Opera
  • Home
  • CHQ Assembly
  • 2025 Season
        • La bohème
        • Lincoln in the Bardo
        • Ida by Lamplight | Sitcom
  • About
        • History
        • Past Productions
        • Leadership
        • Performance Venues & Accessibility
        • Opera in the Schools
  • Young Artists
        • Young Artist Program
        • Audition FAQs
  • Alumni
  • Opera Conservatory
  • Media
  • Opera Guild
  • Donate
  • Buy Tickets
Theater
  • Home
  • CHQ Assembly
  • 2025 Season
        • The Real James Bond…Was Dominican
        • Execution of Justice
        • The Witnesses
  • About
        • Past Productions
  • Conservatory
        • Acting Conservatory
        • FutureNow Stage Directing Fellowships
        • Design Fellowships
        • FAQ
  • New Play Development
        • New Plays at CTC
        • Young Playwrights Project
  • Your Visit
  • Get Involved
  • News
        • Blog Posts
        • In The News
        • The Chautauquan Daily
        • Alumni in the News
  • Donate
  • Buy Tickets
Give
  • Home
  • CHQ Assembly
  • Make a Donation
        • Chautauqua Fund
        • Boundless
        • Endowment
        • Monthly Giving
  • Ways to Give
        • Appreciated Securities
        • Capital Support
        • Chautauqua Fund
        • Endowment/Naming
        • Gift Planning
        • Honor Your Host
        • Honorary/Memorial
        • Matching Gifts
        • Monthly Giving
        • Program Sponsor
        • Scholarships
  • Donor Recognition
        • 1874 Society
        • Bell Tower Society
        • Bestor Society
        • Daugherty Society
        • Lewis Miller Circle
        • NOW Generation
        • Foundation Membership
        • Honorary and Memorial Tree Program
  • Foundation
        • History & Mission
        • Board of Directors
        • Foundation Staff
        • Foundation Publications
        • Contact
  • Advancement
        • Institution Board of Trustees
        • Advancement Staff
        • Advancement Publications
        • Volunteers
        • Contact
  • Donate
  • Buy Tickets
Foundation
  • Home
  • CHQ Assembly
  • Mission
  • Board of Directors
  • Staff
  • Publications
  • Membership
  • Endowment/Naming
  • Contact
  • Donate
  • Buy Tickets
  • About Us
    • News & Announcements
    • 150 Forward Strategic Plan
    • Boundless
    • Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility (IDEA) at Chautauqua
    • Media Resources
    • Staff Directory
  • Employment
  • Resources
    • FAQs
    • CHQ FAQ Google Group
    • Safety & Security Department
    • Shared Promise
    • The Smith Memorial Library
    • Post Office
    • Services & Amenities
    • Business Center
    • Chautauqua Institution Policies
    • AED Locations on Grounds
    • The Chautauquan Daily
    • Chautauqua Lake Conservation
    • Chautauqua Institution Archives
  • CHQ Assembly
  • Community Portal
  • Giving
    • Donate Securely Online
    • Boundless
    • Donor Recognition
    • Ways to Give
    • Chautauqua Foundation
    • Advancement
  • Visit
        • Plan Your Visit
          • 2025 Season
          • 2026 Season
          • Visit Must-Dos
          • Experience Planner
          • Accessibility at Chautauqua
        • Eat, Drink & Shop
          • Dining
          • Heirloom Restaurant
          • Shopping & Services
          • Chautauqua Bookstore
        • Places To Stay
          • Athenaeum Hotel
          • Private Accommodations
          • Denominations and Religious Organizations
          • Nearby Accommodations
        • Explore the Grounds and Gardens
          • Maps and Directions
          • Bus and Tram Tracker
          • Plaza Cam
          • Chautauqua Lake Conservation
        • Group Travel
          • Chautauqua Travels
          • Book a Group Visit
          • Tour Operators
          • Road Scholar
          • Chautauqua on a Budget
          • Tour Chautauqua County
  • Things to Do
        • Events
          • All Events
          • Event Calendar
          • Weekly Themes
          • Experience Planner
          • Grid Calendar
        • Classes
        • Performing & Visual Arts
        • Education
        • Recreation
        • Chautauqua Cinema
        • Religion
        • Youth & Family
        • Experience Community
        • Discover CHQ
  • Gate Passes, Tickets & Registrations
        • Buy Gate Passes and Parking
          • Long-term Gate Passes & Parking
        • Buy Single Event Tickets
          • Concert Tickets
          • Lecture & Afternoon Tickets
        • Register for a Youth Program
        • Register for Special Studies Classes
  • Festival Schools
        • School of Music
          • Conducting Fellowship
          • Instrumental Program
          • Opera Conservatory
          • Piano Program
        • School of Dance
        • School of Art
        • Theater Conservatory
        • Alumni
        • Chautauqua Connections
  • Buy Tickets
  • Give
  • Donate
  • Buy Tickets

looking for something?

