Caen Thomason-Redus Joins League of American Orchestras Leadership Team as Vice President, Inclusion and Learning

The League of American Orchestras has transformed its Leadership Team, led by President and CEO Simon Woods, in order to bring new voices to the organization and support a renewed focus on serving its more than 1,800 orchestra, institutional, and individual members.

Caen Thomason-Redus, joining from the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, has been named into the newly created position of Vice President, Inclusion and Learning. In this role, Thomason-Redus will lead the League's deep commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion across the field as well as its learning and convening programs.

He joins a leadership team that has been realigned to most effectively serve the needs of members. In the newly configured team, Rachel Rossos Gallant has been promoted to Vice President, Marketing and Membership with a focus on member relations and communications; and Karen Yair moves to a new position as Vice President, Knowledge and Resources, where she will support orchestras through data, research and written resources that respond to field needs as they evolve.

Led by League President and CEO Simon Woods, the Leadership Team includes Marlah Bonner-McDuffie, Vice President, Development; Heather Noonan, Vice President for Advocacy; and Marc Martin, Senior Director, Finance and Administration.

"I'm thrilled to welcome Caen to the League," said Woods. "He will be an incredible asset to our entire field, not only as an administrator with deep experience in education, curriculum development, and equity, diversity, and inclusion, but also as a performing musician with a strong commitment to orchestras and their missions.

"With Rachel Rossos Gallant's commitment to our membership, and Karen Yair's insights as a researcher and analyst, we add strength to our incredibly seasoned and skilled team, as we continue to stretch the value we provide to members, both in tangible support as well as in thought leadership. I'm looking forward to what we can accomplish together for the field."

Caen Thomason-Redus is grateful to spend his time making a difference through music. As the Senior Director of Community & Learning at the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Caen built the Community & Learning team that is redefining what an orchestra can mean to its community. Caen's prior experience includes serving as a development director at the Sphinx Organization, as a flute professor at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and an orchestral fellow in the flute section of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra.

Caen is also active as a performer, teacher, guest speaker, and consultant. He has served in advisory roles for a wide variety of national and local arts organizations including El Sistema USA, the National Flute Association, Fifth House Ensemble, Early Music Now (WI), Iris Orchestra (TN) and the League of American Orchestras. Caen was named one of Musical America's Top 30 Arts Administrators in 2019 and he is a longtime Muramatsu Artist.

Caen studied music at Rice University, the University of Michigan, and the University of Redlands. His leadership training includes Leadership Detroit and the American Express Leadership Academy, and his trainings in equity, diversity and inclusion include Antiracist Results-Based Accountability (Equity and Results), Building Racial Equity (Race Forward), and others. He and his wife, hornist Kristi Crago, love living in Michigan with their three children and multiple pets. He enjoys many outdoor activities and his favorite place to volunteer is anywhere his kids are.

Rachel Rossos Gallant is Vice President, Marketing and Membership at the League of American Orchestras, where she is responsible for maximizing earned revenue, engaging members, and cultivating a proactive member-centric culture. Prior to joining the League's staff, Rachel was the New York Philharmonic's longtime Director of Relationship Marketing, where she helped reverse declining subscription numbers and created retention programs that increased customer loyalty. In partnership with Lincoln Center and Inghilleri Consulting Group, she launched a comprehensive guest care training program for outward-facing employees to improve the overall customer experience.

A trained singer and long-time orchestral music fan, Rachel began her orchestra management career in 2002 with The New York Pops orchestra. In 2006, she became Director of Development and Marketing for the New Century Chamber Orchestra in San Francisco where she oversaw revenue generation and branding and played a major role in nearly doubling the organization's operating budget. In 2008, she was selected to participate in the League's Executive Leadership Program, a two-year initiative focused on developing the next generation of leaders in orchestra management.

Rachel is a graduate of The Peddie School and Columbia University and a member of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, the governing body for the Grammy Awards. An active singer, songwriter, producer, and poet, she often collaborates on recording projects with her husband, jazz pianist Michael Gallant, and performs with him in the indie rock band Aurical.

Dr. Karen Yair has been a non-profit professional since 2001, working with U.S. and U.K. arts organizations including the Crafts Council, the National Foundation for Youth Music, and Big Apple Performing Arts. As Vice President, Research and Resources, she is responsible for creating the research, data and resources that support members in their work, and that fuel the League's advocacy thought leadership and media work. Formerly, as Vice President, Knowledge Learning and Leadership, she oversaw a broad program portfolio that included the League's National Conference, and its leadership, grant making, digital learning, and artistic programs.

Karen is driven by a belief in the transformative power of creativity and the arts, and a conviction that data-driven insights drive change. Following a PhD in design management at Sheffield University, her research management and strategy work for Culture South West (UK) helped position the arts as an economic driver, leveraging $4m new public funding into artist mentoring and training. At the Crafts Council and as a consultant, she focused on research and case-making that evaluated and articulated the role of the creative economy within cities and regions; the social and economic significance of individual art forms; and the impact of arts organizations and programs. Arriving in the U.S. in 2010, her market segmentation analysis for New York City Gay Men's Chorus equipped the organization to tailor its artistic programming to its audience's needs.

Karen is an elected fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, and an alumnus of the Amex Women in Music Leadership Program. She has enjoyed a range of musical adventures over the years, playing everything from baritone saxophone in a swing band to piano games with her young son, and accordion in a Brooklyn tango band.

The League of American Orchestras leads, supports, and champions America's orchestras and the vitality of the music they perform. Its diverse membership of more than 1,800 organizations and individuals across North America runs the gamut from world-renowned orchestras to community groups, from summer festivals to student and youth ensembles, from conservatories to libraries, from businesses serving orchestras to individuals who love symphonic music. The national organization dedicated solely to the orchestral experience, the League is a nexus of knowledge and innovation, advocacy, and leadership advancement. Its conferences and events, award-winning Symphony magazine, website, and other publications inform people around the world about orchestral activity and developments. Founded in 1942 and chartered by Congress in 1962, the League links a national network of thousands of instrumentalists, conductors, managers and administrators, board members, volunteers, and business partners. Visit americanorchestras.org.

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