“I just felt I had done what I set out to do,” Wenner said in response to questions about why he decided to leave his post. “That it had been built, stabilized and become well financed and managed — and, after 30-plus years of running it, time for new energy, new ideas, a new generation.”

Wenner’s retirement is the biggest change to the management of the institution in its history, and it raises questions about how the Rock Hall will evolve under Sykes.

Many critics have contended — in sometimes detailed reports — that the Hall has admitted too few women and people of color. In an interview, Wenner denied that, pointing to the Hall’s history of inducting black pioneers of rock and R&B music, and saying that the induction process should not be influenced by such considerations.

“I don’t think that’s a real issue,” Wenner said. “People are inducted for their achievements. Musical achievements have got to be race-neutral and gender-neutral in terms of judging them.”

According to Jon Landau, Bruce Springsteen’s longtime manager and the chairman of the hall’s nominating committee, Wenner’s decision was driven in part by the need for a succession plan. Wenner, he said, nominated Sykes as his successor.