By Jeff Sherman OnMilwaukee.com Staff Writer Published Mar 28, 2007 at 2:21 PM

Neil Hoffman, a three-time college president and lifelong advocate for the arts and community arts education, has been appointed the next president of the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD). He will begin working at Wisconsin's only independent, four-year college of art and design on June 1.

Hoffman has twice served at the Otis College of Art and Design in Los Angeles, as president from 1993-2000 and as dean and chief executive officer from 1979-'83, during which time he converted the then two-year publicly operated college to a comprehensive, independent four-year college. In between his positions at Otis, he served from 1985-'93 as president of the California College of Arts and Crafts in Oakland.

Hoffman succeeds Mary C. Schopp, who has served as MIAD’s acting president since Robert Rindler’s resignation in August 2006. She will return to her former position of executive vice president. Hoffman and his wife, Sue, plan to attend Creative Fusion, a new celebratory benefit at the college, on May 5.  

Jeff Sherman OnMilwaukee.com Staff Writer

A life-long and passionate community leader and Milwaukeean, Jeff Sherman is a co-founder of OnMilwaukee.

He grew up in Wauwatosa and graduated from Marquette University, as a Warrior. He holds an MBA from Cardinal Stritch University, and is the founding president of Young Professionals of Milwaukee (YPM)/Fuel Milwaukee.

Early in his career, Sherman was one of youngest members of the Greater Milwaukee Committee, and currently is involved in numerous civic and community groups - including board positions at The Wisconsin Center District, Wisconsin Club and Marcus Center for the Performing Arts.  He's honored to have been named to The Business Journal's "30 under 30" and Milwaukee Magazine's "35 under 35" lists.  

He owns a condo in Downtown and lives in greater Milwaukee with his wife Stephanie, his son, Jake, and daughter Pierce. He's a political, music, sports and news junkie and thinks, for what it's worth, that all new movies should be released in theaters, on demand, online and on DVD simultaneously.

He also thinks you should read OnMilwaukee each and every day.