History & Leadership

Annie Cohen-Solal is an academic and a writer, tracking down the interactions between art, literature and society. After Sartre : A Life (1987) became an international success, she became the French cultural counselor to the US (1989 to 1992). In New York, Professor Cohen-Solal’s encounter with Leo Castelli led her to shift her interest to the art world, publishing Painting American (2001) ; Leo Castelli & His Circle (2010) ; New York Mid Century (2014) with Paul Goldberger and Robert Gottlieb ; and Mark Rothko (2013).

In 2013, she became special advisor at the Ecole Normale Supérieure for the Nuit Sartre ; in 2014, as general curator of Magiciens de la terre 2014, at the Centre Pompidou, she published Magiciens de la terre : retour sur une exposition légendaire, with Jean-Hubert Martin. She has held positions at Tisch School of the Arts (NYU), Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales (Paris), University of Caen, Ecole Normale Supérieure (Paris), the Freie Universität Berlin and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

She is currently preparing a book on Picasso, the Foreigner.  Born in Algiers, Cohen-Solal now lives between Paris and Cortona, Italy.

Cristina Grasset is the Director of Spain Education Programs, an organization she founded in 2008, and the President of Profesionales por la Educación Internacional, a non-profit that promotes quality and access to a global education in Spain and LATAM countries.

She has combined a long trajectory in international education with the management of a family-owned collection of European Master’s paintings, and board memberships at a non-traded real estate investment trust and a real estate management company.

Cristina holds a Doctor of Education degree in Organizational Leadership, Policy, and Development from the University of Minnesota; a Master’s in Educational Leadership from Saint Leo University; the degree of Asesor de Inversión y Financiación from Universidad Complutense de Madrid; and a Bachelor’s in Business Administration from Loyola Marymount University.

Reginald de Guillebon was born in the United States to French-Haitian parents and was educated in both France and the US. In 2000, after working in the world of finance and business, Mr. de Guillebon redirected his career into art education with the founding of Hildegarde, a French media and higher education group.

In 2006, Mr. de Guillebon became the President of the former Parsons Paris, and transformed the school into Paris College of Art.

Today the Hildegarde group owns 26 companies including for example Les Armateurs, an award winning animation production company based in Paris, and Le film français, the leading French entertainment trade magazine.

Adélaïde de Guillebon is a Franco-American consultant based in Boston. She earned her BA in chemistry from Wellesley College and her M Eng. in Biomedical Engineering from Cornell University, and brings the PCA Board her knowledge and understanding of the French and US educational systems.

Mark Havlicek (PMP, CSM, PRINCE2) has over thirty years of entrepreneurial and executive-level leadership experience in public, private and not-for-profit organizations.  Mark graduated from the University of Iowa with a degree in Political Science and is currently Senior Planning and Strategy Leader at Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., and is President of U.S. based Arsenal Consulting Group, LLC.

After teaching and completing a doctorate in cognitive psychology and individual differences in France, Linda, a native Swede, spent 13 years in American higher education (Yale and Tufts universities), and now puts this dual European and U.S. experience to use for the Paris College of Art international community. She has explored most facets of higher education, including admissions, curriculum review, new degree development, accreditation, and faculty development, while simultaneously pursuing education research to further our understanding of how students optimally learn.

The majority of Linda’s research and peer-reviewed publications have focused on designing, implementing, and evaluating the effectiveness of educational interventions in a wide range of settings, including K-12 and higher education in the United States and Africa. Recognized as a leader in the field, Linda has served as a consultant to elite preparatory schools (e.g., Choate Rosemary Hall) and universities (e.g., MIT) on issues of learning, assessment and admissions.

In her 8 years as Dean, she worked alongside PCA’s academic and administrative teams to improve facilities, secure re-accreditation, develop new undergraduate majors, and launch PCA’s graduate school, the latter under the leadership of Associate Dean Klaus Fruchtnis.

As of July 15, 2019 Linda serves as President of PCA.

In my new role I will continue to strengthen our academic offering while maintaining our commitment to pluri-disciplinarity, diversity, and the importance of the role that artists and designers play in shaping our societies. In a world of increasingly complex issues that affect us all, the creativity and problem-solving skills that our excellent faculty nurture in our students is key to positive change and progress.

Award-winning entrepreneur and designer David Peck received his BFA in Fashion Design in 2006 from PCA (known at the time as École Parsons à Paris) after a career as a classical cellist. After time at renowned fashion houses Paco Rabanne, Junichi Hakamaki, and Robert Normand, David’s work continued in New York before moving to Houston in 2010 where he operates his own line.

David chairs the Paris College of Art Board, is a member of the Advisory Board of Directors for Theatre Under The Stars (TUTS), the Fashion Design and Merchandising Advisory Board for Houston Community College, and is the Fashion Chair at PS One Portfolio School in Beijing, China. He previously chaired the Fashion Task Force for the Greater Houston Partnership.

Named one of Houston Chronicle’s Most Interesting People and a Rising Star by the League of Women Voters, he has chaired/co-chaired many events including the Alley Theatre Ball After Party, Theatre Under The Stars (TUTS), the Judy’s Mission Possible Luncheon, and served three years as the Creative Director/Producer for the KNOWAutism Gala. 

