Giordano Dance’s Michael McStraw Stepping Down as Executive Director

Giordano Dance Chicago (GDC) recently announced that the company’s executive director, Michael McStraw, will step down from his post at the end of the 60th Anniversary Season. With 38 years of leadership in Chicago’s performing arts community, McStraw has served as GDC’s executive director since 2010 and was responsible for all aspects of administrative leadership and oversight, steady, planned organizational growth, and perhaps most importantly, successful navigation through the seismic loss and extended disruption of the pandemic.

In lockstep with GDC’s artistic director, Nan Giordano, McStraw developed the internal infrastructure and administrative resources essential to supporting the organization’s ever-increasing reputation for artistic excellence. During his tenure, GDC has tripled its budget size, built unprecedented financial reserves and assets, increased, restructured and strengthened staff, outsourced accounting, payroll, and IT services and faced numerous administrative and organizational challenges, large and small. His solid leadership in Chicago’s dance community both strengthened and was made stronger by GDC’s place as America’s premier jazz dance company and one of the longest-running concert dance organizations in the world.

“Michael and I have been a solid, steadfast team for 13 years,” noted Nan Giordano. “His departure is met with bittersweet emotions. I shall always treasure our time together, and I have the utmost respect for Michael and his unwavering commitment to GDC from day one. Our partnership has been like no other, with belief and trust always in the foreground.  A dear friend, with or without him by my side at the helm.”

McStraw led the organization through the acquisition in 2018 of the former Hermon Baptist Church, made possible by the generosity of an individual donor, and has prepared GDC to move that project from vision to reality with the creation of a center for jazz dance in Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood. His advocacy and partnership with Arts Alliance Illinois in the Arts & Cultural Capital Consortium resulted in a $3M Rebuild Illinois Capital Project grant from the State of Illinois in support of a planned teardown and construction of the new facility.

Giordano Dance Chicago (GDC) recently announced that the company’s executive director, Michael McStraw, will step down from his post at the end of the 60th Anniversary Season. With 38 years of leadership in Chicago’s performing arts community, McStraw has served as GDC’s executive director since 2010 and was responsible for all aspects of administrative leadership and oversight, steady, planned organizational growth, and perhaps most importantly, successful navigation through the seismic loss and extended disruption of the pandemic.

In lockstep with GDC’s artistic director, Nan Giordano, McStraw developed the internal infrastructure and administrative resources essential to supporting the organization’s ever-increasing reputation for artistic excellence. During his tenure, GDC has tripled its budget size, built unprecedented financial reserves and assets, increased, restructured and strengthened staff, outsourced accounting, payroll, and IT services and faced numerous administrative and organizational challenges, large and small. His solid leadership in Chicago’s dance community both strengthened and was made stronger by GDC’s place as America’s premier jazz dance company and one of the longest-running concert dance organizations in the world.

“Michael and I have been a solid, steadfast team for 13 years,” noted Nan Giordano. “His departure is met with bittersweet emotions. I shall always treasure our time together, and I have the utmost respect for Michael and his unwavering commitment to GDC from day one. Our partnership has been like no other, with belief and trust always in the foreground.  A dear friend, with or without him by my side at the helm.”

McStraw led the organization through the acquisition in 2018 of the former Hermon Baptist Church, made possible by the generosity of an individual donor, and has prepared GDC to move that project from vision to reality with the creation of a center for jazz dance in Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood. His advocacy and partnership with Arts Alliance Illinois in the Arts & Cultural Capital Consortium resulted in a $3M Rebuild Illinois Capital Project grant from the State of Illinois in support of a planned teardown and construction of the new facility.

During the pandemic, McStraw was relentless in pursuit of all federal, state, and local relief programs, securing two rounds of Paycheck Protection Program grants, a Shuttered Venues Operators Grant, an Economic Injury Disaster Loan, Employer Retention Tax Credits, and an IFF/MacArthur Line of Credit.  In partnership with numerous Chicago foundations, project-specific grants were reassigned as general operating support. These sources of income and painful reduction of expense kept the organization solvent through COVID-19. Bolstered by generous support from the GDC Board of Directors and individual donors, these measures have ensured that GDC arrived in its 60th Anniversary stronger than before.

“I am exceptionally proud of and humbled by the accomplishments we made – internally and externally – during these many years with GDC,” he stated. “It is astonishing to me that through the effort of so many – Board, staff, dancers, patrons, supporters, and especially in partnership with my dearest friend Nan Giordano – this modest but mighty organization has and continues to make its indelible mark on the art form of American jazz dance worldwide. Without equivocation, I hold these hard-fought achievements as the pinnacle of a long and extraordinary career. There are not many who have had the once-in-a-lifetime chance to impact the trajectory of dance.”

GDC Board President Kip Helverson concurs. “Giordano Dance Chicago has been fortunate to have Michael at the helm of the organization as Executive Director for 13 years. During Michael’s tenure the organization has seen tremendous growth and success, while weathering unprecedented challenges and obstacles. Michael steered the organization through the global pandemic, while he oversaw the creation of an Adaptive Strategic Plan process to ensure the legacy and success of the company for the next generation. Additionally, his strong relationship development and vision for the organization enabled GDC to secure the largest individual gift in the company’s 60-year history.”

In recognition of his many contributions, Michael was named by the Chicago Tribune as the “2022 Chicagoan of the Year in Dance” in December 2022.

McStraw plans to stay active in Chicago’s performing arts community as consultant or part-time employee, with the intent of continued contributions to the sector but with somewhat less responsibility. “Executive leadership within a nonprofit arts organization has always been a demanding position, but the insurmountable strains of the pandemic have simply exhausted my personal reserves,” he stated. “I have every confidence that a new executive leader will emerge and work with Nan through renewed energy and vigor to build upon past successes. There is nothing more important to me than securing a solid future for Giordano Dance Chicago.”

To ensure that future, the organization has engaged Creative Evolutions to undertake a national search for their next executive director. In accordance with GDC’s values and culture, the search process is inclusive of the perspectives of the entire company, will include financially compensating semi-finalist and finalist candidates for the value they bring, and will include the participation of three industry leaders from other organizations to build support for the executive director and GDC.

The primary application window is currently open through April 24, 2023, and the organization encourages Chicago’s performing arts community to share the opportunity widely. A detailed statement with details on the support and expectations for the new executive director, a summary of current activities of GDC, and application instructions, is available at CreativeEvolutions.com/Giordano.