MICHELLE T. BOONE is President & CEO of The Poetry Foundation, based in Chicago, Illinois. Appointed in May 2021, Michelle is the first woman and first African American to lead the organization. Before that, Michelle was the Chief Program and Civic Engagement Officer at Navy Pier, a historic landmark and top cultural destination and attraction in the Midwest. In 2011, Michelle was appointed Commissioner of the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) by Mayor Rahm Emanuel. Before that, Michelle was a senior program officer at the Joyce Foundation, managing the arts and culture portfolio serving major cities of the Great Lakes region.
Michelle’s professional career includes work in television and the recording industry, as well as service as a United States Peace Corps Volunteer in Chad, Africa. She holds a bachelor’s degree in telecommunications and a master’s degree in public affairs (nonprofit management) from Indiana University, Bloomington. Michelle was bestowed an honorary doctorate of humane letters from Adler University in 2025 and earned a doctorate in philanthropic leadership (PhilD) at the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy in May 2026.
Michelle is the recipient of multiple awards and honors including being recognized by Crain’s Chicago Business as a “Notable Leader in Philanthropy” in 2025; a recipient of the 2024 Beatrice Spachner Award from the historic Auditorium Theater of Chicago for outstanding contributions in culture; named a “Cultural Champion” by the Chicago Cultural Alliance in 2019; named “Design Leader of the Moment” by New City magazine (April 2019); named “Chicagoan of the Year” (architecture) by the Chicago Tribune in 2015; and was honored with a Distinguished Alumni Award from Indiana University, School of Public and Environmental Affairs in 2015.
In addition to her appointment to the Court Theater board, Michelle also serves on the boards of Americans for the Arts, Arts Alliance Illinois, The Arts Club of Chicago, Chicago Public Library, the Graham Foundation (secretary), and United States Artists.
Bio as of 9/2026