An update from the July Board of Trustees meeting

The Board of Trustees welcomed new members and approved several notable resolutions.

August 7, 2018

In mid-July, the Interlochen Center for the Arts Board of Trustees met for their annual meeting. During the three-day session, the Board welcomed five new members and made several important resolutions about the institution’s future.

The key resolution discussed during the meeting was President Trey Devey’s strategy for the future of Interlochen. Devey’s strategy, which includes strengthening programs, making Interlochen more financially accessible and improving the overall student experience, was unanimously approved by the Board. Other resolutions approved by the Board also included the next stages of several building projects and a five-to-ten-year plan to replace half of the institution’s pianos.

The Board of Trustees also welcomed five new members: Dr. Mohamed A. El-Erian, Chief Economic Advisor at Allianz, columnist for Bloomberg View, and contributing editor at the Financial Times; Susan Kettering, Vice President of the Kettering Family Foundation; J. Christopher Kojima, Partner and Managing Director of Goldman, Sachs & Co.; Tom Quinn, retired Office of Chief Counsel for the Internal Revenue Service, Tax Counsel at New England Mutual Life Insurance Company, and Tax Counsel at Metropolitan Life Insurance Company; and Sara Seymour Whiting, Board President of the Florida Collegiate Summer League.

Full biographies of the newly elected Trustees can be found in the accordion sections below.

In addition, Becky Ruthven, CEO of Ruthven & Associates, LLC, and Sarah Harding, Associate Professor, IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law, were elected Vice Chairs. Glynn Williams will remain the Chair of the Board.

Two Trustees—Gordon Brunner and Thomas W. Morris—retired from the Board after many years of distinguished service. Morris will continue to serve the institution as a Life Trustee.

Dr. Mohamed El-Erian

Acclaimed economist Dr. Mohamed A. El-Erian currently serves as the Chief Economic Advisor at Allianz, the corporate parent of PIMCO. He is also a columnist for Bloomberg View, a contributing editor at the Financial Times, and a member of several non-profit boards. El-Erian appears regularly on television, particularly Bloomberg, CNBC, Fox Business and CNN.

El-Erian has published widely on international economic and finance topics. He is also the author of two New York Times-bestselling books, “When Markets Collide” (2008) and “The Only Game in Town: Central Banks, Instability and Avoiding the Next Collapse” (2016).

Susan Kettering

Susan Kettering is Vice President of the Kettering Family Foundation. She is also involved in two other grant-making entities which provide support in a number of areas throughout the country. In addition to serving on the family boards, Kettering is also a trustee at Dayton Performing Arts Alliance. Locally, Kettering is the President of the Traverse City Dance Project Board. Kettering is also a member of the Board of Directors at Kettering Medical Center.

J. Christopher Kojima

J. Christopher Kojima is a Partner and Managing Director of Goldman, Sachs & Co. and the global head of the Alternative Investments & Manager Selection (AIMS) Group in Goldman Sachs’ Investment Management Division. Kojima serves on several other firm-wide Goldman Sachs committees. Kojima is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. Kojima is Vice Chair of the Board of The Juilliard School. He also serves as a director on the Board of the New York Philharmonic, as a director of Turnaround for Children, and on the investment committee of Collegiate School.

Tom Quinn

Tom Quinn is a Manistee, Michigan native with degrees from Oakland University, Oklahoma City University and Georgetown University School of Law. Quinn is an active member of the American Bar Association, Section of Taxation, and has had numerous leadership positions, including chair of the Insurance Companies Committee, Interlochen Public Radio's Advisory Board and others.

Sara Seymour Whiting

Sara Seymour Whiting graduated from Princeton University with a degree in chemical engineering. Whiting is a community volunteer and self-described activist. Her husband Mike was named President of the Midland-based Herbert H. and Grace A. Dow Foundation in 2014. The Foundation has been one of Interlochen’s largest supporters over the past several decades.