Heather Hitchens was appointed Executive Director of the New York State Council on the Arts by former Governor Eliot Spitzer and then Lt. Governor David Paterson. She assumed her post at the Council on August 1, 2007.

Ms. Hitchens came to the Council after serving for nearly a decade as President of the renowned composer service organization Meet The Composer. During her tenure at Meet The Composer, she revitalized the Organization’s national grant-making programs and substantially strengthened its operations by establishing a multi-million dollar endowment fund and generating a more than 30-fold increase in individual giving.

Prior to Meet The Composer, Ms. Hitchens served as Executive Director of the Delaware Symphony Orchestra and worked in the development for the American Music Theater Festival in Philadelphia. A percussionist since age six, she holds a Bachelor of Music Degree from DePauw University in Greencastle, IN and a Master of Science Degree in Arts Administration from Drexel University in Philadelphia, PA.