About the Executive Director

Libby Watson has been a part of the ASO family for over 20 years as a musician, board member, and, since April 2009, the Executive Director. She is responsible for planning, supervising, and administering all operational functions of the orchestra, including finances, fundraising, planning, promotion, board development, and community relations. Watson is an accomplished violinist and violist, having played with the ASO for several seasons before joining the board of directors. As a board member, she served on artistic and fundraising committees and was appointed board secretary. She served on the executive committee for five years.

During her time as Executive Director, the ASO successfully expanded the Young People's Concerts to offer a new program for middle school and high school students, implemented the new youth education programs, Music Moves Me and the Instrument Petting Zoos, and added the Link Up education program created by Carnegie Hall in New York City. Watson led the organization through its participation in the League of American Orchestra's Institutional Vision program and successfully launched the orchestra's first planned giving program with the long-term goal of significantly enhancing its capitalization and current endowment.

Watson currently serves as an officer of the League of American Orchestra's Executive Directors Constituency Group for similar budget-size orchestras and represents this group as a member of the League of American Orchestras Board of Directors. This group is comprised of more than 200 orchestras all across the country. In this role, she assists in forming agendas for national meetings and serves as an ambassador for the small-budget segment of the orchestra field. She also serves as an Adjunct Professor at Adrian College, teaching courses in Arts Management. She enjoys sharing her passion for arts management with future leaders and appreciates the opportunity it provides to connect with students who are passionate about the field.

Watson holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration from the Eli Broad School of Business at Michigan State University and has completed graduate coursework in the Organizational Leadership program at Siena Heights University. Watson has professional experience in the retail, automotive, and banking sectors.

Contact the Executive Director libby@adriansymphony.org.