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Michael J. Bobbitt to Depart Mass Cultural Council at Year’s End

Bethann Steiner, Senior Director of Public Affairs

Michael J. Bobbitt
Photo: Kevin Thai/Three Circles Studio.

Mass Cultural Council today announces the departure of Executive Director Michael J. Bobbitt, effective December 31, 2025.

Bobbitt has accepted the position of President & CEO of OPERA America and will begin this new role on January 1, 2026.

“Leading Mass Cultural Council has been one of the greatest honors of my career,” said Bobbitt. “Together with the Council, staff, and our partners across the Commonwealth, we’ve worked to build a more equitable, creative, and connected cultural sector in Massachusetts. I’m deeply proud of what we’ve accomplished, especially the ways we’ve centered artists and cultural organizations in the state’s economic growth. While I’m excited for this next chapter with OPERA America, Massachusetts will always have a piece of my heart.”

Bobbitt has led the Commonwealth’s independent state arts agency since February 1, 2021. During his nearly five-year tenure as state government’s most senior official for arts and culture, Mass Cultural Council has been consistently recognized nationally as a leader in innovation, equity, and service on behalf of the cultural sector.

Under Bobbitt’s leadership, which began amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Mass Cultural Council has:

  • Centered equity and access in all programmatic and policy decision-making.
  • Developed a suite of equity plans and a new strategic plan.
  • Reviewed and refined all grants and programs to ensure they are accessible, applicant friendly, and most impactful.
  • Secured and distributed more than $60 million in one-time pandemic relief funding to the cultural sector.
  • Effectively advocated and obtained historic levels of annual state budget support for arts and culture through the Agency’s line-item.
  • Launched the nation’s first statewide social prescribing solution.
  • Released the 2024 Cultural Asset Inventory, a new dataset quantifying the size, scope, economic impact, and needs of individual creative generators and cultural organizations across Massachusetts.
  • Partnered with the Healey-Driscoll Administration to establish the Governor’s Cultural Policy Development Policy Council and the Commonwealth’s first official Poet Laureate.
  • Expanded the Agency’s scope of work beyond equitable grantmaking to include advancement and cross-sector partnerships, establishing new economic opportunities for those working in the arts, humanities, and sciences.
  • Brokered cross-sector and inter-state agency relationships to increase awareness and inclusion of the cultural sector as a valued thought partner to creatively solve and address challenges faced by education, health care, transportation, tourism, and economic development officials.

Mass Cultural Council is governed by a 19-member Council appointed by the Governor. Upon Bobbitt’s departure, it is the intention of the Chair to name Deputy Director David T. Slatery as Acting Executive Director until the Council names a permanent successor.

“Michael’s innovation, energy, and commitment to equity have transformed this Agency,” said Marc Carroll, Chair, Mass Cultural Council. “He led us through an unprecedented period for the cultural sector and emerged with stronger programs, deeper partnerships, and renewed public investment in the arts and culture of Massachusetts. On behalf of the governing Council, I thank him for his extraordinary leadership and wish him every success in his new role.”

“It has been an honor to work alongside Michael during his tenure,” said Slatery. “His vision and leadership have positioned the Mass Cultural Council and the sector it serves for a strong future. As we move through this transition, our dedicated staff remains focused on advancing the mission of supporting the creative people and cultural organizations that make Massachusetts thrive.”


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