The Mount Welcomes Lauren Groff, Mark Strieter to Board of Trustees

LENOX — The Mount, Edith Wharton Cultural Center announced the appointment of two new members to its board of trustees: bestselling novelist and short story writer Lauren Groff and landscape architect Mark Strieter, principal at Nelson Byrd Woltz. These appointments reflect the Mount’s continued commitment to bringing together outstanding voices in literature, design, and the arts to advance its mission as a vibrant center for intellectual and artistic exchange.

“We are thrilled to welcome Lauren and Mark to the Mount’s board,” said Barbara Cooperman, chair of the Mount’s board of trustees. “Lauren’s profound engagement with Edith Wharton’s work and her stature in contemporary American letters, together with Mark’s exceptional expertise in revitalizing cultural landscapes, each bring invaluable perspective as we continue to expand the Mount’s reach and shape the institution’s next chapter. We look forward to the creativity and leadership they will bring to our work.”

Groff is the New York Times bestselling author of the novels The Monsters of Templeton, Arcadia, Fates and Furies, Matrix, and The Vaster Wilds, and the celebrated short story collections Delicate Edible Birds, Florida, and, most recently Brawler. Strieter has focused throughout his career on revitalizing and interpreting complex cultural sites and ecological systems, working at the intersection of landscape, history, and public life. His portfolio spans urban and rural contexts alike.

“Lauren and Mark each bring a longstanding engagement with the Mount and with Edith Wharton’s enduring legacy,” said Susan Wissler, executive director of the Mount. “Lauren’s 2024 In Conversation program demonstrated the continuing power of literature to spark dialogue across generations, while Mark’s work on the Mount’s landscape master plan has helped us think more deeply about the estate as both a historic home and a significant cultural landscape. As we continue our evolution as the Mount, Edith Wharton Cultural Center, and embark on a new strategic plan, their insights will be enormously valuable.”