#and board chair of a nonprofit theater company

[andallthatmishigas]

I thought it was gonna be a miracle if I did better than a 65 on my final. I needed a 64 to be able to pass the class. I was fucking terrified I would be stuck doing an extra semester for my degree if I didn’t pass this class.

Grade finally posted today. A-

My jaw legit dropped. I don’t know how this happened. I am in shock.

But now I’m gonna prep my library to be painted and drink a 2013 red wine and celebrate.

[swanlake1998]

Article: Ballet Tech Names a New Artistic Director

Date: July 2, 2021

By: Peter Libbey

Dionne Figgins will succeed Eliot Feld, the founder of the dance nonprofit and school.

Ballet Tech, the nonprofit group that has made ballet training accessible to thousands of promising New York schoolchildren, has a new leader. The organization announced on Friday that the dancer Dionne D. Figgins would succeed Eliot Feld, its founder, as artistic director in August.

“We are overjoyed to have found in Dionne the ideal person to collaborate with Ballet Tech’s staff, board and community to carry its foundational ideas forward,” said Patricia Crown, the chair of the Ballet Tech Foundation’s board of directors.

When the pandemic struck, Figgins was preparing to perform in the musical “A Wonderful World,” about Louis Armstrong, in Miami. But when performances were canceled, she began teaching dance online for Jones-Haywood School of Ballet in Washington. It was that experience that convinced her to move away from the stage toward the studio and the classroom.

“I was really inspired by my students’ determination,” she said. “I was inspired by how much they were giving into the space, and it made me really realize that this was a space that I should be in all the time.”

Figgins began her career at Dance Theater of Harlem, where she performed lead roles in George Balanchine’s “Four Temperaments” and “Agon,” among other ballets. She is also a Broadway performer, having appeared in several productions, including “Motown: The Musical” and “Memphis.”

In 2012, she founded Broadway Serves, a nonprofit dedicated to creating community service opportunities for theater professionals, with Dana Marie Ingraham and Kimberly Marable.

Field, 78, shared his plans to retire last year, citing his desire to “pass the baton” to a new generation of leadership. “I want to wish Dionne my fond hopes and goodwill in completing the work I left half done,” he said in a statement.

That work includes Feld’s goal of recruiting students from every public elementary school in the city. Figgins said in an interview that “part of my mission is to come in and to get those other schools on board with what is happening at Ballet Tech so that they at least know that this is an option.”

The educational initiative that became Ballet Tech began in the late 1970s as an offshoot of Feld Ballet, the founder’s professional company. Public schoolchildren from grades three to five were invited to try out and those who showed aptitude for dance were given the opportunity to learn more at Feld’s studio near Union Square in Manhattan.

Ballet Tech, which created its own public school for grades four through eight in 1996, estimates it has auditioned around 900,000 students and enrolled more than 20,000 in tuition-free instruction over more than 40 years.

[roysexton]

Incredibly honored to be named among Crain’s Detroit Business’ “NOTABLE LGBTQ IN BUSINESS.” Thank you to Matt Friedman, Susan Ahern, Kelly MacKinnon, DeLashea Strawder, and Kim Kelly for their friendship and support during the nomination and selection process. And to my husband John and my parents Don and Susie Sexton – you are everything to me. ❤️ My profile: https://www.crainsdetroit.com/awards/roy-sexton-notable-lgbtq-2021 Full list of honorees: https://www.crainsdetroit.com/awards/notable-lgbtq-business About the recognition: “The leaders on this list are change-agents, door-openers and role models, their peers and colleagues told us. They create safety and community where they live and work. They hire and mentor other #LBGTQ people and help them succeed. Many of them said that coming out and being themselves at work has been a journey, reminding us that the gains made for LGBTQ equity have been expansive in a relatively short period of time — within the span of many of these professionals’ careers. “Roy Sexton joined Clark Hill three years ago as marketing manager, but the firm quickly promoted him to director. Now he oversees a team of professionals across the country and supports affinity programs at Clark Hill, including BOLD for women, PRIDE for LGBTQI employees and THRIVE for people of color. “In 2018, Michigan Lawyers Weekly named him an Unsung Legal Hero for consistently going beyond the call of duty. “As treasurer of the international board of the Legal Marketing Association, Sexton helped launch an outside DEI consultancy. He is also a guest on podcasts where he illustrates how inclusion brings growth and success to any organization. “In the nonprofit realm, Sexton co-founded The Penny Seats, an outdoor theater company in Ann Arbor. He also chaired the governance committee for Mosaic Youth Theatre of Detroit.” @crainsdetroit @lmaintl @mosaicdetroit @rmhcannarbor @pennyseats (at Saline, Michigan) https://www.instagram.com/p/CTdjwqbDCCQ/?utm_medium=tumblr

