Executive Director Michael McStraw is a member of and an outstanding advocate for the Chicago performing arts community. As a professional dancer, semi-professional musician, arts administrator, dance educator, board member, and arts patron, Michael has been a positive and constant influence in the community for nearly 40 years. Raised in Western Pennsylvania, his life includes a BS degree in Geology from Allegheny College, a Master of Fine Arts degree in Modern Dance from the University of Michigan, and a stint as an agricultural extension agent in the Peace Corps in Sierra Leone, West Africa. He danced extensively with the area’s premier contemporary dance companies, including Mordine & Company Dance Theater, an organization he also managed, Jan Erkert & Dancers, and DanszLoop Chicago, of which he was a founding member. Prior to joining CDHP, Michael was honored to serve as Giordano Dance Chicago’s Executive Director for 13 years.  He is an experienced marketing, operations, and project management professional with special skill in developing strategic long-term solutions for complex business issues. Michael has twice served three-year terms on the Illinois Arts Council Dance Panel, is past President and Board Member for See Chicago Dance, Chicago’s dance marketing and advocacy organization, and has mentored young artists/administrators within Pentacle’s Help Desk program. After serving six years as an ex-officio member of the Harris Theater for Music and Dance’s Board of Trustees, representing that organization’s Resident Companies, Michael was appointed as a full Trustee in June 2022.  Last year, Michael was celebrated as the Chicago Tribune’s “2022 Chicagoan of the Year in Dance.”