Friday, August 10, 2018

Strathmore Announces New President and CEO Monica Jeffries Hazangeles

New Strathmore President/CEO Monica Jeffries Hazangeles (Photo: Margot Schulman)

From our friends at Strathmore...

Strathmore Names Monica Jeffries Hazangeles New President and CEO

Strathmore’s Board of Directors today announced that Monica Jeffries Hazangeles has been named the institution’s new President and CEO, only the second person to hold the top leadership position in the organization’s 37-year history. Jeffries Hazangeles succeeds Eliot Pfanstiehl, who founded Strathmore in 1981. She joined Strathmore in 1994 and was named President in 2011. Together with Pfanstiehl, she guided the evolution of the once modest non-profit into Maryland’s most prolific multidisciplinary arts presenter and producer. Strathmore’s Board of Directors convened a Search Committee led by Robert G. Brewer, Jr. Esq., to launch a nationwide search with Arts Consulting Group of Boston, MA to find the organization’s new CEO - a collaborative, rigorous process that engaged Strathmore’s resident partners and other key stakeholders. Jeffries Hazangeles assumes her new role at Strathmore, effective September 1, 2018.

“From the moment I first walked into the Mansion at Strathmore, I knew this was a special place. For the past 24 years, I have been profoundly motivated by its mission, people, and community. I cannot imagine a greater honor than to serve as its next leader,” said Jeffries Hazangeles. “I am eager to expand its network of partnerships and deepen its dialogue with the creative community. As a musician and educator, I am inspired by how the arts elevate, enrich, and transform us. Here at Strathmore, those transformative moments are created and celebrated every day.”


“We are thrilled that Monica will be the next leader of Strathmore - her passion, diplomacy, and leadership experience are exceptional and her vision for Strathmore’s future makes her singularly qualified to lead this great institution into its next chapter of growth, service and prominence,” said Strathmore Board Chair Karen Lefkowitz. “Strathmore is a dynamic organization and we wanted the search process to reflect this, so we engaged resident partners, stakeholders, and staff - their insights were critical to finding a leader with the broad skills needed to guide and shape such a multifaceted arts presenter.”

“I’m confident under Monica’s expanded leadership, Strathmore will always value community, creativity, and customer service. I know Strathmore’s best days are ahead of us with many new initiatives, new audiences, and an expanded footprint throughout the region,” said Strathmore founder Eliot Pfanstiehl.

Throughout the search process, Jeffries Hazangeles proved herself to be a highly skilled, well-respected, and creative leader. Strathmore’s Board was unanimous in its decision that she was best equipped to lead the organization as President and CEO.

Jeffries Hazangeles has played a pivotal role in the evolution of Strathmore into one of the region’s preeminent performing arts centers. Central to her contributions was her role in securing $110M in public and private funding to build the world-class Music Center at Strathmore, which opened in 2005.

She has advanced this mission with specific programs such as the Strathmore Children’s Chorus, the annual Latin Dance Competition for high school students, Strathmore Student Concerts for all 2nd and 5th grade students in Montgomery County Public Schools, and numerous collaborations with local and regional institutions.

She was also integral to the creation and shaping of Bloom, an initiative that encompasses Strathmore’s community outreach work in Montgomery County, particularly along the Route 29 Corridor, including supplemental arts education programs, a youth orchestra, community choral events, and a step program. Bloom has emerged as the single most comprehensive community arts investment focused on identifying existing needs, raising up local talent, and creating a network of locally sustainable arts activities in the county.

Jeffries Hazangeles also capitalized on the urbanization of Rockville Pike, helping Strathmore achieve its ambitions of cultivating new audiences and contributing to the nighttime entertainment options in the burgeoning Pike District with its first offsite venue, AMP, a 230-seat live music and dining space at Pike & Rose.

Jeffries Hazangeles plays an active role in the community as a graduate and volunteer of Leadership Maryland and Leadership Montgomery, a member of InVision’s Executive Circle, an Advisory Council member of FutureLink, a member of National Association of Music Education’s Music Education Policy Roundtable, a member of the American University Arts Management Advisory Council, President of Montgomery County Arts Advocates, and as a volunteer with other regional organizations.  She has been named one of Washingtonian Magazine’s 100 Most Powerful Women in Washington (2011, 2013, 2015, 2017.) In 2014, she received the Alumni Achievement Award from American University, and she regularly mentors new arts administrators. 

She has served as a panelist for the Maryland State Arts Council and has presented leadership and board development workshops for Leadership Allegany, the Community Foundation of Anne Arundel County, Annapolis Symphony Orchestra, Friends of the Clinical Center at NIH, Our House, The Universities at Shady Grove, FutureLink, The Metropolitan Ballet Theatre, The Washington County Museum of Fine Arts, and many others.

She has worked as an arts professional for more than 25 years and has held positions with The Smithsonian Associates and The Friends of Chamber Music in Kansas City, MO. Jeffries Hazangeles holds a B.M. in Flute Performance from The Florida State University (1989), a M.M. in Flute Performance from The University of Missouri-Kansas City (1991), and a M.A. in Arts Management from American University (1996.)

She and her husband, John P. Hazangeles, reside in Silver Spring, Maryland.

About Strathmore:
Strathmore presents and produces exemplary visual and performing arts programs for diverse audiences; creates dynamic arts education experiences; and nurtures creative ideas and conversations that advance the future of the arts. The organization’s hallmark is the Music Center at Strathmore, with a 1,976-seat concert hall and education complex. Its core campus also includes the historic Mansion at Strathmore, which features an intimate Music Room and art galleries. Most recently, Strathmore opened AMP, a 230-seat cabaret-style venue located just up Rockville Pike from the core campus in the burgeoning Pike District of Montgomery County. Strathmore’s signature mission-driven programs include the Strathmore Student Concerts, the Artist in Residence program, and Bloom, a community outreach initiative to bring arts programming to every corner of Montgomery County.