[helperderato]

Joe earman vero beach

DOWNLOAD NOW Joe earman vero beach

Jones, Nunn and Dodd appointed to Fla. John Earman Addresses 461 W Lytle St Lot 52, Fostoria, OH 6007 Sequoia Cir, Vero Beach, FL 3022 Pinetree, Winter Haven, FL 1 Thistlewood Pl, Spring, TX 689.It is the county’s designated arts agency.įor more information about the Cultural Council, visit call 77. Ben can be reached at Stories The Cultural Council of Indian River County, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization, promotes visual, literary and performing arts through education, collaboration, marketing and advocacy to enrich the lives of residents and visitors. I bring excitement and a great desire to see that the Cultural Council strengthens and grows as a resource and a valuable asset to the arts community.”Įarman received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Performing Arts from the University of Tampa, an Associates Degree in Education from Indian River Stage College and is an alumnus of the Indian River Charter High School for Visual & Performing Arts. “My connections and involvements are diverse and extensive. “My family and I have strong roots in the community,” Earman said. Notably, he has performed in and directed many lauded shows for the Vero Beach Theatre Guild. His acting credits include Riverside Theatre in Vero Beach, The Pineapple Playhouse in Fort Pierce, The Barn Theatre in Stuart and The Henegar Center for the Arts in Melbourne. His father, Joe Earman, was recently elected to the Board of County Commissioners and was a former Captain for Indian River County Fire Rescue.In addition, the regional theater scene is familiar territory for Earman. He is a lifelong, fourth generation resident of Indian River County. “We are fortunate that Ben has a wide range of experience in the arts and are confident in his ability to lead the Cultural Council forward,” said Alicia Quinn, Chair of the Board of Directors.Įarman’s hiring comes as the Cultural Council re-energizes itself following the retirement of Hoffman last year. Just recently, he was appointed to the City of Vero Beach’s Three Corners Steering Committee, and he also serves on committees for the We Care Foundation, Ballet Vero Beach, and Dancing with Vero’s Stars, after being a star dancer in 2018, and Ballet Vero Beach. He served on the Board of Directors for the Vero Beach Theatre Guild for three terms and twice as Vice President and on the board of the Indian River County Community Service Alliance. He has also worked for several Vero Beach nonprofits including the Education Foundation of Indian River County and the Senior Resource Association, where he handled fundraising, marketing and special events. Most recently, Earman, 33, was employed as the Gift Services Administrator at Riverside Theatre in Vero Beach. This event will sell out.Vero Beach resident Ben Earman was named Executive Director of the Cultural Council of Indian River County effective November 23.Earman replaces long-time Executive Director Barbara Hoffman who retired last year. All from the comfort of your own home! Tickets are $100 per household and include Preview Party Swag Bag containing bubbly, chocolates from Bruno's Chocolate Creations, a selection of Artistic Director/CEO Adam Schnell's favorite teas, and Ballet Vero Beach swag! $75 tickets are available for out of towners unable to collect a Swag Bag.Īttendance is limited to 200 households. Go behind the scenes of our forthcoming Nutcracker on the Indian River Film, enjoy live performances to preview the 2020-2021 Season, bid on our curated silent auction, and purchase raffle tickets to win an exclusive piece from Leigh Jewelers. On December 13 at 4:00pm, join the company for an online digital preview party to celebrate all things Ballet Vero Beach. December 13, 4:00pm Tickets Available November 27 at 10:00amīallet Vero Beach is thrilled to announce a pivot on our annual holiday fundraiser Tea Up For The Nutcracker.

