CHAUTAUQUA, N.Y. — Chautauqua Institution President Michael E. Hill today announced the appointment of Shannon Rozner to the position of chief of staff and vice president of strategic initiatives, effective Jan. 1, 2019. Currently the president of the financial planning practice Financial-360, LLC, which she co-founded, Rozner is an experienced executive in the fields of law and finance.

In appointing Rozner, Hill elevated the existing role of chief of staff — last held by Matt Ewalt, recently appointed as vice president and Emily and Richard Smucker Chair of Education — to the vice president level, with additional responsibility for internal coordination of the Institution’s strategic plan. Rozner will be a key member of the Institution’s executive leadership and a close adviser to Hill in helping to implement Chautauqua’s vision and goals, in addition to responsibilities for facilitating, coordinating and leading of a broad set of organization-wide initiatives.

“I’m elated to welcome Shannon to the executive team at Chautauqua, and for our staff and community to see and feel the impact of her many gifts,” Hill said. “Shannon brings exactly the right kind of leadership experience we need to monitor and execute an ambitious set of strategic initiatives that will increase Chautauqua’s national profile and relevance as a center for thought leadership, as we approach and look beyond our upcoming 150th anniversary.”

At Financial-360, where she first served as chief operating officer for three years, Rozner created and oversees all HR functions, budget, compliance, operational and client management aspects of the business, and manages the assets of high net worth individuals as a client-facing leader. In five years under her leadership, the practice has seen 60 percent growth. 

Rozner received her law degree from The University of California, Berkeley. After graduation, she spent nine years at the international law firm Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr, specializing in securities enforcement work. For the two years prior to joining Financial-360, she served as counsel for the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), where she worked in the Department of Market Regulation. Rozner received her bachelor’s degree in psychology from St. Bonaventure University, and before entering law school worked with at-risk youth and college students as a campus minister in suburban Detroit. At Chautauqua, she and her husband, Steve, volunteer as community fundraisers for the Chautauqua Fund, and they and their son, Ben, are frequent participants in the Institution’s programs.

“I’m incredibly honored and humbled to join the Chautauqua team and to help guide the ambitious generational work that the Institution is undertaking,” Rozner said. “It is a great privilege to join an organization and community that aligns with so many of my passions. I’m energized by Michael Hill’s vision for Chautauqua’s next chapter, and so grateful to him for this opportunity.” 

About Chautauqua Institution
Chautauqua Institution is a community on the shores of Chautauqua Lake in southwestern New York state that comes alive each summer with a unique mix of fine and performing arts, lectures, interfaith worship and programs, and recreational activities. As a community, we celebrate, encourage and study the arts and treat them as integral to all of learning, and we convene the critical conversations of the day to advance understanding through civil dialogue.