Detroit Opera has appointed Andrew Berg as chief development officer, following a nationwide search, effective March 11.
Berg brings nearly 20 years of experience in development and nonprofit management, Detroit ties, and a “belief in the power of performance.”
He currently leads the principal gifts program at Cranbrook Educational Community in Bloomfield Hills, where he has partnered with the president and program directors to develop institution-wide donor strategies, define giving opportunities, and solicit significant gifts.
He grew up attending Michigan Opera Theatre (now Detroit Opera) productions and presentations, acted in high school and college, was a member of the Detroit 300 Tricentennial Gospel Choir, and studied improvisation at The Second City.
Detroit Opera has also announced two promotions: director of marketing and communications Samantha Teter has been named Detroit Opera’s chief marketing officer, and Juliano Bitonti Stewart, who has been serving as interim director of development, is now director of development.
In his current position at Cranbrook Educational Community, Berg recently closed a $1 million gift for student financial aid and climate change exhibition and education, and he is the project lead for the renovation of the Performing Arts Center.
Previously, he spent 13 years in fundraising at the University of Chicago, most recently as Director of Development at Court Theatre, winner of the 2022 Tony Award for Regional Theatre.
Teter is an experienced nonprofit marketing leader with more than 20 years of success in arts and culture organizations. Prior to joining Detroit Opera in July 2023, she most recently served as vice president of advancement with the Creative Discovery Museum in Chattanooga, Tenn.
Previously, she served the Chattanooga Symphony and Opera for more than nine years, first as director of marketing and corporate sponsorships, then as executive director.
She has performed as an actor, singer and dancer in theater and other stage productions for the past 35 years.
Bitonti Stewart joined Detroit Opera as associate major gifts officer in June 2023 and was named Interim director of development in January.
He is a cellist and graduate of the Blair School of Music at Vanderbilt University in Tennesse, has dedicated his career as a fundraiser to strengthening the future of the arts. As a fundraiser, he has held positions at the Nashville, Tenn., and Detroit symphonies and worked as a consultant for many other arts organizations around the country.
