Board of Trustees welcomes new chair, members

Trustees elected at the July 2017 meeting include a Michigan Supreme Court Justice, a Harvard professor and more.

August 8, 2017

Glynn Williams was recently elected as Chair of the Board of Trustees of Interlochen Center for the Arts. Williams, a native of Canada, is the first international chair in the history of the institution. Williams currently serves as the President and CEO of Williams & Moore Capital Corporation, Navhouse Corporation, Reliance Aerotech Inc., and Authentic Seacoast Company Ltd.

In addition, Becky Ruthven, CEO of Ruthven & Associates, LLC, and Thomas W. Morris, Ojai Music Festival Artistic Director, were elected Vice Chairs.

New Trustees elected to the Board include: Michigan Supreme Court Justice Kurtis T. Wilder; Dr. Barrett J. Rollins, Chief Science Officer Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Professor of Medicine Harvard University; Dr. Elaine H. Mischler, Emeritus Professor of Pediatrics-University of Wisconsin; Nancy L. Hoagland, President Mariel Foundation; and Claire E. (Corson) Skinner, retired CEO and Chairman of Coachmen Industries.

“It is an honour to serve this exceptional Board and Interlochen, whose mission is to engage and inspire people worldwide through excellence in educational, artistic and cultural programs, enhancing the quality of life through the universal language of the arts,” said Williams. “As the parent of an Interlochen alumna whose passion and career is in the theatre arts, I understand the transformative power and benefit of an arts education. I am confident that with the inspiring leadership of President Trey Devey and my fellow Trustees, that this great institution will continue to flourish and fulfill its very important mission, while enhancing accessibility and broadening its international reach in the years to come.”

Williams’ career spans the finance, engineering, aerospace, consumer products and tourism industries. He is a volunteer Director of Tourism Nova Scotia and Tourism Industry Association of Nova Scotia. He was inducted into the Hall of Distinction - Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering, and has received the Arbor Award from the University of Toronto for Outstanding Volunteer Service.

“It is wonderful that Glynn has assumed this leadership role following his contributions as Vice Chair and Co-Chair of our successful CREATE AMAZING Campaign, among other roles as Trustee,” said Trey Devey, President, Interlochen Center for the Arts. “He will contribute his creative energy and a valued perspective to this important role.”

Retiring after nine years or more of distinguished service to the Board of Trustees, John McGarry and Don Cogman were elected Life Trustees, and Sumit Sengupta, David Rhind and Katherine White were elected Trustee Emeritus.

“We are indebted to the significant contributions and the ongoing wisdom and experience from our retiring Trustees during many years of service. We are excited to have our new Trustees join us, bringing new ideas, relationships and their passion for the arts to the institution, as we continue the work ahead,” Devey said.

Glynn Williams

Glynn Williams has served as a Trustee of Interlochen Center for the Arts since 2012, and as its Vice Chair and Co-Chair of the Create Amazing Campaign. He is the President and CEO of Williams & Moore Capital Corporation, Navhouse Corporation, Reliance Aerotech Inc., and Authentic Seacoast Company Ltd. Glynn’s career spans the finance, engineering, aerospace, consumer products and tourism industries. He is a volunteer Director of Tourism Nova Scotia and Tourism Industry Association of Nova Scotia. Glynn is a graduate of the University of Toronto, with degrees in Engineering Science, Mechanical Engineering and Business Administration. He was inducted into the Hall of Distinction - Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering in 2008, and received the Arbor Award in 2000 from the University of Toronto for Outstanding Volunteer Service. He is a licensed Professional Engineer, Chartered Financial Analyst, pilot, distiller and brewmaster. Glynn plays saxophone in a blues/rock band, which this year celebrates its 44th season. In addition to Interlochen, Williams’ volunteer leadership and social investments spanning many years have focused on youth and have included the International Youth Hostel Federation, The Baystock Foundation, Toronto Youth Theatre, Upper Canada College, Regent Park School of Music, among other charitable and educational organizations.

Nancy L. Hoagland

Nancy Hoagland has over 35 years of experience in professional and community theater, both onstage and backstage and has a BA in Art History from Mount Holyoke College. Growing up in East Lansing she learned by example the importance of supporting the arts as she watched her mother, visual artist Carolyn Talbot Hoagland, serve on the boards of such organizations as the Arts Council of Greater Lansing, the Michigan Council for the Arts, and Arts Midwest, all while continuing to pursue her own art. Carolyn’s name now graces the drawing studio in the Dow Visual Arts building in recognition of her generous support of Interlochen. Nancy’s one summer at Interlochen in 1974 as a drama and voice high school student expanded her artistic horizons. Being surrounded by peers who were passionate about excelling in their craft fueled her desire to reach for higher goals and planted the seeds of a deep appreciation of the importance of the arts and education. Her passion for the arts continued to develop at Mount Holyoke College and Michigan State University. A world traveler, she ended up finding a home at Foothill Theatre Company in Nevada City, California, where she performed, worked backstage, managed the box office, served as education director, and as a board member. Today she splits her time between Glen Lake and the San Francisco Bay area. With more time available a few years ago she choose to return to the Interlochen campus and be more involved by volunteering for the IPR fund drive, painting sets for the high school musical, and helping in the Advancement office. For the past two years she has been co-chair of the Campaign Cabinet. Nancy and her family have been generous supporters of Interlochen both personally and through the Mariel Foundation over the past two decades. Her generous lead donation is providing the seed money for the much needed expansion and renovation of the dance facilities. Honored to be chosen to serve on the board she is excited for the opportunity to provide even more support to Interlochen and all of its activities.

