Mike Ross
Mike Ross became the sixth director of Krannert Center for the Performing Arts in 1997. He came to the Center from the Miller Theatre at Columbia University in New York City, which under his direction was recognized by The New Yorker as “the city’s hottest hotbed of innovative programming.”
Deeply committed to embracing the art of the past as well as the art of our time across disciplines, aesthetic sensibilities, and cultural legacies, Mike views the Center as a potent blending of classroom, laboratory, and public square. He is an active board member of numerous local, state, and national arts organizations, including the Association of Performing Arts Presenters, the American Arts Alliance, and the Illinois Arts Alliance. He was also recently appointed to the Illinois Humanities Council Board of Directors and was made the chair of the Association of Performing Arts Presenters Executive Board. He attributes his experience as a professional classical, jazz, and rock musician and his interest in the literary and visual arts and broader cultural history as major influences on the creative and collaborative nature of his work in arts administration.
