Franco returns to lead City of Asylum as freedom of creative expression faces mounting threats worldwide.
(Pittsburgh, PA) March 10, 2026, City of Asylum Pittsburgh, the world’s largest residency program for persecuted writers in exile, announced today the appointment of Andrés Franco as Executive Director, effective May 1, 2026. Franco previously served as the organization’s Executive Director from 2020 to 2023 and returns from his current role as Executive Director of Attack Theatre.
“At a moment when freedom of creative expression is under increasing pressure around the world, Andrés’ return brings renewed momentum to this vital mission,” said Kevin McKeegan, Chair of the City of Asylum Board of Directors. “On behalf of the Board, we are pleased to welcome him back to an organization he knows deeply.”
As Executive Director, Franco will serve as the organization’s chief executive officer, providing strategic leadership for City of Asylum’s mission of building a just community by protecting and celebrating freedom of creative expression. He will oversee the organization’s writer and artist sanctuary and its public literary, arts, and humanities programs, while cultivating the philanthropic, civic, and community relationships that sustain this work. In this role, he will help strengthen City of Asylum’s position as a local cultural anchor and a national and global voice for writers and artists at risk.
“For more than two decades, City of Asylum has created a rare and powerful space—one where writers, artists, and neighbors come together in the spirit of hospitality and exchange, and where voices that might otherwise be silenced continue to be heard,” said Franco. “As an artist and an immigrant, City of Asylum’s mission resonates with me profoundly. I am honored to return to help steward it at a moment when this work feels especially urgent.”
Recognizing that sustaining and growing a uniquely complex organization requires both strong external and internal leaders, City of Asylum also announced today that its Acting Executive Director, Hannah East, will remain with the organization as Chief Operating Officer, a newly created role. In this capacity, East—who joined the organization in 2023 as Director of Finance and Administration—will oversee administration, real estate management, bookstore operations, and other operational functions that support the organization’s programs and long-term sustainability.
“Over the past nine months, Hannah has provided calm and steady leadership during an important period for the organization,” said Kevin McKeegan, Chair of the City of Asylum Board of Directors. “Her leadership as Chief Operating Officer will ensure strong operational continuity as City of Asylum expands its impact.”
ABOUT ANDRÉS FRANCO
Andrés Franco is a nonprofit executive and orchestral conductor with an international career spanning nonprofit leadership and the concert stage. Franco currently serves as Executive Director of Attack Theatre, a contemporary dance company whose work sits at the intersection of art and community. Previously, he led DNAWORKS and City of Asylum. Franco is a member of the Board of Directors of Wesley Family Services, the DNAWORKS Advisory Board, and the WQED Community Advisory Board. As a conductor, Franco has held conducting positions, including Resident Conductor of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Music Director of the Signature Symphony, Resident Conductor of the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, and Music Director of the Philharmonia of Kansas City. Franco holds a bachelor’s degree in piano performance from the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana in Bogotá, Colombia, and Master of Music degrees in piano performance and conducting from Texas Christian University. A native of Medellín, Colombia, Franco has called Pittsburgh home for more than a decade and has been deeply engaged in the city’s cultural life. He resides there with his wife, Victoria Luperi, Associate Principal Clarinet and Principal E-flat Clarinet of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra.
ABOUT HANNAH EAST
For the past nine months, Hannah East has served as City of Asylum’s Acting Executive Director. East has built her career in operations, finance, and administration across nonprofit and for-profit organizations. A resident of Pittsburgh for the past nine years, she is deeply committed to the city’s cultural and social landscape. Before joining City of Asylum in 2023 as Director of Finance and Administration, she served as Director of Operations at
Café Momentum, a nonprofit restaurant and workforce development program for youth impacted by the juvenile justice system, where she was part of a small team that successfully launched the Pittsburgh location. At City of Asylum, East has overseen finance and human resources, helping to strengthen financial systems, promote equitable workplace practices, and support the organization’s vital programs. She is a graduate of Southern Nazarene University and a native of Houston, Texas.
ABOUT CITY OF ASYLUM PITTSBURGH
City of Asylum builds a just community by protecting and celebrating freedom of creative expression. The organization provides sanctuary to endangered writers and artists so that they can continue to create and their voices are not silenced. City of Asylum presents a broad range of free literary, arts, and humanities programs in a community setting to build social equity through cultural exchange. Founded by Henry Reese and Diane Samuels in 2004, City of Asylum anchors economic development in Pittsburgh’s Central Northside by transforming blighted properties into homes for its programs and energizing public spaces through public art and cultural programming. In 2017, the organization opened Alphabet City, a center for literary and cultural programming featuring global perspectives and diverse voices.
