unearthing thousands of untold stories of the Southwest Georgia Civil Rights Movement.
One nominator said: “Through her leadership Joy is an advocate for inclusivity, diversity, accessibility, equity and belonging,” said one nominator. “She surrounds herself with a great team and is an avid supporter of their growth, development, and well-being.”