November 2025 – Bridge Partners is pleased to announce the appointment of Bella Desai as Vice President, Public Programs & Exhibitions at The New York Public Library.

In this role, Bella will lead a new and exciting strategic direction for the Library, which includes bringing together the public programming and exhibition teams at the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building, the Schomburg Center, and the Library for the Performing Arts. She will also work in partnership with leadership for public programming in NYPL’s Branch Library system to deliver on institution-wide initiatives.

“I am excited and honored to join The New York Public Library in this new capacity. I am particularly drawn to the Library’s unique position serving both local and global audiences, with programming that reflects both New York's incredible diversity and the international importance of the research collections,” said Bella Desai

Most recently, she was Director of Strategic Initiatives for Creatives Rebuild New York—a three-year, $125 million initiative that provided guaranteed income and employment opportunities to artists across New York—Desai designed and led the program that funded employment for 300 artists in partnership with over 100 community-based organizations statewide. She also led Exhibition Education and Public Programs for 14 years at the American Museum of Natural History. Her diverse experience includes work at National Geographic, WGBH in Boston, and for Sesame Street in India.

Desai holds a B.S. from Yale University and an Ed.M. from Harvard University.