Martha Twitchell Muse was a founding director of the Tinker Foundation in 1959 and subsequently served in various capacities, becoming Executive Director in 1965 and President in 1968. She became Chairman of the Board of Directors in 1975 at the Foundation’s incorporation, a position she retained until her retirement in 2008. 

Ms. Muse provided outstanding leadership over her years of service, both to the Tinker Foundation and others. She was the first woman to be elected to the Board of Trustees of Columbia University and served as a director on the boards of several organizations, including the Americas Society, the Council of the Americas, and the Spanish Institute. Her directorships included the New York Stock Exchange; the Cuba Policy Foundation; and many corporate directorships, including the American Smelting and Refining Company, the Bank of New York, ACF Industries (formerly named the American Car and Foundry Company), Sterling Drug Inc., Associated Dry Goods Inc., May Department Stores, and Irving Bank and Trust Company. In addition to her directorships, Ms. Muse was also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, the Inter-American Dialogue, and the US–Spain Council. For her many contributions to the field of Latin American and Iberian relations, she received various awards, including the Orden al Mérito por Servicios Distinguidos en el Grado de la Gran Cruz (Merit Order for Distinguished Services in the Rank of the Great Cross) from Peru, the Order of the Southern Cross from Brazil, the Order of Bernardo O’Higgins from Chile, and the Orden de Mayo al Mérito (May Order of Merit) from Argentina.

In 2009, the Tinker Foundation celebrated its 50th anniversary and, at this time, recognized the leadership of Ms. Muse as she retired from the Foundation by establishing the Muse Prize in her honour.

Martha Muse passed away on 9th February 2014.