Lyric Opera of Chicago Elects New Board of Directors Members

CHICAGO (6/21/2023) – At Lyric Opera of Chicago’s annual meeting, Board Chair Sylvia Neil placed into nomination two distinguished individuals for election to its Board of Directors: Samir Mayekar and Nancy Santi. Both were unanimously voted onto the company’s Board of Directors and bring a wealth of experience, expertise, and a passion for the arts, further complementing Lyric’s commitment to excellence and innovation at the Board level.

Samir Mayekar, former deputy mayor for economic and neighborhood development for the city of Chicago, brings a diverse background in finance, management consulting, and entrepreneurship. An adjunct faculty member at Northwestern's Kellogg School of Management, he also served in the Obama administration and was selected in 2019 to Crain’s 40 Under 40. He holds a B.A. from Northwestern University and an M.B.A. from the Kellogg School of Management, where he received the Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowship for New Americans. For nearly a decade he was co-founder and CEO of NanoGraf Corporation, a global manufacturer of advanced materials that continues to grow in Chicago.

Nancy Santi, a respected philanthropist and civic leader, has a background in education and extensive experience in charitable organizations, including service on the women’s boards of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Chicago, The Art Institute of Chicago and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, as well as the Boards of Directors of the Harris Theater for Music and Dance and PAWS Chicago. Nancy’s alma mater is the University of Cincinnati where she received a B.S. in Education, and where she is now on the Board of Directors for the University of Cincinnati Foundation. After first joining Lyric’s Women's Board in 2015, she was elected President in 2022.

"We are thrilled to welcome Samir and Nancy to our Board of Directors," said Sylvia Neil, "Their expertise and commitment to the arts align perfectly with Lyric’s mission to present world-class opera and engage audiences, and the whole of the community we serve, in transformative experiences."

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About Lyric

Lyric Opera of Chicago is committed to redefining what it means to experience great opera. The company is driven to deliver consistently excellent artistry through innovative, relevant, celebratory programming that engages and energizes new and traditional audiences.

Under the leadership of General Director, President & CEO Anthony Freud, Music Director Enrique Mazzola, and Special Project Advisor Renée Fleming, Lyric is dedicated to reflecting, and drawing strength from, the diversity of Chicago. Lyric offers, through innovation, collaboration, and evolving learning opportunities, ever-more exciting, accessible, and thought-provoking audience and community experiences. We also stand committed to training the artists of the future, through The Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Opera Center; and to becoming increasingly diverse across our audiences, staff, programming, and artists—magnifying the welcoming pull of our art form, our company, and our city.

Through the timeless power of voice, the splendor of a great orchestra and chorus, theater, dance, design, and truly magnificent stagecraft, Lyric is devoted to immersing audiences in worlds both familiar and unexpected, creating shared experiences that resonate long after the curtain comes down.

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