Managing Director and Senior Consultant
Brief info
Managing Director and Senior Consultant
Email: [email protected]
Christopher Wingert is a Managing Director and Senior Consultant with Aspen Leadership Group, bringing more than 20 years of experience and leadership in 300+ executive searches across the arts and culture sector. Chris is deeply committed to the idea that nonprofit organizations—and the people who lead them—can be transformational forces for good, building stronger, more creative, and more equitable communities through the power of mission-driven leadership. Known for his insight, empathy, and peer-to-peer collaborative approach, Chris builds authentic, long-term relationships with clients, working to identify leaders who reflect an organization’s mission, values, and future vision. His work is informed by a lifelong commitment to the performing arts and a deep understanding of the complexities and possibilities of nonprofit leadership.
Prior to joining Aspen Leadership Group, Christopher spent two decades with the Catherine French Group, where he managed national searches for orchestras, opera companies, performing arts centers, educational institutions, and other mission-driven organizations. His experience across governance, fundraising, artistic leadership, and executive strategy gives him a well-rounded, deeply informed perspective on the evolving needs of nonprofit organizations and the leaders who guide them. As a passionate advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion, Chris is dedicated to helping organizations build leadership teams that reflect and serve the full breadth of their communities.
A versatile performing artist, educator, and arts administrator, Chris has more than 25 years of professional experience in music, theatre, and arts education. He held early career roles at Arizona Arts and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, working in artistic planning, fundraising, and artist relations across a broad spectrum of disciplines.
Based in Washington, DC, Chris remains deeply engaged in the city’s arts community. He continues to perform regularly as a pianist, vocal coach, accompanist, and conductor, and has served as music director for the Helen Hayes Awards since 2024. His recent credits include work with Signature Theatre, Round House Theatre, and American University. He was a singer and volunteer with The Washington Chorus for more than ten seasons.
A long-time advocate for arts education, Chris taught musical theatre at the University of Mary Washington from 2006 to 2020 as an adjunct professor and has been a teaching artist and music director at Sitar Arts Center in DC since 2005. A member of Sitar’s Board of Directors since 2019, he currently serves as co-chair of the Center’s upcoming 25th Anniversary Gala in October 2025.
A native of Tucson, Arizona, he studied piano and French horn and earned degrees in music performance and education from the University of Arizona. He is a member of the 2007 class of the League of American Orchestras' Essentials of Orchestra Management seminar.