Linda Kornberg

Linda Kornberg carried out her undergraduate studies in Canada, prior to moving to Ann Arbor, Michigan in 1961 and then to Durham in 1965, where she quickly established herself as a member of the Duke University community. In 1972, she founded Minata Jewelers Inc., which rapidly became and remains one of the Research Triangle’s most successful and prestigious designer jewelry businesses. She is a trailblazer in discovering jewelry designers and emerging artists. She introduced sculpture of the Inuit community to the Southeastern United States. 

Kornberg was responsible for organizing and collaborated with Duke University, the University of North Carolina Ackland Museum, and the North Carolina State Crafts Museum to produce an international art exhibit and symposium celebrating the creation of the new Canadian territory, Nunavut. She continues to be recognized as a leader in the art community and is often called upon to act as juror for juried art shows and competitions in the state. In 2009, after 37 successful years of growth throughout the US and Canada, Minata Inc. evolved into a website operation to permit Kornberg greater time flexibility for her latest venture, Urban Quarters Inc., of which she is a founding partner. Urban Quarters Inc. is an international corporation whose mission statement is to develop and provide affordable housing for students, nascent labor forces, and the underprivileged in both developed and emerging nations. 

From the time of her arrival in Durham, Kornberg has been heavily invested in community, educational, charitable, and humanitarian activities in North Carolina. Significant among these have been: a founding member of the Duke Cancer Patient Support Program, the University of North Carolina Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Endowment, and the Duke Children’s Celebrity Golf Classic benefiting Duke Children’s Hospital. She has also served as a board member of the Friends of Duke University Museum of Art and the Durham Art Guild.