Cathy Brigham to the American Guild of Organists

Cathy Brigham is appointed executive director of the American Guild of Organists. She succeeds James E. Thomashower, who will be retiring after 28 years of service. A longtime AGO member and active organist, Brigham brings decades of experience in national nonprofit leadership, member engagement, educational assessment, data analysis, adult education, and organizational strategy. 

Most recently, Brigham served as special projects advisor to the president at the American Association of Colleges and Universities, where she also held an interim leadership role in member engagement. In that capacity, she expanded outreach to members, recruited new members, supported a major technology transition, and served as a lead data analyst for association-wide initiatives. Previously, Brigham spent more than thirteen years at the College Board, where she led outreach to academic affairs offices nationwide, developed ambassador networks, and managed multiple advisory boards. She also has experience in adult education and lifelong learning through her work with the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning and as dean of adult education at Concordia University Texas, Austin. Earlier in her career, Brigham was a folklife specialist at Texas Folklife, overseeing arts-in-education programming in public schools.

Brigham holds Ph.D. and Master of Arts degrees in folklore and ethnomusicology from Indiana University, Bloomington, and a B.Phil. degree from Miami University, Ohio. 

For information: agohq.org.