PRESS RELEASES

Harold Brown Appointed as Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra

(March 2021) Bridge Partners is pleased to announce the appointment of Harold Brown as Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer at The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra.

With a rich tradition that dates back 126 years, the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra is considered one of America’s finest and most versatile ensembles. With groundbreaking initiatives including CSO Proof, CSO Look Around, LUMENOCITY and the MusicNOW Festival collaboration, the Orchestra champions innovation. Committed to inclusion and relevance and to enhancing and expanding music education for the children of Greater Cincinnati, the Orchestra works to bring music education, in its many different forms, to as broad a public as possible. The groundbreaking CSO/CCM Diversity Fellowship, in partnership with the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, provides Master’s degree-level education and professional development and performance opportunities for extraordinary young musicians from historically underrepresented populations in classical music.

An Oxford, Ohio native and graduate of Harvard University, Harold Brown has dedicated his career to roles within organizations that advance opportunities for underserved populations. Most recently he directed grant-making strategy as Vice President, Strategy & Policy at Interact for Health and previously as Vice President of Community Strategies at the Greater Cincinnati Foundation (GCF). Prior to that, Brown served for more than 16 years in various leadership capacities at KnowledgeWorks, and began his career directing Multicultural Enrollment Services at Miami University. He serves on the boards of the YMCA of Greater Cincinnati, Cradle 2 Career Cincinnati, Mt. St. Joseph University, GreenLight Cincinnati, School Board Schools, and AchievePoint Career Academy.

“As we accelerate the work we began several years ago, it has been increasingly important to ensure we have the resources needed to fully support our DE&I internal and external goals, all in service to Cincinnati,” said CSO President & CEO Jonathan Martin. “I am delighted that in our search we found Harold right in our own community. He will bring to the CSO tremendous experience in effecting meaningful results in organizations for which he has served.”