Marilyn Pedersen

Marilyn is a philanthropist and active fundraiser for organizations in the Washington, D.C., and Baltimore areas. She is a founding member of a high-impact philanthropic organization that unites corporate leaders, donors and volunteers to break the cycle of poverty by improving education and health care. The organization has raised more than $15 million, including $2 million to build a new Fisher House on the grounds of the Washington, D.C., Veterans Medical Center to help veterans and their families overcome bodily injuries and brain trauma, especially PTSD. This work inspired her to approach Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine to create an institutional home for the brain science community to collaborate and create innovative new discoveries and treatments for the brain.

As the founder of the Johns Hopkins Medicine Pedersen Brain Science Institute (PBSi), Marilyn encouraged researchers to explore the connection between aesthetics and the brain. This became a formal line of study in 2015 with the creation of the International Arts + Mind Lab. As a member of the executive advisory board and co-chair of the IAM Lab, Marilyn continues to pursue the connections and healing properties of the arts and the brain. Marilyn graduated magna cum laude from George Washington University with a degree in art history. Marilyn received an honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters, honoris causa, from Johns Hopkins University. She served on the Walters Art Museum board of trustees for 15 years. She has three daughters and lives in McLean, Virginia.