The Manhattan Institute Names Reihan Salam as Next President

NEW YORK, NY — The Manhattan Institute (MI) has named Reihan Salam as president. He will succeed the outgoing president, Lawrence J. Mone, who has been with the Institute for 37 years, 24 at its helm.

“I am delighted that Reihan Salam will be our new president. Reihan is a New Yorker born-and-bred, a product of the city’s public schools, a brilliant communicator, and already a leader among conservative thinkers and policymakers. His task will be enormous: to carry on the tremendous legacy of Larry Mone and the work of the Institute’s already fantastic team, and especially to ensure that MI remains a north star for reform-minded mayors and governors across the country who are wrestling with how to flourish in the 21st century. This is a critical moment for New York and for the whole country. I’m excited for the Institute and for the future,” said MI Chairman Paul Singer.

Mr. Salam will be the Institute’s fifth president in its 42-year history. From 2014 to 2019, he served as the executive editor of National Review. He is also a National Review Institute Policy Fellow, a contributing editor at The Atlantic and National Affairs, and, in 2017, was named a Young Global Leader of the World Economic Forum. A second-generation American, he is the author, most recently, of Melting Pot or Civil War? (Sentinel, 2018), a “nuanced” discussion of immigration policy and, before that, the co-author, with Ross Douthat, of Grand New Party (Doubleday, 2008). Over the course of his career, he has championed a quality-of-life conservatism that can speak to all Americans, and especially to those seeking to climb the economic ladder. 

MI President Larry Mone added, “Reihan has a long track record of championing smart policy ideas and raising their profile through exceptional journalism. I have no doubt MI will accomplish great things under his leadership.”

Early in his career, Mr. Salam was an editorial researcher for David Brooks at The New York Times and a producer at NBC News, before becoming associate editor of The Atlantic. His writing has appeared in publications such as Slate, the Wall Street Journal, the Financial Times, the Washington Post, the Times of London, and The Spectator—and he has appeared as an analyst on a number of radio and television programs, including All Things Considered, Face the Nation, and This Week. 

“I’m enormously grateful to the selection committee and MI’s board for entrusting me with such an important job,” said Mr. Salam. “I was born and raised in New York, and so I lived through the extraordinary urban revival that MI helped my city—and cities across the country—achieve. I know not only that ideas matter, in other words, but also that MI’s ideas can change lives for the better. For decades, the Institute has been an intellectual powerhouse, with an unmatched record for putting its scholars’ thought into practice. MI’s scholars aren’t afraid to take risks, ask hard questions, and challenge the received wisdom. It is an honor for me to help shape the Institute’s next chapter, and to lead an organization with such an impressive track record and so much promise for the future.”

Details about the transition will be forthcoming.