The Chautauqua Institution Board of Trustees will have a new leader in the fall. On Tuesday, the board announced that Laurie Branch has been elected to succeed Candace Maxwell as board chair, effective October 1st. Maxwell will have completed three consecutive two-year terms as chair, which is the maximum allowed under the board's bylaws.
Branch is a fourth-generation Chautauquan and a lifelong summer resident of the Institution grounds. A resident of Longboat Key, Florida, and originally from Olean, Branch is CEO and President of Ironpeak, Inc., one of the oldest and largest networks of independent property and casualty agencies in the country. Holding three Master's degrees and a Ph.D., she also teaches at the undergraduate and graduate levels at St. Bonaventure University. She has served as a member of the Chautauqua board since October 2022 and is currently chair of its Budget and Finance Committee.
In addition to her volunteer service to Chautauqua, Branch has served on the boards of St. Bonaventure University and the Western New York Nature Conservancy. She also served for 15 years on the Board of Education for the Olean City School District.
