SCHENECTADY, NY (Nov. 5) — Proctors Collaborative announced today that Philip Morris will retire as CEO after 25 years of transformative leadership, and current president Jean Leonard will succeed him as president and CEO, marking a new chapter for one of the Capital Region’s largest arts and community organizations.
Morris, who has led Proctors as CEO since 2002, will retire March 29, 2027. Leonard, a 15-year veteran of the organization who was named president in 2024, will assume the role of president and CEO on the same date.
“I became an arts administrator with a focus on connecting to community while still in college. I really had no idea at the time that a lifetime of work and joy would result from that decision. 25 years in Chautauqua County and now 25 years in the Capital Region could not have been more rewarding,” said Philip Morris.
Morris was charged with leading the historic Proctors in downtown Schenectady at a pivotal moment for both the organization and the city. Over the next quarter-century, his vision expanded the role of a performing arts organization beyond what happens on its stages, establishing Proctors as a driving force in the cultural, educational, and economic vitality of the Capital Region.
Under Morris’ leadership, Proctors underwent a $40 million expansion from 2003-07, transforming both the historic theatre and its role in downtown Schenectady. The project expanded the MainStage to accommodate the largest touring Broadway productions, created the GE Theatre at Proctors, transformed the former Carl Company building, and added new public, performance, and administrative spaces. In 2005, Proctors completed Marquee Power, an innovative district energy system that made Proctors the only performing arts center in the country to heat and cool itself and surrounding properties through district energy. The expansion helped establish Proctors as an anchor of downtown Schenectady’s revitalization and positioned the organization to grow its impact throughout the Capital Region.
That same philosophy drove Morris to pursue collaboration rather than competition among the region’s arts organizations. In 2011, Proctors and Capital Repertory Theatre entered a management partnership that brought together two of the Capital Region’s leading performing arts institutions and helped lay the foundation for Proctors Collaborative. Four years later, Universal Preservation Hall in Saratoga Springs entered a strategic alliance with Proctors, ultimately reopening as a fully transformed year-round performance venue in 2020.
Morris’ vision for a truly regional arts organization later extended to Troy and The American Theatre. After more than a decade of work to bring the historic theatre back to life, the project broke ground in 2026 and will become the fourth major venue under the Proctors Collaborative umbrella. With locations in Schenectady, Albany, Saratoga Springs, and Troy, the organization Morris was hired to lead as a single historic theatre now supports arts venues in each of the Capital Region’s four major cities.
Morris’ retirement and Leonard’s appointment come as Proctors celebrates its 100th anniversary season and looks ahead to its second century. Together, Morris and Leonard have spent years building a strong foundation for that future.
Before being named president in 2024, Leonard served as chief of staff and director of programming, with responsibility for the strategy and implementation of programming for all Collaborative stages as well as organization-wide interdepartmental projects. Her promotion to president created a new leadership position within the Collaborative and placed Leonard at the head of the organization’s day-to-day operations while she continued to lead an expanded programming department.
“Jean, for 15 years, has demonstrated her commitment to community and to the arts. She has been a fantastic partner for 15 years and will be a terrific leader on her own,” Morris said.
Leonard has spent much of her time helping shape the organization Morris will leave behind. “The Board is pleased to have Jean’s experience in the Collaborative, dedication to the communities we serve and outstanding national reputation in arts leadership as she steps into her new role next spring,” said Melissa Zambri, Chairperson of the Proctors Board of Directors. “Her appointment as president and CEO builds on a leadership transition years in the making and provides continuity as the organization looks toward its next century.”
On accepting the new position, Leonard said “Working, learning, and leading alongside Philip has been the privilege of a lifetime. While carrying out our mission, he helped an entire Capital Region reimagine what an arts organization could do to support, strengthen, and grow a community. He planted that mission firmly in my heart, and I look forward to carrying that work into the next century at Proctors.”
Throughout his tenure, Morris championed the idea that arts organizations have a responsibility not only to entertain but to contribute meaningfully to the communities they serve, frequently referring to Proctors as the Capital Region’s “living room.” That philosophy became embedded in Proctors Collaborative’s mission: using arts and community leadership as a catalyst for excellence in education, sustainable economic development, and civic engagement throughout the greater Capital Region. And from Morris’s and Leonard’s work together, Proctors Collaborative is well prepared for this next chapter and a bright future ahead.