David directed the uniform design of the JW Marriott Houston Downtown, Hotel Ylem, and Oxbow 7 at  Le Méridien Houston Downtown. He has been a guest artist at Interlochen Center for the Arts. He has styled for film and television. His work has been exhibited at the Ellen Noel Art Museum “Texas Now” exhibition in Odessa, Texas and at Contemporary Arts Museum Houston.

David’s work has been featured on the cover of Women’s Wear Daily; in publications such as Teen Vogue, Lucky, Marie Claire, InStyle, and People Style Watch; and on popular television shows Hart of Dixie and E! News. David has dressed celebrities such as Kate Bosworth, Jaime King, Giuliana Rancic, Mayim Bialik, Maggie Grace, Ashlan Gorse, Rose McGowan, Esperanza Spalding, Lauren Conrad, and Taylor Swift.

Lee Pelton is the CEO & President of The Boston Foundation, one of the nation’s leading philanthropic organizations with $2.4 billion in assets. He joined the Foundation in June 2021, after serving as President of Emerson College (2011-2021) and Willamette University (1998-2011). Pelton began his academic career at Harvard University, where he earned a Ph.D. in English literature.  with an academic focus on 19th-century British and American prose and poetry. He taught English and American literature at Harvard University, Colgate University, Dartmouth College and Willamette University.

He served on the Harvard Board of Overseers and as vice-chair of its executive committee. After Harvard, Pelton served as dean of the college at Colgate University and Dartmouth College. He is an elected member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and enjoys a very long list of honorary degrees, awards and recognitions for educational excellence and social justice.

Christel des Royeries is currently Director of External communication at Air Liquide, a world leader in gases, technologies and services for Industry and Health, heading the influence team in charge of media relations and social media.

Christel des Royeries has started her career working in the finance industry in New York, working in event planning at Seligman Advisors and Société Générale.

Returning to France, Christel has been working for a non-for-profit organization, handling fundraising as well as organizing a musical tour in France and Belgium, managing communications, logistics, and internal mobilization of up to 250 volunteers.

Prior to joining Air Liquide, she held various communication roles, such as media relations manager at Engie, an energy company, as well as in industrial companies, serving as head of media relations at Lafarge, and as Director of Communication Europe at Constellium.

An American citizen, Christel was born in the United States from French-Haitian parents and was educated in both France and the US. She holds a BA in Psychology and a Master’s degree in Business and Institutions Communication, she also has an MBA in Luxury Communication & Strategy.

Artist, educator and administrator, Greg Watts is the Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost at the Cleveland Institute of Art. Previously he was Dean of the College of Visual Arts and Design at the University of North Texas, a Tier 1 research University. During his appointment at UNT Watts significantly increased, in number and diversity, faculty and staff while leading the college through strategic planning including $80M of construction and renovation projects.  A full Professor, Watts’ career accomplishments include a variety of academic positions and creative ventures. His artwork has been featured in numerous exhibitions, and he has worked as a consultant and legal expert in the fields of photography and photographic evaluation. Watts serves as President of the National Association of Schools of Art and Design and was previously Chair of their Commission on Accreditation. Watts is a native of Cambridge, England. He earned an Executive M.B.A. from the University of Denver, an M.F.A. in fine art (photography) from the University of Florida and a bachelor’s degree, with honours, in fine art (printmaking) from Kingston University, London. He also completed the Management Development Program (MDP) and Institute for Management and Leadership in Education (MLE) at Harvard University.

Loren Wolfe grew up on the windy plains of Cheyenne, Wyoming.  She graduated from Amherst College in French and International Relations, then earning a PhD in Romance Languages and Literatures from Harvard University. In addition to teaching in several departments, she co-directed the Harvard Summer School program in Paris for over a decade. She has taught in several other American and French universities and liberal arts colleges including Columbia University, Barnard College, the American University of Paris and Université Paris I Panthéon Sorbonne. 

From 2015-2020, she directed public programming at the Columbia University Global Center in Paris where she knit together a diverse and far-reaching network of collaborators in all sectors. There, she organized hundreds of conferences, seminars, exhibitions, concerts and workshops, bringing Columbia faculty and students into dialogue with academics, artists, journalists and other public and private actors from around the world. Her own research and writing transcend disciplines, exploring representations of embodiment and examining how creative practice can shape medical care and vice versa. She served as an instructor and academic liaison for the Professional Master II in Arts and Cultural Management at l’Ecole des Arts de la Sorbonne, helping students establish connections with Paris’s most prestigious and innovative cultural and artistic institutions and associations. 

As of June 2025, Loren serves as Provost and Chief Academic Officer of PCA.

I am thrilled and honored to be a part of the PCA community. I truly feel that all of my life experiences have led me here, to assist PCA’s exceptional leadership in stewarding this dynamic and ever–evolving institution. The faculty, students and staff members constantly impress me with their knowledge, commitment and novel approaches to marrying creative practice, aesthetic experimentation, and civic engagement. Every day I feel fortunate to work with them to cement PCA’s excellence as a leading international institution devoted to supporting professors and guiding students as they imagine and enact ways to weave the arts and humanities as generative forces of creation and change into all aspects of society.