Dr. Elaine H. Mischler

Dr. Elaine Mischler is a pediatric pulmonologist whose career has spanned administration, research, education, and patient care. She has served as the director of the Cystic Fibrosis/Pulmonary Center, Medical Director of the Pediatric Pulmonology Division of the Department of Pediatrics, Associate Dean of Students at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, professor of pediatrics at the Medical College of Wisconsin, and is an Emeritus Professor of Pediatrics at UW-Madison. She was elected the Wisconsin Academy of Pediatrics Pediatrician of the Year in 1992. She spent ten years working in industry in the disease management/ population health arena and is considered a thought leader in disease management concepts, producing publications and providing many interviews on philosophy, content, and outcome measurement of disease management programs.

In her retirement she serves on several arts boards and is currently President of the Board of the Madison Symphony Orchestra. She supports the University of Wisconsin through the Women's Philanthropy Council and serves on the Advisory Council for the Center for Inter-professional Practice and Education in the Health Sciences. She and her husband, Dr. Nicholas Mischler, are local philanthropists and both serve on the Campaign Cabinet for Interlochen Center for the Arts. She is organist at Waunakee’s Peace Lutheran Church and has played clarinet in the Waunakee Community Band for 30 years. The Mischler's connection to Interlochen came in 1989 when their daughter Elizabeth attended Camp to study Dance and then went on to attend Interlochen Arts Academy as a Dance major graduating in 1994 after completing all four years of high school.

Dr. Barrett J. Rollins

Dr. Barrett Rollins attended Interlochen Arts Camp in both the intermediate and high school programs in 1965, 1966 and 1968, studying piano and violin. After graduating from Amherst College, Dr. Rollins received his MD in 1979 and PhD in 1980 from Case Western Reserve University. He completed his internship and residency in internal medicine at Beth Israel Hospital, Boston, and served a clinical fellowship in medical oncology at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. In 1989, Dr. Rollins joined the Dana-Farber faculty and is currently the Institute’s Chief Scientific Officer. In this role, Dr. Rollins has served as a fundraiser, a spokesman and a presenter to lay audiences regarding the need for private philanthropy to fund cutting-edge cancer research. Dr. Rollins has actively sought gifts for the Profile project, which involves genetic profiling of individuals with cancer, the storing of the results in a vast database, and the search for cures. Dr. Rollins’ research interests lie in the area of white blood cell trafficking, the interactions between inflammation and cancer, and the genetic basis of a rare childhood disease, Langerhans cell histiocytosis. The Barrett Rollins Laboratory is within the Department of Medical Oncology. In addition to his role at Dana-Farber, Dr. Rollins is also the Linde Family Professor of Medicine at Harvard, where he is Faculty Dean for Academic Programs, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

Claire E. (Corson) Skinner

Claire Skinner is the retired Chairman and CEO of Coachmen Industries, a former NYSE leading manufacturer of recreational vehicles and modular housing. Originally founded by her family, the RV portion of the company is now part of Berkshire Hathaway. Following her 23-year career with Coachmen, Claire currently is president of the Corson Family Foundation.

She also is a very active supporter of the Naples community theater. Claire is concluding her 9-year maximum term on the Board of The Naples Players, where she held every officer position including two terms as President. In addition to her Board service, one of Claire’s greatest pleasures has been volunteering in props – in the range of 500 – 1000 hours each year.

Claire brings diverse Board experience (both for-profit and not-for-profit), including: Notre Dame Law School Advisory Council, Recreation Vehicle Industry Association, Florida RV Trade Association, 1st Source Bank Corp., Harvard University Policy Advisory Board and Interlochen Arts Academy Alumni Board.

Claire received her JD from the University of Notre Dame Law School, and her BFA in Journalism/Marketing from Southern Methodist University. But she believes it all began in 1971, when she attended Interlochen’s Summer Camp.

Claire and husband Jim live primarily in Naples, Florida, but enjoy Indiana and Michigan in the summer months.

Kurtis T. Wilder

Justice Kurtis T. Wilder was appointed to the Michigan Supreme Court by Governor Rick Snyder in May 2017. Before his appointment to the Supreme Court, Justice Wilder was appointed by Governor John Engler to serve as a judge on the Michigan Court of Appeals from December 1998 to May 2017 and a judge of the Washtenaw County Trial Court from March 1992 to December 1998. Justice Wilder graduated from the University of Michigan with an A.B. degree in Political Science in 1981, and from the University of Michigan Law School with a Juris Doctor degree in 1984.

Wilder is Emeritus Trustee of Interlochen Center for the Arts, a designation he was given by the board in 2016 following 10 years of service. After a one year pause, Wilder was invited back to the board of trustees in July 2017.

Justice Wilder has two children. His admiration and interest in the success of Interlochen grew as a result of watching his daughter, who attended Camp, develop into an excellent musician and a mature, young adult.