THE GREATEST IMPROVISERS KNOW WHEN TO PASS THE MIC.

In the summer of 2027, Wynton Marsalis will take his final bow as Managing and Artistic Director of Jazz at Lincoln Center, concluding a nearly 40-year run that transformed a summer concert series into the world’s largest nonprofit jazz organization. While his title was Managing Artistic Director, he functioned as the CEO in his responsibilities to the Board: setting the vision, protecting the institution’s standards, programming, overseeing the executive team, board management and recruitment, and bearing the weight of fundraising responsibilities.

And zooming out: it’s not just Baby Boomers. Over the next 10 years, we’re going to see a major wave of Gen X leaders retiring, which will only accelerate

THIS IS WHAT LEGACY LEADERSHIP LOOKS LIKE. And it’s bigger than brick, mortar, and programming. Marsalis’s legacy is also a profound tribute to his late father, Ellis Marsalis, and to the jazz greats who paved the way and made his own brilliance possible. His work is an act of remembrance: honoring the spirits of Louis Armstrong, Buddy Bolden, Ma Rainey, Miles Davis, Thelonious Monk, Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Nat King Cole, Dinah Washington, Bill Evans, Duke Ellington, McCoy Tyner, Chick Corea, Chet Baker, Clifford Brown, Dizzy Gillespie, John Coltrane, Charlie Parker, Eric Dolphy, Sonny Rollins, Pearl Bailey, Ray Charles, Ella Fitzgerald, Shirley Horn, and Nancy Wilson, Ramsey Lewis, Ahmad Jamal, Wayne Shorter and Tony Bennett by making sure their music isn’t just celebrated, but carried forward.

Early in his career, Marsalis made a sacrifice that still feels almost unreal in today’s “stay hot, stay visible” culture: he pivoted from a flourishing recording and performing trajectory to help build Jazz at Lincoln Center into a permanent, lasting home for the music. He wasn’t just playing the art form: he was building an institution that could steward it: and in many ways, steward them.

And that’s where his leadership gets even more powerful. Marsalis didn’t only master stages: he mastered fundraising, stewardship, and donor engagement: the quiet, consistent work of building trust with supporters, honoring relationships over time, and aligning major gifts to mission. Since 2011 (when I joined JALC as the Former Head of Development), we’ve seen the results of that kind of discipline and excellence: Jazz at Lincoln Center’s endowment has grown from $12MM to its current impressive $70MM today.

But this isn’t a story about retirement: it’s a masterclass in succession planning, legacy, and what happens when a generation of visionaries decides it’s time for the next set.

And trust me, the nonprofit sector is paying attention.

The Silver Tsunami Is Here: And It’s Playing Jazz

Wynton Marsalis isn’t alone on this stage. Across the nonprofit landscape, we’re witnessing what I call “The Great Migration”: a mass exodus of Baby Boomer leaders who’ve spent decades building institutions, raising billions, and fundamentally reshaping American philanthropy.

Jo Ann Jenkins stepped away from AARP after leading the organization through unprecedented growth. Dr. Joyce Payne, after years of transformative Founding leadership on the Board of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, passed the torch to her daughter, April Payne, a powerful symbol of intentional, multigenerational succession. Angela Williams at United Way, Teresa Younger at the Ms. Foundation: the list goes on.

These aren’t just leadership changes. This is a seismic shift.

“We’re facing a moment of reckoning,” says Dwayne Ashley, CEO and Founder of Bridge Philanthropic Consulting. “The leaders who built the modern nonprofit sector are stepping back, and if we don’t get succession planning right, we risk losing decades of institutional knowledge, donor relationships, and cultural legacy. This isn’t just an HR issue: it’s an existential one.”

At Bridge Philanthropic Consulting, with our 800 years of combined experience and more than $2 billion raised for clients, we’ve seen firsthand what happens when succession is handled brilliantly, and when it’s fumbled. The difference isn’t luck. It’s intentionality.

The Marsalis Model: How to Exit Like a Legend

GREAT LEADERSHIP IS ANCESTRAL STEWARDSHIP. Here’s what makes Wynton Marsalis’ transition so remarkable: It’s structured, strategic, and utterly unselfish. It’s also rooted in a leadership style we don’t talk about enough: quiet strength, a relentless commitment to excellence, and a deep dedication to developing the next generation of artists.

