Meet the Composer first hired Hitchens in 1996 as its director of development; she was appointed president in 1999. She has developed and directed grant-making programs that have distributed over $10 million to music, dance, theater and arts organizations nationwide. Hitchens was also responsible for a more than 30-fold increase in individual giving, and she has established a multi-million dollar endowment fund.

"I'm extremely proud of what we have accomplished over the past eight years," she said. "NYSCA represents a tremendous opportunity for me to extend this work."

When named the executive director of the Delaware Symphony Orchestra at age 24, Hitchens became the youngest person ever to run a professional symphony orchestra in the U.S.

Hitchens holds a B.M. from DePauw University and an M.S. in arts administration from Drexel University University. She will begin her new job on August 1.