The Philadelphia Orchestra and Ensemble Arts
Announces Two Senior Leadership Appointments

Dr. Kobie Smith is named Chief Philanthropy Officer and
Jamie Shover is named Vice President of Information Technology

For Immediate Release: Philadelphia, PA (October 7, 2025) — The Philadelphia Orchestra and Ensemble Arts announces two key additions to their leadership team: Dr. Kobie Smith as Chief Philanthropy Officer and Jamie Shover as Vice President of Information Technology. These appointments reinforce The Philadelphia Orchestra and Ensemble Arts’ commitment to advancing its mission through visionary leadership, innovation, and community engagement.

 

As Chief Philanthropy Officer, Kobie Smith will lead fundraising strategy and execution and campaign management for The Philadelphia Orchestra and Ensemble Arts, working with leadership and the Board of Trustees to strengthen and expand philanthropic support through major gifts, membership, and donor engagement. He will also guide and mentor the development team, foster a culture of collaboration and high performance, and help shape the organization’s long-term vision as a member of executive leadership. Smith starts in November.

 

Jamie Shover started with The Philadelphia Orchestra and Ensemble Arts last month. She will provide strategic vision and leadership for all aspects of the organization’s technology, ensuring IT systems, infrastructure, cybersecurity, and data governance are fully integrated into business and programmatic priorities. She will oversee IT operations, business applications, and vendor partnerships while guiding innovation, supporting cross-organizational change, and building a strong, collaborative, and future-ready technology team.

 

“We are thrilled to welcome Kobie and Jamie to our leadership team,” said Ryan Fleur, president and CEO of The Philadelphia Orchestra and Ensemble Arts. “Kobie's proven fundraising expertise and deep connection to the arts, combined with Jamie’s vision for technology-driven transformation, position us to strengthen our impact, better serve our communities, and inspire the next generation of audiences.”

                                                                                 

Dr. Kobie Smith, Chief Philanthropy Officer

Smith brings nearly 20 years of philanthropy, fundraising, relationship management, and leadership experience to the nonprofit organization. He joins from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, where he most recently served as Executive Director of Development.

At Penn, Smith was instrumental in the Power of Penn campaign, raising $111 million for medical student scholarships, program enhancements, and a new medical education building. He also helped launch the first endowed scholarship funds for degrees in Bioethics, Combined MD/MBA (Wharton), Genetic Counseling, and Public Health. From 2020 to 2022, he also led Penn Medicine’s efforts to raise $21 million for health equity, access, and educational pipeline initiatives.

A member of Penn Medicine’s Chief Advancement Officer’s executive leadership team since 2020, Smith also began his career in development at the University of Cincinnati and later advanced fundraising at The Christ Hospital Health Network in Cincinnati, Ohio. Nationally, he has held leadership volunteer roles with the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE), and the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP). A trained opera singer and current Orchestra and Ensemble Arts patron, Smith holds a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance from the University of Alabama, a Master of Arts in Arts Administration from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, and a Doctor of Education in Higher Education from the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education.

 

Jamie Shover, Vice President of Information Technology
Shover joins from The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC, where she most recently served as Senior Director, Data & Systems. Shover will oversee the strategic use of technology to advance The Philadelphia Orchestra and Ensemble Arts’ mission and operations.

 

At the Kennedy Center, Shover led enterprise-wide initiatives in data-driven decision making, AI-enabled fundraising, customer relationship management, enterprise resource planning, and digital transformation, including large-scale cloud migrations. Her career also includes extensive consulting experience in data warehousing, database engineering, and data enablement across industries such as energy, banking, pharmaceuticals, and entertainment.

 

Shover has shared her expertise nationally, presenting on cloud transformation and data lake technologies for Amazon Web Services (AWS), Slalom, and other organizations. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in American Studies & Sociology from Dickinson College and is currently pursuing her master’s degree.

 

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