For immediate release
Chicago, IL - May 31, 2017
WTTW and WFMT President and CEO Daniel J. Schmidt has been named an Arthur Vining Davis Foundations' Fellow (AVDF Aspen Fellow) for the 2017 Aspen Ideas Festival on June 25-28 in Aspen, CO. The AVDF Fellows Program at the Aspen Ideas Festival is made possible through a grant from the Arthur Vining Davis Foundations. Schmidt was selected, said the ADVF’s President Nancy J. Cable, “from a competitive group of national nominees with diverse backgrounds who represent the entrepreneurial spirit, intellectual curiosity and values of our founder Arthur Vining Davis.” This marks the third year of the AVDF Aspen Fellows Program, which encourages leadership development, strategic networking, and thoughtful discourse.
“I am honored to be recognized by the Arthur Vining Davis Foundation, whose goals align so closely with those of WTTW and WFMT, and whose longtime support of public media has been invaluable,” said Schmidt. “I look forward to taking part in the Aspen Ideas Festival as an AVDF Aspen Fellow, to the inspiration it is sure to provide, and for the opportunities it will deliver to cement and form valuable relationships.”
Daniel J. Schmidt is President and CEO of Window to the World Communications, Inc., a $50 million non-profit public media institution comprised of WTTW public media; WFMT classical radio; wttw.com and wfmt.com; WTTW Chicago, WTTW’s National Productions arm; and the WFMT Radio Networks. He has served on the Board of Directors of the U.S. Committee for UNICEF; as a consultant for Chamber Music America and as a member of Radio Broadcasters of Chicagoland; served on the boards of American Public Television (APT), the Digital Convergence Alliance, Inc., the Chicago International Film Festival, and the Chicago Council on Global Affairs; and is co-author of the book, Administration in the Arts: An Annotated Bibliography. Schmidt is past Chairman of the Public Television Major Market Group LLC, served for two years on the Public Television Affinity Group Coalition (AGC), and is a past Chairman of the Illinois Arts Alliance. He is also an active member of the Commercial Club of Chicago and the Chicago Executives Club. In his spare time, Schmidt is a boating enthusiast and Scuba Diving Instructor. A resident of Chicago, he is married and has three children.
About the Arthur Vining Davis Foundations
For 65 years, the Arthur Vining Davis Foundations have provided philanthropy in the fields of higher education, medicine and health, interfaith leadership and religious literacy, and public television and educational media.
About the Aspen Ideas Festival
This year, the Aspen Ideas Festival celebrates its 13th year as the nation's premier convening of thought leaders in science, health, business, politics, religion, technology, the arts, the environment and academia from around the globe and across disciplines to engage in the consideration of ideas and issues that shape our lives and challenge our times.
About WTTW and WFMT
WTTW is a premier public media organization committed to creating and presenting unique television and digital media content across four distinct television channels – WTTW11, WTTW Prime, WTTW Create/WTTW WORLD, and WTTW PBS Kids 24/7 – and on wttw.com, where visitors can access a full library of local and national video content for kids and adults, event opportunities, and robust microsites dedicated to WTTW and PBS series and specials. Connect with WTTW on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. WFMT is one of the nation’s most respected classical music radio stations, reaching a wide audience of local listeners and an ever-increasing international audience at wfmt.com/streaming. WFMT showcases superlative programs, concerts, and live events you cannot hear anywhere else – broadcasts from the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic, the Lyric Opera of Chicago, the Metropolitan Opera, the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, Jazz at Lincoln Center, and many more. Connect with WFMT on Facebook and Twitter.
