Joe became CEO of the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra in Summer 2019. A professional cellist himself, he became hooked on the WCO in the last Masterworks performance of 2019 when he was a candidate for the position of CEO.
“The first half of that Masterworks included the very dark and morbid Symphony No. 14, Op. 135 by Shostakovich. Andrew foreshadowed the morbidity of this work to the audience before performing it. Returning from intermission, Andrew looks at the crowd and says, ‘Oh hello. You are still here!’ That moment showed the depth, trust, and personality of the WCO family,” says Loehnis.
Prior to the WCO, Joe served as Executive Director of The First Tee of South Central Wisconsin, a global youth development organization teaching and reinforcing life skills through the game of golf. During his six-year tenure, Joe drove an increase in participation from 8,000 to over 15,000 youth and increased revenue from $200K to $900K. He chaired the national advisory board of Executive Directors, reporting directly to the organization’s global CEO.
Joe earned an MBA in Finance from the University of Wisconsin–Madison and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Cello Performance from Lawrence University. He served on the Advisory Board at UW–Madison Business School and gave its commencement speech. Joe captained the men’s golf team at Lawrence University and become the only golfer in the school’s 160-year history to be named to the All-American Golf Team.
Post undergrad, Joe pursued his dream of playing golf on the PGA Tour, playing on the professional tours in Florida and competed in over 75 events, finishing in the top 5 in several tournaments.
As a musician, Joe became a professional orchestral cellist at age 16, the youngest player to attain a tenured position in the Green Bay Symphony Orchestra. He played in four orchestras in Wisconsin and was the principal cellist of the Vero Beach Chamber Orchestra. He has soloed with three orchestras and has taught over 50 cello students privately and continues to teach.
An avid cyclist and intensive meditation practitioner, Joe lives in Madison with his wife Evan, son Levi, and daughter Sunny.
