Global Arts Live Announces New Executive Director
The Board of Directors of Global Arts Live announced today that Connie C. Chin will become its new Executive Director on July 26. With her arrival, founder and current Executive Director Maure Aronson will transition to Director of Artistic Programs in a new co-leadership structure. The appointment follows an extensive search by the Board of Directors guided by Arts Consulting Group.
A seasoned executive who has held leadership positions at area nonprofits for the past two decades, Chin brings robust management experience to Global Arts Live. She comes to the new position after serving as President of the Norman B. Leventhal Map & Education Center at the Boston Public Library for five years and previously as General Manager at Jacob’s Pillow for more than a decade. At the Leventhal Center, she strengthened the organization’s financial position, fundraising, partnerships, curatorial work, and orientation to social and racial justice goals.
Chin served as the General Manager at Jacob’s Pillow for 12 seasons, and as its Marketing Director for three seasons beforehand. She oversaw the complex operations of the international dance festival, school, archives, artist residencies, and community programs, including development, marketing, operations, education, human resources and finance, and the management of a 220-acre historic campus with two theaters and an outdoor performance space. She helped to present over 800 dance companies and did extensive work on engaging dance audiences. Her career also includes work in consumer foods brand management at Ocean Spray and Kraft.
A former dancer who has performed internationally with Bill T. Jones, Jawole Willa Jo Zollar, Sin Cha Hong, Muna Tseng, Fred Ho’s Asian American Arts Ensemble, and others, Chin also brings a unique artist perspective to her executive leadership.
Chin holds an MBA from Yale School of Management, and an AB from Harvard College in psychology. She was born in Boston, raised in Cambridge and Belmont, and currently lives in South Boston. She is a board member of Boston Dance Alliance, a service organization supporting area dance artists. Her essay on how Asian American Pacific Islander stereotypes were fueled by popular culture despite the best intentions was recently published in Hyperallergic.
“We are thrilled to welcome Connie to Global Arts Live as our new Executive Director,” says Global Arts Live Board Chairperson Nagesh Mahanthappa. “Connie has built an impressive career in the nonprofit sector, a significant portion of which has been devoted to the performing arts. She brings a wealth of knowledge both as an artist herself and as an organizational leader to advance Global Arts Live well into the future.”
Founder and current Executive Director Maure Aronson adds, “I am overjoyed to have Connie as a partner to lead Global Arts Live during this exciting time as we welcome back artists and audiences. Connie’s extensive performing arts management experience will be an excellent driver of our mission.”
“The extraordinary opportunity to join Maure, the talented staff team, Nagesh, and the Board in bringing music and dance from international cultures to Greater Boston audiences and communities represents a return to a lifelong passion of mine. I believe that the performing arts—especially as brought to life by Maure’s exceptional programming—offer a path to joy, awareness, and global understanding that could not be more important in helping to heal these times fractured by racial strife, the pandemic, polarized politics, and world crises.” Chin adds, “To come back to Cambridge to serve the performing arts is a lovely homecoming as I grew up as a person and a dancer right here.”
