Scott Stewart
Director of Advancement
sstewart@chicagoartsacademy.org
Dr. Scott Stewart is a passionate advocate for the arts & culture landscape as a critical element in the equitable development of vibrant, resilient, and accessible neighborhoods, communities, and cities. He has enhanced the reputation and relevance of arts & culture institutions – including parks, public gardens, academic programs, and public cultural spaces – throughout his 20+ year career serving nonprofit, academic, governmental, and for-profit organizations.
As Executive Director of Millennium Park Foundation, he led this iconic public space into its second decade as one of the country’s premier arts & cultural spaces where 20+ million annual visitors enjoy Chicago’s best public art, architecture, music, dance, and gardens.
Under his leadership, the Park Foundation added $12 million in new donor gifts that helped establish innovative public programs, support technology enhancements, and grow endowment resources. Serving as Executive Director of Kaleidoscope Park Foundation, Dr. Stewart channeled his Chicago experiences into the successful development, design, programming, and funding of Kaleidoscope Park – a 6-acre, $46 million arts & culture family park founded as a public-private venture with the City of Frisco (Texas), the Community Foundation of Texas, the Hall Group, and Kaleidoscope Park Foundation.
Dr. Stewart has also held positions with the Park District of Oak Park, Kankakee Community College, Morton College, and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Dr. Stewart has traveled the globe sharing his knowledge on topics including nonprofit partnerships in public projects, arts & culture opportunities as economic and social change agents, and, in a nod to his education and early career, sustainable management and maintenance of parks and public gardens. He has authored over 75 popular and peer-reviewed works and has been featured in over 100 print, televised, radio, and online media pieces.
Dr. Stewart holds a Ph.D. in Environmental Horticulture from the University of Florida and bachelor’s degrees in biology and chemistry, with minors in English, rhetoric, and creative writing, from Illinois College. Dr. Stewart was borne and raised in the agricultural heart of Central Illinois and proudly considers Chicago is “second hometown”.
