Suzanne Nossel to depart for leadership role at Freedom House; national search underway to identify next CEO

NEW YORK, N.Y. — PEN America announced today that it has elevated two highly regarded senior leaders, Summer Lopez and Clarisse Rosaz Shariyf, to serve as the organization’s Interim Co-CEOs, effective immediately.

Lopez and Rosaz Shariyf have served at PEN America for nearly a decade, managing programs vital to PEN America’s mission to support writers, celebrate creative expression and defend the liberties that make it possible. The organization has also begun a national search for its next leader.

Suzanne Nossel, PEN America’s former CEO, is leaving to take a position as President and CEO with Freedom House. Since joining PEN America in 2013, Nossel guided the organization through a period of growth and increasing influence, expanding its budget, staff and membership. She oversaw its merger with PEN Center USA in Los Angeles and the establishment of offices in Washington, D.C. and Miami. Under her leadership, PEN America expanded its literary and free expression programs; enabled its influential studies of book bans, censorship, and other important topics; and successfully helped champion the release of writers imprisoned worldwide.

“We are thrilled to have Summer and Clarisse take the helm of PEN America as Interim Co-CEOs. As chief program officers at PEN America, Summer and Clarisse have demonstrated their commitment to our mission of elevating writers and literature and protecting free expression, along with a track record of excellence in leadership,” said PEN America President Jennifer Finney B0ylan. “We are also grateful to Suzanne Nossel, to whom we wish success in her future endeavors.”

Lopez brings 20 years of professional expertise and leadership in the fields of democracy, human rights, gender equality and women’s empowerment, governance, and freedom of expression. As the Chief Program Officer for free expression programs, Lopez oversees PEN America’s domestic and international programs, including campus free speech, book bans, educational censorship, and writers at risk advocacy initiatives.

Rosaz Shariyf spent over a decade at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture at The New York Public Library, curating and managing the production of year-round multi-disciplinary public programs about the history and culture of the global Black experience. She joined PEN America in 2015 and as Chief Program Officer for literary programs, she has led the organization’s literary programming strategy, overseeing execution of a range of programs and initiatives honoring international authors and artists.

“It is an honor to be appointed as a Co-CEO of PEN America, alongside Clarisse, at a moment when threats to the protection of free expression continue to mount,” said Lopez. “I want to thank the Board for entrusting me with this position, and I look forward to all the important work ahead.”

“I am so grateful to be named a Co-CEO of PEN America during such a challenging time for writers across the country and world,” said Rosaz Shariyf. “I look forward to working alongside Summer to leverage our shared programmatic expertise to advance PEN America’s mission.”

PEN America has been on the pulse of this year’s election, combatting censorship, fighting book bans, and conducting studies on the implications Project 2025 could have on free expression. In the next year, PEN America is planning to host the 2025 World Voices Festival and the 2025 Literary Awards, hallmark events important in fostering communication on topics of global importance and supporting the best in literature.

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About PEN America

PEN America stands at the intersection of literature and human rights to protect free expression in the United States and worldwide. We champion the freedom to write, recognizing the power of the word to transform the world. Our mission is to unite writers and their allies to celebrate creative expression and defend the liberties that make it possible.