CHICAGO, September 25, 2006 - The Newberry Library, Chicago's world-renowned independent research library, today announced the appointment of Michelle Miller Burns as the new vice president for development, effective October 23. Most recently, she served as the director of planned giving at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association (CSO), where her responsibilities included identifying, cultivating, and soliciting individual donors for deferred, planned, and endowed gifts to the CSO.
"We're extremely pleased that Michelle, who is a very successful fund-raiser and administrator, will be joining the Newberry Library," said David Spadafora, president and librarian for the Newberry Library. "The Newberry is home to one the nation's greatest repositories of cultural treasures, and Michelle will be integral to our efforts to preserve and enlarge our collections while promoting learning by scholars and the public."
As vice president for development, Burns will oversee annual giving, major and planned gifts, corporate and foundation relations, special events, and development relations. She will also serve as a member of the president's cabinet.
"I am thrilled to be joining one of Chicago's - and the country's - most important and vital cultural institutions," Burns said. "I look forward to helping to ensure that the Newberry Library has the resources to continue its very important dual roles of collecting and preserving our common cultural legacy, and inspiring a lifelong love of learning among scholars, residents, and visitors."
During her 15 years with the CSO, Burns has worked on diverse projects, including chairing an interdepartmental management team, managing an education program in partnership with three Chicago Public Schools, and serving as an Officer of the Corporation - in which capacity she provided liaison between management, Trustees, and Trustee leadership.
Burns is a graduate of Northwestern University, where she received her Bachelor of Music in Arts Administration. An active volunteer, Burns has served on the boards of the Junior League of Chicago and the Catherine Cook School. Currently, she is vice president of the Chicago Council on Planned Giving, and she is a member of the National Committee on Planned Giving.
ABOUT THE NEWBERRY LIBRARY
The Newberry Library is an independent library open to the public for research and reference in the humanities. One of the largest independent research libraries in the United States, the Newberry holds an extraordinary collection of more than 1.5 million books, 5 million manuscript pages and 300 thousand historic maps. As one of the world's leading repositories of a broad range of books and manuscripts relating to the civilizations of western Europe and the Americas, the Library's mission is to acquire and preserve research collections of such materials, and to provide for and promote their effective use by a diverse community of users.