DOWNLOAD NOW Joe earman vero beach

[flynncenter]

Not Just a Stage

This article was commissioned and paid for by Pomerleau Real Estate and published in Seven Days on April 8, 2020.

You can’t see a show right now at Burlington’s Flynn Center; the coronavirus pandemic shuttered the city’s iconic performing arts theater on March 13. The lovingly restored art deco hall is empty.

The nonprofit organization that runs the Flynn had to lay off 90 percent of its workforce, according to Kevin Titterton, director of marketing and communications. That includes the stage crew, box office staff and numerous arts educators; the organization hopes to bring many of them back once performances resume. “It’s a little grim right now, to be honest,” he said in a phone interview.

One source of comfort: The Flynn has overcome adversity, including two destructive floods, before. As we all stay home contemplating what our post-pandemic lives will look like, it’s helpful to consider how the renowned cultural center—now a 1,411-seat theater, a 180-seat cabaret space, an art gallery, two education studios and a wide variety of educational programs for Vermont students—came to be.

ACT ONE

Opened in 1930, the Flynn initially hosted vaudeville acts and what its first souvenir program called “sound pictures.” According to that program, the Flynn was richly appointed: “Luxurious carpets of deep pile, into which footsteps sink . . . Terrazzo, inlaid with brass strips, covers the floors of the lobby and men’s smoking room.”

By the 1970s, though, its glamour had faded. The Flynn had become a down-at-the-heels movie theater showing “adult” films. “Tawdry” is the adjective former executive director Andrea Rogers used to describe it at that point.

The effort to restore and improve the downtown landmark came from the all-volunteer Lyric Theatre, which had begun producing shows on the Flynn’s neglected main stage in 1974. The University of Vermont donated its expertise in historic preservation; the funding came largely from local businesses. When the nonprofit Flynn Theatre for the Performing Arts was formed in 1980 to buy the building, lawyer John Gravel was chair of the board; Ernest Pomerleau of Pomerleau Real Estate was vice chair. In addition to their own contributions, they leveraged a game-changing donation of $150,000 from IBM.

LOCAL PEOPLE AND BUSINESSES WILL RALLY TO RESURRECT THE FLYNN—NOT NATIONAL RETAILERS LIKE WALMART OR AMAZON.

On September 26, 1981, the Flynn hosted an opening gala featuring performances by the Vermont Symphony Orchestra, the Ketch Dance Company and Lyric Theatre. The event program listed donors large and small, along with the members of at least a dozen volunteer committees. And it was packed with ads from local businesses—Pizzagalli Construction, Expressions, Michael Kehoe, the Rusty Scuffer, Lake Champlain Ferries, the Shoe Horn, Nan Patrick, Champlain Cable Corp., Nectar’s.

In the same program, Rogers acknowledged the “exciting moment, this rebirth” while preparing the local audience for improvements still to come: “The marquee and the front entrance have been lovingly painted and restored, and we’ve brought in lots of props to make the lobbies look and feel elegant. But the performers still have no dressing rooms, no bathrooms, no proper lighting, and the technical crews are working with 1930s rigging.”

ACT TWO

That dream had to be delayed longer than expected. Just a few months after the opening, on a cold January night in 1982, the building’s boiler failed, triggering the sprinkler system. Rogers rushed to the scene early the next morning. “When we went into the theater, there was water in the orchestra pit, water raining down from the beautiful light fixtures,” she recalled.

It was a major setback, for sure, and cruelly timed. But the local community rallied. People who had already given generously to the restoration eff ort reached back into their pockets—and hearts—to donate money and time to make the needed improvements. Two months after the damage, the Vienna Boys Choir performed to a sold-out crowd. It was the first of many shows that have moved Vermont audiences to their feet and put the state on the cultural map. Rogers led the organization until she retired in 2010.

Restoring the Flynn’s marquee in the 1980s

Her successor, John Killacky, stayed for eight years; he’s now in the Vermont legislature representing South Burlington. What Killacky loved most was seeing schoolchildren visit for student matinees, “especially the little ones, their little heads just poking over the tops of the seats.” He remembered watching a pair of students walking up the aisle on their way out of a show. “Those were real live people up there,” one said to the other. “I thought, ‘That person’s world has just been changed by the Flynn,’” he said.

