Joan McLean Braun built CU Presents into what it is today: the home of all performing arts at the University of Colorado Boulder, with 500 events a year spanning from opera and concerts to Shakespeare and theater.
Braun, born and raised in Boulder and an alum of the university, was appointed the executive director of CU Presents in 2001 and will retire in June after a 30-year career at CU Boulder.
“We were not CU Presents before (2001), so to come together and have that organization be successful and of value to the partner organizations is absolutely a legacy that I’m really proud of,” Braun said.
Sabine Kortals Stein, the senior director of communications for the College of Music, said Braun’s passion for the arts led to her vision for CU Presents.
“She really single-handedly built this entity that is now CU Presents,” Stein said, adding, “She had the vision and foresight and knew who to collaborate with.”
John Davis, dean of the College of Music, said Braun brought art to people who didn’t have prior exposure to it and created a culture of attending diverse events by bringing worldly artists to Boulder.
For example, in the Artist Series, CU Presents brings the best music and dance performers to Boulder from around the world, including Yo-Yo Ma and the Martha Graham Dance Company.
“In the Artist Series, you see (Braun) and the work she’s done for decades,” Davis said. “In that way, she’s impacted CU Boulder on many levels … and she’ll be remembered at CU Boulder for many years to come.”
Braun said she’s had a wonderful career with work that’s been personally very meaningful.
“One thing that I’ve learned in this work is the value of a shared experience that one gets by being in a performance with other human beings in the moment, is really effective in creating community and bridging differences,” Braun said.
“It’s also a really wonderful way to open doors in terms of educating people or understanding things about different cultures. That’s something I really enjoy being able to do and bring to our stage.”
Braun said even though Boulder doesn’t have a lot of ethnic diversity, the community is interested in it. Through CU Presents, Boulder County residents are able to experience artists they wouldn’t otherwise, unless they travel to Denver or beyond.
“It’s an opportunity to understand somebody whose life and background and cultural experiences are very different from yours,” Braun said.
Braun said the performing arts are uplifting, beautiful and uniting.
“There’s inspiration and different lessons people come away with,” Braun said. “It’s been immensely enjoyable and gratifying.”
Stein said Braun exemplifies CU Boulder’s mission to create universal musicians, or musicians that are multifaceted in their skills and careers. Braun is a broadly-based professional, Stein said, who started in music and had a flexible career that remained rooted in the arts.
“We’re also really proud of her because she exemplifies what we’re trying to do for our students,” Stein said.
Davis said Braun is an empathetic leader and makes her team feel heard. He said Braun encourages her team to be the best it can, and the results speak for themselves.
“She’s one of those people you aspire to be, especially as a leader,” Davis said.
Braun said she’s looking forward to enjoying life in retirement. She’s close with her family and wants to spend more time with her 2-year-old grandson. Braun loves to be outside, and wants to spend more time hiking, traveling, gardening and skiing.
“I’ve brought what I see and my unique abilities and talents to this job, and I’m intrigued to pass the torch, in a way, to see what somebody else can do at this point,” Braun said. “And they’ll take it further.”
Davis said Braun will be missed, but her fans in the CU Boulder community are also delighted that she gets a chance to enjoy her children and grandchild and take time for herself.
“It’s both a sad time for us but also cause to celebrate, and celebrating Joan is an easy thing to do,” Davis said.
Get more Colorado news by signing up for our Mile High Roundup email newsletter.
