Cincinnati Opera Reveals New Board Officers, Trustees, And Associate Members

Cincinnati Opera announced the election of officers for its board of trustees for the 2025–2026 fiscal year, as well as the addition of eight trustees and seven Cincinnati Opera Board Associates.

Officers were elected at Cincinnati Opera's Annual Meeting on September 17, 2025. These officers were originally elected to serve a one-year term in September 2024 and were all re-elected to serve another one-year term as of the Annual Meeting. They include:

• President Ronald T. Bates, Managing Director, 1919 Investment Counsel
• Chair Melanie M. Chavez, Partner, Chavez Properties
• Treasurer and Executive Vice President Robert Bitter, Partner, Deloitte
• Secretary Charles E. Baverman III, Partner, Dinsmore & Shohl

Also as of the Annual Meeting, new trustees and new members of the Cincinnati Opera Board Associates, a subsidiary of the board of trustees composed of young professionals, began their three-year terms.

New trustees include:

• Amy Bixel, Senior Vice President and Managing Director, Fifth Third Bank
• Josh Blatt, President, John Henry Homes
• Michael T. Dean, Partner, Dinsmore & Shohl
• Michelle Goret, Vice President of Corporate Affairs, Cintas
• Brandon R. Jones, Audit Partner, Deloitte
• David Paredes, Director of Marketing, Standard Textile
• Buffie Rixey, community volunteer
• Heather Z. Vecellio, Director of Brand, Design, and Production, HiNOTE

New Board Associates include:

• Alicia DeVore, Marketing and Public Relations, Castellini Management Company
• Caressa Layne Miles, Operations Coordinator and Gallery Director, Xavier University
• Cara Nicolas, Marketing Coordinator, SHP, and Owner/Writer, Caniche Communications
• Maddie Shanahan, Attorney, Calfee, Halter & Griswold
• Carlin Twedt, Brand Manager, KAO
• Lou Velazquez, Marketing Director, The BMW Store & Cincinnati MINI
• Tobias P. Wright, Account Executive, Zoom

Cincinnati Awards - Live Stats

Best Musical - Top 3

1. GREASE (The Carnegie)

12.2% of votes

2. MYTHIC (Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park)

12.2% of votes

3. JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR (Northern Kentucky University Corbett Theatre)

9.5% of votes

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