TO ME, THE ARTS ARE WHERE HOPE LIVES. John Killacky, former Flynn Center executive director

Those young people sometimes return. Killacky recalled watching Grace Potter perform in October 2011 for “Goodnight Irene: A Flood Benefit.” The Waitsfield native told the audience she attended shows at Flynn as a child and imagined herself up on the stage someday. “She said, ‘I’m so glad to be able to be here and to give back,’” Killacky recalled.

That same giving spirit will help Vermonters get through this hard time. Local people and businesses will rally to resurrect the Flynn—not national retailers like Walmart or Amazon.

It’s vital work, according to Killacky.

“To me,” he said, “the arts are where hope lives. For 90 years, the Flynn has delivered inspiration to millions of Vermonters. I can’t wait for the lights to go on again.”

[newyorktheater]

André Bishop, head of Lincoln Center Theater: $1 million Todd Haimes, Roundabout: $922,000. Oskar Eustis the Public Theater: $659,000 Lynne Meadows, MTC: $565,000 Carole Rothman, Second Stage $191,000 James Nicola, New York Theatre Workshop: $178,000

These are the latest known annual compensation for the artistic heads of NYC non-profit theaters, compiled by Philip Boroff in Broadway Journal, who judiciously explains the artistic and financial accomplishments of each, and points out their sacrifices: Rothman’s salary represents a 50 percent paycut from her previous annual compensation while fundraising for the Hayes.

“Not-for-profit leaders forego the potential windfall that commercial producers earn from a blockbuster, in favor of a job with steady income. Yet some company trustees and foundation leaders privately call the biggest nonprofit packages excessive, the appearance of which can deter donors.”

  November Theater Openings

Alia Shawkat in “The Second Woman”

October Quiz

  The Week in New York Theater Reviews

Aran Murphyas Hamnet, in person and projected onto the screen, along with Bush Moukarzel as his father Shakespeare

Hamnet and the absent (projected) Shakespeare, his father

Hamnet

William Shakespeare’s only son, named Hamnet, died when he was 11 years old; a few years later, the playwright wrote “Hamlet.”  The Irish theater troupe Dead Centre conjures up the Bard’s boy in the hour-long “Hamnet,” a whimsical, tender, technically innovative avant-garde play that features an extraordinary performance by a 12-year-old named Aran Murphy.

He Did What?

a ten-minute animated opera that was projected for free onto the wall of BAM’s Peter Jay Sharp building nightly from 7 to 10 p.m

Raul Esparza as a temperamental chef in “Seared”

W. Tre Davis

Raul Esparza and Krysta Rodriguez

Seared

Theresa Rebeck’s slight but savory comedy  about  running a restaurant stars Raúl Esparza as Harry, a hilariously mercurial chef-owner of a hole-in-the-wall eatery  that’s become the latest foodie destination. A blurb in New York Magazine has praised Harry’s ginger lemongrass scallops dish, so now the customers are flocking to the place and clamoring for the dish.

But Harry refuses to make it anymore.

“I’m not feeling the scallops,” he says.

Freestyle Love Supreme

Freestyle Love Supreme, the hip-hop improv group,is not so much Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Broadway follow-up to “Hamilton” as it is a subsidiary of Lin-Manuel Inc. …It is designed to feel good-natured and informal, like friends sitting around a dorm room at Wesleyan, even though there are 766 of us and we’re at the Booth Theater…That goodwill goes a long way.

