The law firm of Gallagher & Kennedy announced that Ryan B. Opel has been elected to the office of Vice Chair, Nominating & Governance, for The Phoenix Symphony Association. Mr. Opel joined the Symphony’s Board of Directors in 2012 and became Chairman of the Education and Community Engagement Committee in 2013.
“I am honored to serve the community through The Phoenix Symphony,” said Opel. “Music has shaped my life in very significant ways, so I relish this opportunity to give something back.”
Mr. Opel has been involved in the performing arts since childhood when he began playing the violin at the age of four. His grandmother was a violinist in the early years of The Phoenix Symphony and taught violin in Scottsdale for much of her career.
A shareholder in Gallagher & Kennedy’s Business Law & Transactions group, Mr. Opel represents clients in a wide variety of business transactions and corporate matters. His professional and philanthropic experience includes working with nonprofit corporations to implement best practices in nonprofit governance. In addition to his role with The Phoenix Symphony, he also serves on the Board of Directors for Arizona Musicfest. Prior to relocating to Arizona in 2012, Mr. Opel was a member of the Board of Directors for the Winston-Salem Symphony and Piedmont Opera in North Carolina. Mr. Opel earned his J.D., cum laude, in 2002 from Duke University where he was Managing Editor of the Duke Law Journal. He also holds an M.A. in Psychology from Duke University and a B.A., summa cum laude, from Wake Forest University.
