| PHILANTHROPY
Philanthropy has been a lifelong pursuit for Chas Miller, beginning with his first involvement in the Adopt-A-Brick campaign for the Maryland Science Center in the 1970s. What started as an early act of civic engagement evolved into a distinguished career dedicated to supporting and advising cultural and nonprofit organizations.
As president and owner of Forward/Miller LLC, Chas brings more than 35 years of experience working with institutions across the arts, education, heritage, and philanthropy. His consulting practice focuses on management, relationship building, and strategic program development for organizations that advance cultural and educational missions.
Chas has served as a Board Member of the Newport Art Museum (through June 2024), where he chaired the Buildings and Grounds Committee and continues to serve as an external member. He is also Vice President and a founding Board Member of the Havana Heritage Foundation, helping to establish programs such as the Traveling Grant for Cuban Architects, a collaboration with The Prince’s Foundation in the United Kingdom.
He is a founding member of the American University of Paris President’s Alumni Advisory Council and serves on the Collections Committee, Newport Symposium Committee, and Kingscote House Committee of the Preservation Society of Newport County (the Newport Mansions). Until recently, he served as Vice Chair of International Arts & Artists in Washington, D.C.
Chas is a member of the Olana Partnership’s Emeritus Council, having previously served as Vice Chair of its Board of Trustees and on the Curatorial Committee of Olana State Historic Site, which preserves the home and estate of 19th-century Hudson River School painter Frederic Edwin Church. He also chaired the Hudson Opera House Advisory Board (now Hudson Hall), served on a funding committee for the Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation, and was a founding Board Member of the Northwest Connecticut Arts Council.
Among his longtime clients was Sir John Soane’s Museum Foundation (2005–2018), where he served as Executive Director, advancing its mission through programs, study trips, and events. From 2004 to 2009, he also served as Senior Consultant to the Office of University Programs and Events within the Office of the President at Columbia University, contributing to numerous high-profile institutional initiatives.
Before launching Forward/Miller in 1994, Chas worked in the development office of the American Academy in Rome, where he played a leading role in organizing the Academy’s 1994 Centennial Celebrations in Washington, D.C., New York, and Rome. Earlier in his career, he served with the National Trust for Historic Preservation in Washington, D.C., gaining formative experience in advocacy and preservation.
When it comes to philanthropy, Chas Miller brings a broad range of experience and insight in managing donations, targeted solicitations, and strategic giving opportunities. Having worked with communities from Washington, D.C., to upstate New York, and from the Connecticut Valley to Rhode Island, he offers the unique perspective of someone deeply engaged in the nonprofit sector from multiple vantage points—as both a professional advisor and an active participant.
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