Lucas Bernays Held has been director of communications at The Wallace Foundation since 2002. He leads a team responsible for developing communication strategies that help advance the foundation's efforts to catalyze broad impact through efforts to encourage  the diffusion of effective ideas and practices generated by the foundation and its partners. These strategies include Web marketing, spublications, partnerships with membership organizations, social media, media outreach and conferences.

Prior to joining Wallace, he was vice president for public affairs at Barnard College, Columbia University, from 1998-2002, where he helped raise the college's profile and led the crafting of its first strategic plan. Previously, he was director of college relations at Connecticut College, and an editor and reporter at The Middletown Press of Connecticut.

Held regularly makes presentations on strategic communications, and has published articles on communications, as well as music and art criticism. He contributed the lead essay in the catalogue for the international traveling exhibition of the work of artist Richard Harden, In a Field of Poppies. He is the recipient of awards from the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education, the University and College Designers Association and Admissions Marketing Report. He earned a certificate in marketing management from Columbia University Graduate School of business and a B.A. in English from Haverford College. He is a graduate of the Commonwealth School.