USA Projects

Samuel Hoi, a member of the USA Board, became president of Otis College of Art and Design in July 2000. Born and raised in Hong Kong, he graduated from Columbia College in New York City, summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa, with a BA in French and psychology. He earned his JD degree from Columbia Law School and became a member of the New York State Bar. He subsequently attended Parsons School of Design for visual arts training, completing an associate in applied sciences degree in illustration. Prior to joining Otis, he was dean of the Corcoran College of Art and Design in Washington, D.C., and director of the Paris campus of Parsons School of Design. While at the Corcoran, Mr. Hoi created the Visual Arts Community Outreach Program, serving the inner-city youth of Washington, D.C. The program received a National Multicultural Institute Award and a Coming Up Taller Award from the President's Committee on Arts and Humanities. He has juried numerous exhibitions and served on panels for the National Endowment for the Arts, the DC Commission on Art and Humanities, and the California Community Foundation. In addition to his position with USA, Mr. Hoi has served on the boards for many organizations, including the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD), the Arena Stage, and Arts and Humanities Education Collaborative, Inc. Currently he chairs the board of the Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design (AICAD) and is a board member of the Alliance for Young Artists and Writers, Inc. He is a fellow of the Los Angeles Institute for the Humanities, holds an honorary doctorate degree from the Corcoran College of Art and Design, and was decorated in 2006 by the French government as an Officer of the Ordre des Palmes Académiques.