The Cliburn Board of Directors announces that it has elected Michelle Marlow as chairman. Ms. Marlow—a children's author, speech language pathologist, and active community volunteer—began her Cliburn board service as a member of the Trust Committee in 2014, and has served on the Executive Committee as vice chairman since 2022. She was initially introduced to the Cliburn as her placement with the Junior League of Fort Worth in 1995; she went on to volunteer in the gift shop for many competitions.
Of her election, Ms. Marlow said: “As I step into this role as board chair, I carry with me a lesson my father always shared: ‘Never forget your roots.’ It is by honoring where we come from that we can truly nurture the artistry, community, and legacy that make the Cliburn extraordinary.”
Ms. Marlow succeeds Jeffrey B. King, who has served as chairman since September 2017. During his tenure, he has presided over two Van Cliburn International Piano Competitions, one Cliburn Amateur Competition, and two Cliburn Junior Competitions, as well as major expansions in the organization’s concert and educational programs and exponential growth in international reach.
About Michelle Marlow
Michelle Marlow grew up on a small ranch in Shiner, Texas, where her father was the local veterinarian and her mother was a public school speech language pathologist. She moved to Fort Worth to attend Texas Christian University, where she followed in her mother's footsteps, choosing the same field of study. A clinically certified speech language pathologist, she has worked in private practice providing services to children—from toddlers to high-schoolers—with speech and language impairments for three decades. She has also written and published seven children's books in her Series-of-Hard-to-Prounce-Letters, centered around common speech challenges, including I Can with Van, which tells the inspiring story of Van Cliburn.
A dedicated community leader in Fort Worth, Ms. Marlow holds or has held major leadership roles with Jewel Charity, Junior League of Fort Worth, Texas Christian University, Fort Worth Country Day, Cook Children's Medical Center, and the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, among others. She and her husband Scott, a cardiac anesthesiologist, are parents to four boys.
