Chautauqua Institution’s Board of Trustees elected Stephen F. Messinger, Jill Penrose, and Stephen J. Zenczak to four-year terms at the final meeting of the body’s 2022–23 cycle on Aug. 26. Additionally, members of the Chautauqua Corporation elected Bob W. Obee as the newest of the four trustees selected by Chautauqua property owners at the Corporation’s annual meeting on Aug. 12. The new trustee class officially began its term on Oct. 1.  

Messinger, of Arlington, Virginia, is the former president of ECG Management Consultants. He grew up in nearby Lakewood, New York, and in 1976 his parents purchased a cottage on the grounds. He in turn purchased it from them in 2004, and his family has been enjoying their summers and some of the shoulder season at Chautauqua for several generations. 

Obee is a founding principal of Businessolutions LLC, a boutique consulting firm established in 2008, focused on profit improvement through effective application of business analytics, primarily in the transportation industry. Previously he was an executive officer with Roadway Corporation in Akron, Ohio, leading mergers & acquisitions, information technology, and operations planning and engineering. For more than 45 years, four generations of his family have assembled each summer at Chautauqua.  
 
Penrose is the chief people and company services officer at The J.M. Smucker Company. She has 25 years of professional experience across corporate strategy, mergers & acquisitions, human resources, corporate communications, government relations, information technology and philanthropy/community engagement. Her family has visited Chautauqua for 15 years. She recently became a property owner on the grounds with her husband and children in 2017. 
 
Zenczak is a retired mechanical engineer and business owner. He is a former director of the Chautauqua Foundation, serving from 2007–2023. His family has been coming to Chautauqua since 1991, and he and his wife, Pat Feighan, raised three daughters on the grounds. They have been Chautauqua property owners since 1998. 
 
Board of Trustees Chair Candy Maxwell said this class of trustees exemplifies the excellence and expertise among us at Chautauqua. 

“We are fortunate that such incredible knowledge and ability is in our midst here at Chautauqua. It’s an extra special gift that these leaders are willing to loan their time and expertise to the important work of the Board. We welcome them with enthusiasm and gratitude,” Maxwell said.  

Also at the meeting, Izumi Hara, Terrance Horner, Candy Maxwell and Sara Hagen McWilliams were elected to second four-year terms through 2027. 

About Chautauqua Institution 
Chautauqua Institution is a not-for-profit, 750-acre community on Chautauqua Lake in southwestern New York State, where approximately 7,500 persons are in residence on any day during a nine-week season, and a total of more than 100,000 attend scheduled public events and even more engage online via the streaming channel CHQ Assembly. Chautauqua is dedicated to the exploration of the best in human values and the enrichment of life through a program that explores the important religious, social and political issues of our times; stimulates provocative, thoughtful involvement of individuals and families in creative response to such issues; and promotes excellence and creativity in the appreciation, performance and teaching of the arts. The Institution launched its 150^th Summer Assembly June 24, 2023, and will celebrate its Sesquicentennial in 2024. 

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