Edward J. Lewis III named president and CEO of Caramoor

Edward J. Lewis III, vice chancellor for advancement at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA), will leave his position, which he has held since 2015, to become president and chief executive officer of Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts in northern Westchester County, New York. Lewis will continue in his role at UNCSA through April 30.

“While we will be sorry to see Ed leave UNCSA, we could not be more proud that he will take the helm as president and CEO of such a storied music and arts institution, especially one that makes mentoring young professional musicians central to its mission,” said Chancellor Brian Cole. “Ed’s strong leadership and vision have bolstered UNCSA as we near the successful completion of our first comprehensive campaign in decades, among his many other achievements here, and we are happy for him to be returning to his roots in classical music. He will always be a part of our UNCSA family.”

Ed’s strong leadership and vision have bolstered UNCSA as we near the successful completion of our first comprehensive campaign in decades, among his many other achievements here, and we are happy for him to be returning to his roots in classical music.

Chancellor Brian Cole

Lewis said, “I will miss my time working in the conservatory environment at UNCSA, and I am proud and pleased that I am leaving it in a good place after exceeding and increasing our fundraising goal from a historic fundraising initiative. The school is in excellent hands with Chancellor Cole, Board of Trustees Chair Ralph Womble, renowned faculty, and fiercely loyal and passionate donors. UNCSA is on track to transcend the boundaries of artistic and creative innovation and cement its position as one of the leading arts conservatories in the nation.”

Richard Whittington, associate vice chancellor for advancement, will serve as interim vice chancellor while UNCSA conducts a national search.

During his time at UNCSA, Lewis implemented and led the multi-award-winning fundraising initiative, Powering Creativity: The Campaign for UNCSA, exceeding its $65 million goal by raising nearly $73 million with four months remaining. The campaign supports innovative new programs, student scholarships, faculty endowments, facilities improvements, and community engagement initiatives. Lewis and his team secured eight-, seven- and six-figure gifts to support over 46 endowed scholarships and six endowed professorships with state matching support during the campaign period. 

The successful public launch of the campaign received the 2021 Silver Award from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) District III, and a video created for the campaign launch, “What it Takes,” garnered awards including a Gold Telly in 2020 and a Gold Award from CASE District III in 2021.

Under Lewis’ leadership, the UNCSA Foundation endowment grew through fundraising efforts from $35 million in 2015 to over $67 million in December 2020. UNCSA received national recognition from CASE as one of the most improved educational institutions in the nation for fundraising as part of its 2020 Educational Fundraising Awards. Lewis was named 2020 Outstanding Fundraising Professional by the Triad Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals.

Edward J. Lewis III joined UNCSA in 2015 as vice chancellor for advancement. Previously he was senior director of development at the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center at the University of Maryland, College Park, where he provided strategic direction for a comprehensive fundraising program for one of the nation’s leading university presenting programs.

An accomplished violist, Lewis holds a Bachelor of Music from Northwestern University and a Master of Music from the University of Michigan. He also attended the University of Maryland School of Music, where he studied chamber music with the Guarneri String Quartet, and studied abroad at the Hochscuhle für Musik und Theater München with the Alban Berg Quartet. His professional experiences include performing as a member of the Dallas Opera Orchestra, the Dallas Chamber Orchestra, Santa Fe Pro Musica, and the Toledo Symphony, as well as serving as principal violist of the Maryland Symphony Orchestra.

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