Denino appointed interim CEO of Society
Strengths include relationships, communication, project implementation, results
Steve Denino, an influential leader on the Barbershop Harmony Society Board of Directors, has been appointed the Society’s interim chief executive officer and executive director through 2025, effective immediately.
He replaces Marty Monson, who announced last month he is stepping down after 11 years in the role.
Denino has been on the Society Board six years, the last three as executive vice president; he also has served as chair of its strategic planning committee. He was a founding member of the BHS Leadership Operations Team, which was created to support local chapters as they grow in membership, talent and community impact. As CEO, Denino will be an ex-officio member of the Board.
An executive in the computer services and insurance industries, Denino leads large-scale, mission-critical projects through the engagement and accountability of employee teams and key stakeholders. He spent the last nine years with Nationwide Mutual Insurance.
“Steve’s professional experience, his decades of Society membership and his years on the Board will ensure we don’t lose ground during this transition and in fact will quickly create momentum,” Society President John Santora said. “Steve will work with the Board, staff, district leaders and Harmony Foundation International to rally us all around shared goals.”
Denino is well regarded for fostering strong relationships across stakeholder groups and for his commitment to transparent communication.
“Steve has the talent and personality we need to forge a resurgent future — a future that supports current and prospective barbershop singers with diverse backgrounds and musical priorities,” Santora said.
Several individuals were considered for the interim role, with Denino ultimately selected for his ability to foster both stability and an exciting path forward for the Society.
Denino said he and his wife, Kerry, who also sings barbershop, discussed the CEO role at length and agreed he should help the Society identify and leverage strategic opportunities in the evolving, post-COVID world.
“The Society will move forward with transparency, accountability and a healthy dose of innovation,” Denino said. “Our future rests in the collective efforts of the Board, staff, district and chapter volunteers and our partners at HFI.”
Denino credits Monson for the Everyone in Harmony initiative and for seeing the Society through the pandemic.
“I look forward to continuing the momentum Marty started,” Denino said. “I appreciate Marty most for serving Society members with his whole heart and soul; that’s a model all of us should follow.”
Denino is a member of The Alliance Chorus and sings bass with The Core quartet, which has placed in the top 20 at each BHS International Convention since 2014, including 10th in Louisville this July.
He began singing barbershop at age 12 with his father and two brothers in a quartet called Denino’s Homegrown Harmony. He believes strongly that barbershop should be open to everyone.
“Barbershop is for all of us, regardless of factors such as ethnicity, identity or whether you want to sing for fun and community service or are driven to compete,” Denino said. “At the end of the day, barbershop changes lives. We must create options and opportunities to sing.”
According to Society bylaws, the Board will hold a special election to fill its vacant executive vice president position.