Fear

Two adults are standing over a teenager named Jamie who is tied to a chair. Phil, a plumber, has kidnapped Jamie, and dragged him into this abandoned tool shed in the woods outside Princeton, New Jersey. Ethan, a professor, is trying to rescue Jamie…An eight-year-old girl from the neighborhood is missing, and Phil (Enrico Colantoni, who plays the genial father in Veronica Mars), has reason to suspect that Jamie (Alexander Garfin) has something to do with it.  Or does he?…A play that requires a vigorous suspension of disbelief. Yet, if you can get over that hurdle, it offers three good actors constantly playing with our perspective – not only about who did what but such issues as moral relativism, class tensions, and…fear

  The Sound Inside

“The Sound Inside” is a dark drama by Adam Rapp that keeps us in the dark, literally and figuratively, which works better while watching it on stage than thinking about it afterwards. Mary-Louise Parker portrays a middle-aged Yale professor named Bella Lee Baird, who prefers literature to life, and expects to die soon; she tells us she’s been diagnosed with cancer. Bella slowly develops a friendship with 18-year-old Christopher Dunn (Will Hochman), one of the students in her course…They turn out to share a taste in books, especially dark tales like Dostoevsky’s “Crime and Punishment,” which is one of so many book titles name-dropped during the course of the play that the script could serve as a reading list (which I include in the review.)

Monsoon Season

Lizzie Vieh’s black comedy about a divorced couple permanently underwater in Phoenix Arizona, is clever and merciless, but it is also oddly compassionate….Danny and his ex-wife Julia may be losers who constantly make laughably wrong choices, but they are trying to do right, to be better.

The Week in New York Theater News

“The Minutes,” Tracy Letts’ most political play to date, will have its first preview on February 25, as this cryptic e-mail revealed. No theater or cast have been announced. The play, which premiered at the Steppenwolf Theater in Chicago in 2017, is about a City Council meeting in the fictional town called Big Cherry that turns ominous. Letts began work on it before the 2016 election,

“The play is not about Trump or Trumpism — I don’t find him a particularly complicated figure — but it is about this contentious moment we’re having in American politics in the last few years,”

Andrew Garfield will star in the Netflix adaptation of Rent playwright Jonathan Larson’s autobiographical musical tick…tick…BOOM, directed by Lin-Manuel Miranda.

    Lear deBessonet will lead Encores!  starting officially in the 2021 season, succeeding Jack Viertel

Samira Wiley and Dominic Fumusa will star In Molière in the Park‘s “The School for Wives” in Prospect Park, November 13 and 14 FREE.

  Thomas Finkelpearl is leaving his job as cultural affairs commissioner after five years. “The timing of it is suspect,” councilman Jimmy Van Bramer, chair of the city council’s cultural affairs committee, told NY1. Some speculate he’s unfairly taking the fall for the various controversies and glitches over the city’s plan to build more statues honoring women and people of color. Finkelpearl helped spearhead the city’s efforts to tie its funding to the diversity of arts institutions’ employees and board members under the cultural plan, unveiled in 2017.

Billy Porter, performer, now playwright

Idina Menzel, Lea Michele and Billy Porter will be among those performing at the 93rd annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade

Remember when Billy Porter performed at the parade in 2013, as Lola in Kinky Boots?  and conservatives were outraged? Have times changed?

  Times Square is presenting its first annual Show Globes, displaying giant snow globe-like sculptures of   Dear Evan Hansen, Wicked, Ain’t Too Proud, and The Lion King. On Broadway Plaza in Times Square between 44th and 45th streets through December 26.

2020 Seasons

  2020 Under the Radar Festival celebrates its 16th season with a line-up of groundbreaking artists across the U.S. and around the world, including Australia, Chile, China, Japan, Mexico, Palestine, Taiwan, and the UK.

92nd Street Y’s Lyrics and Lyricists

Yip Harburg Jan 25-27 Jerry Herman Feb 22-24 George Gershwin March 21-23 Stephen Schwartz and Broadway’s Next Generation (featuring Schwartz and Ns Marcy Heisler & Zina Goldrich, John Bucchino, Khiyon Hursey) April 18-20 George Abbott and the Making of the American Musical May 30-June 1

  Lincoln Center’s American Songbook Series

  Andre De Shields January 29 Joe Iconis Feb 1 Ali Stroker Feb 28

   Theatre Row, a six-theatre complex located on 42nd Street in Midtown Manhattan, has announced the Off-Off-Broadway companies that will be making work at its spaces, as part of the complex’s new Kitchen Sink Residency. The two-year program will give the companies space to develop new work, culminating in a three-week production run. The companies are the Assembly, Broken Box Mime Theater, LubDub Theatre Company, Noor Theatre, and Superhero Clubhouse.

