Phillip Bahar, the president and executive director of the Chicago Humanities Festival, is stepping down, according to announcements from Bahar and the organization. The Chicago Humanities board of directors is launching a national search for his successor.

Bahar, who has led the Chicago Humanities nonprofit since he was appointed in 2013 , is leaving to become the director of the Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum at Michigan State University.

According to his letter, emailed on Wednesday to followers of the festival, Bahar is departing at the end of this season.

“During my tenure, you’ve helped us grow from a beloved seasonal affair into a year-round institution welcoming world-renowned authors, artists and thinkers,” he wrote in part, “and creating space for voices from every corner o

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