Rather than clinging to power or making a sudden exit, Marsalis designed a phased departure:

• Through July 2027: He serves as Artistic Director, planning a tribute season

• Through June 2028: Advisory capacity during the transition

• Perpetuity: Board service as Founder, ensuring continuity without control

Even more powerful? His vision for the future. Marsalis has publicly championed emerging musicians in their 20s and 30s, including saxophonists Chris Lewis, Abdias Armenteros, and Alexa Tarantino. He’s also consistently championed artists who have helped expand what jazz leadership can look like in public: Jon Batiste and the young prodigy Joey Alexander. He’s not just leaving a chair empty; he’s actively identifying and investing in the next generation.

And in that spirit, Marsalis has spoken plainly about what he sees in these rising leaders: their innovation, their confidence, and their willingness to lead with originality while staying grounded in tradition. At the Aspen Ideas Festival, he pointed to this kind of next-gen leadership as the future: artists who can hold the standard and push the form forward.

As Marsalis himself said: “Jazz is not merely music; it is America: relationships, communication, and negotiations.”

The Leadership of the Fourth Row

REAL LEADERSHIP DOESN’T ALWAYS SIT IN THE SPOTLIGHT. One of the most telling stories about Wynton Marsalis is how he shows up inside the ensemble. Despite being the CEO-level leader and the public face of Jazz at Lincoln Center, he has intentionally chosen to sit in the back row: the fourth row of the orchestra.

That’s not small. That’s a statement.

It’s his way of saying:

• The ensemble matters more than the ego — the institution and the sound are bigger than any one person.

• The soloists in front should shine — his leadership is about elevating the members and artists closest to the audience.

• Excellence is a team sport — he models trust, discipline, and shared accountability instead of dominance.

And that, friends, is succession planning in a nutshell.

As Dwayne Ashley, CEO and Founder of Bridge Philanthropic Consulting, puts it: “When we do succession right, we’re not just protecting a job title: we’re protecting a legacy. That’s how communities keep their cultural memory and their excellence alive.”

Global Voices on the Marsalis Legacy

WHEN A LEADER BUILDS A HOME FOR CULTURE, THE WORLD FEELS IT. Here’s how global leaders, artists, and philanthropists have described what Wynton Marsalis has meant to Jazz at Lincoln Center and to the future of jazz:

• Jon Batiste: “Wynton’s guidance has shaped my artistry and approach to music. My journey at the Grammys is a testament to the mentorship and the community he built.”

• Ray Dalio( Philanthropist and Pioneering Investor): “Wynton’s work exemplifies the power of creativity and collaboration. The culture he fostered at JALC is a model for any team aiming for excellence through trust and mutual challenge.”

• Mica Ertegun (late philanthropist and wife of Ahmet Ertegun): She frequently spoke of how Wynton was the only one who could have built a permanent home for jazz, honoring the Ertegun name by keeping the music of Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong alive.

• Katherine Farley (Former Chair, Lincoln Center): “Wynton has been the heart and soul of Jazz at Lincoln Center. His legacy will continue to inspire future generations of musicians and audiences alike.”

  

Four Lessons from the Masters: Nonprofit Succession That Works

Lesson 1: Cultural Stewardship: Succession Isn’t a Hire; It’s a Legacy Transfer

When we think about succession, we often default to job descriptions and LinkedIn searches. But the most successful transitions recognize that leadership isn’t just about skills: it’s about cultural DNA.

Jazz at Lincoln Center isn’t hiring a new director. They’re entrusting someone with a 40-year legacy of artistic excellence, community engagement, and fundraising prowess that turned jazz from a niche art form into a Lincoln Center constituent on par with the New York Philharmonic.

For nonprofits: Your next leader must understand and embody your mission at a cellular level. This isn’t about finding someone who “checks the boxes.” It’s about finding someone who gets the music.

At BPC, we work with organizations to codify their cultural values, identify the “unwritten rules” that drive success, and build succession criteria that honor legacy while embracing innovation.

Lesson 2: The Multigenerational Bridge: Investing in the “April Paynes” of the World Early

Dr. Joyce Payne’s decision, as Founder of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, to pass the torch of Board representation to her daughter April Payne, wasn’t nepotism: it was vision. April had beengroomed, mentored, and invested in for years. She understood the Thurgood Marshall College Fund’s mission because she’d grown up breathing it.

This is the power of multigenerational leadership development. When you invest in rising leaders early, not as a panic move when your CEO or Founder announces retirement, but as an ongoing commitment, you create a pipeline of leaders who are ready when the moment arrives.