The Critic Unmellowed

From Wall Street Journal interview  with John Simon, 94:

“His penchant for criticizing actors’ and actresses’ physical traits —he once wrote unkindly about Liza Minnelli’s face, and another time about Barbra Streisand’s nose— has also helped to make him repugnant to the city’s cultural elite. He contended at the time, and again to me, that such criticism is entirely legitimate if a performer fails to transcend his or her defects of appearance by force of talent.” (How does one “transcend” one’s appearance?)

On how theater has not declined:

“Things were never very good,” he says.“I don’t really see a decline. Looking back into the past always makes the past look better than it actually was,and the present worse, perhaps, than it actually is. . . Out of, I don’t know how many plays open in a season —a lot of them anyway—there may be two or three even worth bothering with. It has always been so.”

  Rest in Peace

Bernard Slade, 89, creator of the TV series “The Flying Nun” and “The Partridge Family,” but we know him as the Broadway playwright of “Same Time, Next Year,” a long-running and widely-produced stage comedy.

Andile Gumbi , 36, former Simba of Broadway’s The Lion King. He died of cardiac arrest while in Israel , Gumbi was portraying the lead role of King Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel The Musical at the Jerusalem Theater.

A memorial for Eric LaJuan Summers will be held on Nov 4th, 2019 at 9:30pm at The Green Room 42 on W42nd Street & 10th Ave. Members of the Broadway community will be performing.

    Non-Profit Pays! Letts’ Turn to Politics. #Stageworthy News of the Week André Bishop, head of Lincoln Center Theater: $1 million Todd Haimes, Roundabout: $922,000. Oskar Eustis the Public Theater: $659,000…

[earlrmerrill]

Ballet Des Moines – Executive Director

Reporting to and working closely with the board of directors, the Executive Director (ED), in partnership with the Artistic Director, will be responsible for the overall success and creative growth of Ballet Des Moines, including the vibrancy of its programs, operations, brand, facility, financial sustainability, and impact.

Organization Ballet Des Moines was founded in 2002 as the Ballet Theatre of Iowa. Its inaugural season included The Nutcracker, Swan Lake, and Divertimento. In 2005 Serkan Usta was named Artistic Director and the company was renamed Ballet Des Moines. In 2012 Ballet Des Moines launched its first professional company of resident dancers. Today, the organization focuses on enriching lives in the Greater Des Moines area by delivering excellence in the performing arts and striving to provide the highest level of dance education in the region. Ballet Des Moines’ mission as a professional organization is to offer people of all ages an opportunity to experience world-class ballet. Its vision is to be an integral part of the vibrant arts community by delivering excellence in ballet performance.

In 2009 Ballet Des Moines II was established as the company’s corps of pre-professional dancers who represent the organization through community outreach events and public performances. All members of Ballet Des Moines II are ambassadors for the organization and act as role models in the dance community. The purpose of Ballet Des Moines II is to be a transitory experience for artists pursuing a professional dance career. The experience gives the dancers not only a greater depth of training and diverse performance opportunities but also the tools and real-world experiences that all professional dancers come to expect.

Ballet Des Moines performs a season of three ballets and multiple outreach events in the beautifully restored 1,252-seat Hoyt Sherman Place Theater and other venues in Des Moines. The company is governed by a 12-member board of directors, led by Board President Erin Hockman.

Community State capital, business hub, and Midwestern town, Greater Des Moines prides itself on its schools, friendly communities, short commutes, affordable living, and world-class amenities. Greater Des Moines has been nationally recognized as a top place to live and work by publications such as Forbes and U.S. News & World Report. The city also ranks third in the nation for working parents and first for young families. At 88 percent, the state of Iowa boasts the highest high school graduation rate in the country. Iowa’s ACT and SAT college-entrance exam scores are also among the nation’s best. Des Moines’ employers include corporate leaders such as Principal, Wells Fargo, and Meredith Corporation, more than 80 insurance companies, various agencies headquartered in the Iowa Capitol Complex, and numerous science and health organizations, including five area hospitals.

