Jennie Huang Bennett elected to Lyric Opera of Chicago Board of Directors

CHICAGO (3/21/24) — Lyric Opera of Chicago announces the appointment of Jennie Huang Bennett to its Board of Directors. With an extensive career spanning the public and private sectors, Bennett brings a wealth of financial expertise and a dedication to community involvement to the board.

As the current Associate Vice President for Finance at the University of Chicago, Bennett oversees financial planning and analysis, procurement, debt, accounting, and payroll. Her leadership as the former Chief Financial Officer for the City of Chicago from 2019-2023 was marked by significant achievements, including closing a historic $1.2 billion budget gap during the pandemic.

Bennett has extensive experience as the Chief Financial Officer for Chicago Public Schools (CPS) and as a senior investment banker in municipal securities. At CPS, she managed finances, improved efficiency, and dealt with financial challenges. She also served as the acting Chief Internal Auditor and Treasurer. Before CPS and the City of Chicago, she worked in finance, handling post-disaster funding and large-scale projects.

Bennett's dedication extends beyond finance, as evidenced by her involvement in the greater Chicago community, including service on the boards of the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board, the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, and previously, the Chicago Opera Theater.

"We are thrilled to welcome Jennie Huang Bennett to our Board of Directors," says Sylvia Neil, Board Chair of Lyric Opera of Chicago. "Her exceptional financial experience and dedication to public service make her a valuable addition to our leadership team."

Bennett joins a distinguished group of individuals on Lyric Opera's Board of Directors, including recent additions such as Dr. Louise Bernard, Sarah Garvey, and Philip G. Lumpkin.

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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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