For nonprofits: Look around your organization. Who are the Gabrielle Armands, Chris Lewises, the Alexa Tarantinos, the April Payne’s sitting in your office right now? Are you mentoring them? Creating pathways for them? Or are you waiting until your founder announces they’re leaving in six months?

We help organizations build leadership pipelines that span generations, ensuring that talent is identified, developed, and retained long before succession becomes urgent.

Lesson 3: Systemic Sustainability: Moving Beyond the “Charismatic Founder” Model

Let’s be real: Many nonprofits are built on the charisma, connections, and sheer force of will of a single leader. Wynton Marsalis is Jazz at Lincoln Center. His name opens doors, attracts donors, and commands stages worldwide.

But sustainable organizations can’t be personality cults.

The smartest succession plans systematize what the founder does instinctively. They turn personal Rolodexes into CRM databases. They transform founder relationships into institutional partnerships. They move from “because Wynton/Joyce/Angela said so” to “because our data, our systems, and our strategy tell us this is the right move.”

At Bridge Philanthropic Consulting, we leverage our 200,000 intellectual property data sources to help organizations build data-driven fundraising systems that don’t live and die with one person’s relationships. We help you identify prospects, track engagement, and close gifts: creating institutional muscle memory that outlasts any single leader.

For nonprofits: If your CEO left tomorrow, would your donor relationships survive? Would your programs continue? If the answer is anything but “absolutely,” you have work to do.

Lesson 4: Strategic Governance: The Role of the Board in Perpetual Leadership

Notice what Jazz at Lincoln Center did: They have planned the leadership transition out for more than a year. The new Artistic Director and Executive Director is a planned recruitment. This is a deliberate move away from the “a simple retirement” model toward strategic and accountable governance.

Your Board isn’t just there to approve budgets and show up for galas. In successful succession, Boards drive the process. They identify candidates. They manage transitions. They hold new leaders accountable. They ensure institutional continuity.

For nonprofits: Is your Board ready to lead through succession? Do they understand the strategic landscape? The donor ecosystem? The competitive environment? Or are they just passengers on someone else’s ride?

We work with Boards to strengthen governance structures, clarify roles, and build the competencies needed to guide organizations through leadership transitions and beyond.

How Bridge Philanthropic Consulting Supports Your Succession Symphony

Look, succession planning isn’t jazz: it’s more like a symphony. Every section has to come in at the right time. The conductor has to know when to lead and when to step back. And everyone needs to be playing from the same sheet music.

That’s where we come in.

At Bridge Philanthropic Consulting, we’ve spent decades helping mission-driven organizations navigate leadership transitions with the same care, strategy, and foresight that Wynton Marsalis is bringing to Jazz at Lincoln Center. Our work includes:

• Leadership Assessment & Pipeline Development – Identifying and cultivating your next generation of leaders before you need them

• Strategic Governance Consulting – Strengthening Board capacity to lead through transitions and sustain organizational excellence

• Fundraising Infrastructure & Donor Transition – Building systems that ensure donor relationships transfer seamlessly from one leader to the next

• Cultural Stewardship Planning – Codifying your organizational DNA so new leaders can honor legacy while driving innovation

• Succession Strategy & Implementation – Designing phased, intentional transitions that minimize disruption and maximize continuity

We’ve helped our clients secure prospect meetings with ultra-high-net-worth individuals, provided strategic guidance through complex transitions, and closed gifts that sustain missions for generations. Our value proposition is simple: demonstrated success in the moments that matter most.And we do this work as proud members of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, the Association of African-American Development Officers, and the Giving Institute: upholding the highest ethical standards while driving systemic change and social impact around the world.

The Final Set

Wynton Marsalis once said that jazz is about relationships, communication, and negotiation. The same is true for succession.

This moment, with Baby Boomers exiting the stage and a new generation stepping into the spotlight, is the most important improvisation the nonprofit sector will ever play. We can’t afford to miss the beat.

If your organization is facing leadership transition, or if you know it’s coming in the next few years, now is the time to start planning.

Because the greatest leaders don’t just build organizations. They build organizations that outlast them.

Ready to compose your succession strategy? Let’s talk. Visit us at www.bridgephilanthropicconsulting.com to learn how we can help your organization navigate leadership transitions with excellence, integrity, and vision.

Bridge Philanthropic Consulting: Building bridges to a more just and equitable world: one succession plan at a time.