“The Chairman”
Maureen Smith
Lake Forest
Age: 64
Why she’s entertaining: A founding trustee and immediate former board of directors chair of the Joffrey Ballet, Maureen Dwyer Smith has made her name synonymous with extraordinary philanthropic leadership.
When Smith’s son Edward was a child, one of his classmates asked him what his mom did. He replied, “She’s chairman.” “Chairman of what?” the other boy asked. “I don’t know – Chairman of the World,” he said. And he wasn’t far off the mark.
She’s chaired dozens of galas for various cultural institutions in Chicago and was a part of a group of women that founded the Joffrey Women’s Board in 2000, which was an explosive success. (To learn how to start a Women’s Board, see makeitbetter.net/womensboard)
Latest feat: Co-chairing the opening gala of the Modern Wing at the Art Institute of Chicago, which raised more than $4 million. She’s on the Women’s Board and her husband, Edward Byron Smith Jr., is one of the Art Institute‚Äôs trustees.
The perks: When Smith co-chaired the annual Women’s Board Gala celebrating the opening of the Jacqueline Kennedy exhibit at the Field Museum in 2004, she sat next to the late Sen. Edward M. Kennedy. “I introduced him to Barack Obama that night. They had never met before,” she says. “One of the perks is you have access to some of the more interesting people in the world.”
Next gala: She’s co-chairing the spring gala for The Lincoln Academy of Illinois, which honors Illinois citizens for outstanding civic contributions.
A tradition that’s passed down: Smith has inspired her two young nieces to chair events. Suzette Bross Bulley chaired the 2008 Lyric Opera Ball and her sister-in-law Sophie Bross chaired the 2nd Annual Bearcat Ball in 2000, which benefits the Associate Board of the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago. “I’m really proud of them,” Smith says.
Best pal: Her 1 1/2-year-old grandson. “My entertaining ability peaks for the under-2 set,” she says.
Entertaining tips:
- Don’t serve food that’s [too] precious
- Don’t try and move people too many places
- Keep the music low at dinner
- Keep the flowers on the table beautiful but unobtrusive.
- “[As a co-chair], you should have a good time too. The two people who are chosen to chair the Joffrey gala become best friends for the rest of their lives.”
— Liz Logan