  • Contact
  • Blog
    • CHQ Experiences
    • BOUNDLESS
    • Announcements
    • Arts Education
    • Institution News
    • From Our President
    • Chautauqua Theater Company
    • Chautauqua Opera Company
    • Chautauqua Foundation
  • Program Suggestions
  • Quick Reference Guide to Chautauqua
  • Request Information from Chautauqua
  • Donation Requests
  • Make a Donation
  • Send Programming Suggestions
  • Staff Directory
  • Media Resources
November 4, 2016 | Press Releases

Chautauqua Institution names Michael E. Hill as new president

CHAUTAUQUA, N.Y. — Michael E. Hill, currently the president and CEO of Youth For Understanding USA, will be Chautauqua Institution’s 18th president, the Institution’s Board of Trustees has announced. Hill is an experienced leader of arts, cultural and social service organizations including Washington National Cathedral, The Washington Ballet and United Cerebral Palsy. Youth For Understanding USA is one of the world’s oldest, largest and most respected intercultural exchange programs.

“We are absolutely thrilled that Michael is coming on board. He is a high-energy, visionary leader who understands how to balance tradition and progress,” said Chautauqua Institution Board Chairman James Pardo. “Michael has already logged an incredible track record of success for a person of his years. His unique background will help Chautauqua Institution connect more deeply with the community, reach new audiences and expand our exposure on a national and international stage.”

Hill has a rich, diverse work history with a variety of organizations. In addition to holding senior management positions at several nonprofits, he has extensive experience in fundraising, programming, marketing and communications. He is an international educator and founding faculty member of the Master of Arts Management program at George Mason University, and in 2016 served as an Aspen Institute Non-Profit Leadership Fellow.

Among his achievements, Hill directed a $125 million expansion of the historic Arena Stage in Washington, D.C., securing the largest single gift ever made to a theater in the United States. At St. Bonaventure University, he oversaw the construction of a new museum complex, the addition of an artistic residency center and the quadrupling of programming at the university’s multi-venue arts complex. During his college years, he served for a time as assistant editor for The Chautauquan Daily, and later served for several seasons as a guest critic for symphony and theater while serving as Director of The Quick Arts Center at St. Bonaventure University.

“This is an incredible opportunity to help an internationally recognized, highly respected institution leverage its strengths to engage Chautauquans in new ways and to find new audiences,” Hill said. “I am honored, and I am humbled. I am passionate about Chautauqua Institution’s history and the incredible diversity of its programs. I look forward to reconnecting with the CHQ I remember, and listening and learning so we can raise the Institution’s visibility and further enhance its astounding reputation.”

Following Tom Becker’s retirement announcement earlier this year, the CHQ board appointed a committee chaired by George Snyder, immediate past chair of the Board of Trustees, to launch a rigorous national search to find a successor. The Institution retained executive search consultants Russell Reynolds Associates, which conducted a comprehensive leadership needs assessment with CHQ senior staff, the Board of Trustees, Chautauqua Foundation Board of Directors, major donors and other stakeholders. “Michael emerged as the unanimous selection of the search committee from a pool of incredibly talented and diverse candidates. Our search process reaffirmed the national prominence of the Institution,” said Snyder.

Hill succeeds Becker, who is retiring at the end of 2016 after 13 years as president. The two will work together in the weeks ahead to ensure a seamless transition and an exciting beginning to the 2017 season.

“We thank Tom Becker for his historic service, and we look forward to Michael Hill’s leadership and the perspective he brings from his previous positions,” Pardo said. “Since its beginnings in the 1870s, Chautauqua Institution has had a succession of dynamic, inspirational leaders driving the Institution forward. With a new president, and with a new Amphitheater about to debut, it is truly an amazing time to be a Chautauquan.”

A native of Norfolk, New York, Hill, 42, earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism at St. Bonaventure University, where he is a member of their Board of Trustees, and a master’s degree in arts and cultural management from Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota. He will begin his work at Chautauqua Institution on January 1, 2017.

 

Click here for Hill’s full bio and portrait.

Save Your Trip

Fill out the form below to save your trip. You will receive a link to your saved list via email.

  • Hidden
  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Save Your Favorites

Fill out the form below to save your favorites. You will receive a link to your favorites list via email.

"*" indicates required fields

Name*
Hidden

Notice!

You have now entered the season. Some website content may differ depending on the current season we are in: Summer or Fall/Winter/Spring. You can toggle between the two season options at any time.

Okay

Subscribe to Chautauqua Institution’s email newsletter

  • About
  • Resources
  • Sustainability
  • Contact
  • Whistleblower Policy
  • Employment
  • Ethics Point
  • Labor Law Notices
  • Privacy Policy
  • ADA Compliance
Chautauqua Institution
P.O. Box 28
One Ames Ave.
Chautauqua, N.Y. 14722

1.800.836.ARTS
Washington, DC Office
1150 Connecticut, Avenue NW | Suite 700
Washington, DC 20036
202.480.2244
  • CHQ Assembly logo
  • Privacy Policy
  • ADA Compliance

© 2022 Chautauqua Institution. Chautauqua Institution is a not-for-profit organization, dependent upon your gifts to fulfill its mission. Gate tickets and other revenue cover only a portion of the cost of your Chautauqua experience.