Greater Des Moines has witnessed rapid development in recent years, with the third highest number of economic development projects in its population group in 2018. A revitalized downtown, changing demographics, multi-billion-dollar investments from Microsoft, Facebook, and Apple, have all been made possible by a forward-looking community that embraces new ideas. These developments are also reflected in the region’s arts and culture environment. New initiatives such as the Des Moines Social Club and Bravo Greater Des Moines are unique examples of visionary partnerships and approaches to investing in the arts.

The region has been rapidly growing over the past decade. In 2017 Des Moines had the fastest population growth of any major metropolitan area in the Midwest—a nearly 42 percent growth since the 2000 census. Since then, the number of people living downtown has more than doubled. As the surge continues, the region’s creative boosters are helping create culture by marketing Des Moines as an affordable option for creative and artistic entrepreneurs. As a result, Mainframe Studios, a 160,000-square-foot studio space located in Downtown Des Moines, is now the largest nonprofit arts space in the United States.

Greater Des Moines is home to a number of signature events, including the Iowa State Fair, Des Moines Arts Festival, and the Iowa caucuses. Arts, cultural, heritage, and recreational opportunities abound. The Principal Riverwalk includes landscaped public spaces, world-class public art, and unique pedestrian bridges and pathways that connect more than 800 miles of trails throughout the region. The 4.4-acre John and Mary Pappajohn Sculpture Park in downtown Des Moines features artwork from some of the world’s most celebrated artists. Other noted institutions include the Science Center of Iowa, Des Moines Art Center, and Des Moines Performing Arts, among others.

Sources: desmoinesmetro.com, dmschools.org, usatoday.com, catchdesmoines.com, futureready.dell.com, citylab.com, balletdesmoines.org, desmoinesregister.com

Position Summary Reporting to and working closely with the board of directors, the Executive Director (ED), in partnership with the Artistic Director, will be responsible for the overall success and creative growth of Ballet Des Moines, including the vibrancy of its programs, operations, brand, facility, financial sustainability, and impact. This individual will be the organization’s lead fundraiser, creating development strategies and implementing action plans that deepen relationships in all segments of the philanthropic community. The ED will effectively manage strategic partnerships, administration, marketing, development, finances, operations, and the supervision and development of human resources. The person in this role will be an active community member in Des Moines to build visibility and financial support for Ballet Des Moines, working collaboratively with the Artistic Director, board and staff members, other arts organizations, and community members to fulfill the organization’s mission.

Roles and Responsibilities

Development and Government Support

Spearhead the formulation of fundraising strategies and implement them with support from the staff and board to increase financial resources through the annual fund, special events, and planned giving fundraising activities.

Create corporate sponsorship opportunities, foundation and government grants, and special campaigns to maintain Ballet Des Moines’ position as a leading arts organization in Iowa.

Drive the cultivation and solicitation of major donors, individuals, foundations, corporations, and government.

Strategic Planning and Community Engagement

Establish, with the Artistic Director and board, the vision for Ballet Des Moines as an organization dedicated to maintaining a comprehensive performance and training institution and oversee short-term operational and long-term strategic planning and implementation processes.

Serve, along with the Artistic Director, as a main spokesperson to establish a broad public image for Ballet Des Moines, clearly articulating the organization’s needs and its long-term impacts on the community it serves.

Initiate, develop, and ensure strong, collaborative, and effective relations with arts organizations, community decisionmakers, government leaders, and other stakeholders in achieving mutually beneficial outcomes.

Oversee the planning, scheduling, management, and evaluation of a diverse array of annual activities.

Affirm Ballet Des Moines’ role as a vital regional arts organization with multiple constituents and develop relationships that enhance the organization’s goals.

Marketing and Sales

Develop marketing, communication, sales strategies, and initiatives that maximize ticket sales and other earned revenue opportunities.

Ensure the highest levels of excellence in the delivery of outstanding customer service.

Governance and Financial Accountability

Collaborate with the board to ensure strong fiscal health and organizational governance, including the scheduling of board meetings and the preparation and delivery of all relevant materials.

Provide support to best utilize the talents and resources of board members, stimulate board involvement, and recruit new members.

Advise the board and its committees on matters within the ED’s scope of responsibility to promote the efficient operation of Ballet Des Moines.

