Muller to succeed Chairman Richard B. Worley who will conclude a decade of inspired leadership in December
(Philadelphia, October 17, 2019)—The Philadelphia Orchestra Association announced today that Ralph W. Muller has been named chairman-elect by the Board of Directors. Muller’s three-year term will begin January 1, 2020, succeeding Richard B. Worley, who has chaired the Board of Directors since September 2009.
Muller has been a member of the Board of Directors of The Philadelphia Orchestra Association since 2009, serving on the Strategic Planning Steering Committee from 2010 to 2011, as a member of the Executive Committee since 2010, and as Finance Committee chair since 2017. He chaired the CEO Search Committee responsible for hiring President and CEO Matías Tarnopolsky. In May 2019 he spearheaded the new Philadelphia Cultural Pass pilot grant program, an effort to support vital arts and culture institutions in the city and to offer valuable opportunities for staff of Penn Medicine and Drexel University to gain access to The Philadelphia Orchestra, Philadelphia Museum of Art, and the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts.
In June 2019 Muller concluded his 17-year tenure as CEO of the University of Pennsylvania Health System (UPHS), where he helped to transform Philadelphia’s health care landscape, expanded UPHS’s footprint throughout the region, and supported the incubation of groundbreaking innovations that have reshaped 21st-century health-care delivery.
“It has been the honor of a lifetime to chair The Philadelphia Orchestra Board,” said Worley. “I am delighted to be succeeded by my friend and colleague Ralph Muller. The Orchestra’s impact throughout Philadelphia, across the country, and around the world is extraordinary, and I am profoundly grateful to have experienced this firsthand for so many years. With Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin and President and CEO Matías Tarnopolsky ushering in the next era of the Orchestra with Ralph as Chair, I can say with great confidence that the future is very bright for Your Philadelphia Orchestra.”
“It is a privilege to succeed Rich as Chair,” said Muller. “His love of the Orchestra, inspirational leadership, and unfailing advocacy have left the organization in a place of strength. I look forward to working with Matías, Yannick, the Board, musicians, and staff to maintain and enhance the contributions of this true cultural treasure of Philadelphia and the world.”
“We are boldly writing the next chapter of The Philadelphia Orchestra’s story. This new era is possible thanks to the tireless and inspired leadership of Rich Worley, whose support of the Orchestra has been nothing short of extraordinary,” said President and CEO Matías Tarnopolsky. “In Ralph Muller we have a visionary leader committed to helping us achieve our ambitious goals. With his transformational work at Penn Medicine and his steadfast support of Philadelphia’s most prominent cultural institutions, I know he will be a dynamic partner in creating a strong, durable, and exciting framework for the future of the Orchestra. I very much look forward to working with Ralph on this exciting journey.”
Muller began his career in academia. Prior to joining UPHS in 2003, he was president of the University of Chicago Hospitals and Health System from 1985 to 2001. He was a visiting fellow at the Kings Fund in London from 2001 to 2002. From 1985 to 1986 Muller served as the deputy dean of the Division of the Biological Sciences at the Pritzker School of Medicine at the University of Chicago. Before joining the University of Chicago, he held senior positions with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, serving as deputy commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Public Welfare, where he was the chief operating officer responsible for the state's major welfare programs. Muller received his bachelor's degree in economics from Syracuse University and a master's degree in government from Harvard University.
Muller has been a national leader in healthcare. He is a director of the National Committee for Quality Assurance and has served as commissioner on the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission, commissioner of The Joint Commission, chairman of the Association of American Medical Colleges, chairman of the Council of Teaching Hospitals and Health Systems, chairman of the University HealthSystem Consortium, and chairman of the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago. He is an elected member of the National Academies of Medicine and a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He also serves on the Board of WHYY.
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