Andrew Berg designated Detroit Opera’s Chief Development Officer

Detroit Opera has appointed Andrew Berg as chief development officer, following a nationwide search, effective March 11. Berg has over 20 years of expertise in development and nonprofit management, Detroit ties, and a “belief in the power of performance.”

He presently directs the principle contributions program at Cranbrook Educational Community in Bloomfield Hills, where he has teamed with the president and program directors to build institution-wide donor strategies, define giving opportunities, and solicit substantial gifts. hired Andrew Berg as chief development officer, following a statewide search, beginning March 11.

He grew up watching Michigan Opera Theatre (now Detroit Opera) concerts and programs, 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 present job 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 reconstruction 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 executive 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 for 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 shows for the past 35 years.

Bitonti Stewart joined Detroit Opera as an assistant major gifts officer in June 2023 and was designated interim director of development in January.

He is a cellist and a graduate of the Blair School of Music at Vanderbilt University in Tennesse. He has committed his career as a fundraiser to promoting the future of the arts. As a fundraiser, he has held positions with the Nashville, Tenn., and Detroit orchestras and worked as a consultant for many other cultural groups around the country.