Develop and maintain fiscal responsibility for Ballet Des Moines’ annual operating budget and financial objectives and provide the most effective use of financial resources, working closely with the board.

Establish sound financial management and administrative policies and supervise the development of financial reports.

Enable sound practices and accountability for Ballet Des Moines’ information technologies and cyber security, including donor and patron information.

Understand and maintain compliance with best accounting practices, tax filing requirements, and audits.

Initiate ongoing effective communication with the Board Chair, board of directors, staff, volunteers, and other stakeholders.

Management and Operations

Supervise administrative staff and volunteers to ensure patrons, artists, students, and community members have a welcoming and high-quality experience.

Hire, train, mentor, evaluate, and create accountability measures for staff and volunteers while actively addressing their concerns in creating a safe, forward-thinking, and productive work environment.

Establish appropriate staffing levels with job descriptions, facilitate employee development, and maintain an environment where diverse individuals bring various talents, skills, and cultural competencies together to achieve common goals in support of Ballet Des Moines’ mission.

Monitor programming, operations, and facilities personnel to ensure that organizational policies are efficient and effective in resource utilization.

Ensure that all activities at Ballet Des Moines adhere to contractual agreements, meet legal and ethical obligations, and are consistent with the organization’s mission and values.

Create and actively promote a comfortable and welcoming environment where every stakeholder is treated with dignity and respect in a friendly and personal manner.

Traits and Characteristics A strategic, diplomatic, and entrepreneurial leader, the ED will articulate a vision and, in partnership with the Artistic Director and board, set the tone for Ballet Des Moines as a vibrant center for artistic, cultural, educational, and community activity. With an appreciation for practical accomplishments, the successful candidate will have the ability to manage the long-term strategic goals of the organization along with daily tasks. Resourceful and instinctive, the ED will value partnership, creativity, and self-expression.

Other key competencies include:

Leadership and Goal Orientation – The capacity to organize and motivate other people with a sense of purpose and direction while setting, pursuing, and attaining goals.

Self-Starting, Personal Accountability, and Time and Priority Management – The dexterity to demonstrate initiative and self-control, be answerable for personal actions, and manage time and priorities.

Project Management and Conflict Management – The ability to identify and oversee all resources, task, systems, and people to obtain results while demonstrating resolve to address conflict constructively.

Influencing Others and Futuristic Thinking – The commitment to personally affect others’ actions, decisions, opinions, or thinking to achieve a positive outcome while envisioning or predicting what has not yet been realized.

Qualifications Qualified applicants must have a bachelor’s degree and a minimum of five years of increasing responsibility in a senior management role at a similar dance, arts, cultural, or nonprofit organization. Direct experience in a nonprofit dance company would be an asset. Candidates should possess a strong command of the business and financial side of a nonprofit organization, including financial management, staff development, communication skills, and stakeholder relations. Candidates must know how to work effectively with an artistic director, board members, staff, volunteers, and community leaders. A commitment to Ballet Des Moines’ priorities of creating a highly regarded ballet company, training dancers, building a culture of engagement and innovation, and ensuring a broad base of stakeholder support and financial sustainability is needed.

Compensation and Benefits Ballet Des Moines provides competitive compensation and a benefits package that includes extended health insurance, paid time off and holidays, and the extraordinary quality of life and recreation opportunities offered by the beautiful Des Moines region.

Applications and Inquiries Please submit a letter and resume with a summary of demonstrable accomplishments (electronic submissions preferred) to:

Ms. Jenna Deja, Vice President Arts Consulting Group 201 West Lake Street, Suite 133 Chicago, IL 60606-1803 Tel (888) 234.4236 Ext. 227 Email BalletDesMoines@ArtsConsulting.com

Ballet Des Moines is an equal opportunity and inclusive employer and welcomes all applications.

Article source here:Arts Journal

[yesdiezzblog]

Colorado Springs credit union executive retiring after winning nearly every major business award

Just after Winter interned and then accepted a job at CIG in 1972, Houston-based energy giant Coastal Corp. approached the company about merging. CIG rejected the offer, but Coastal then launched a hostile and eventually successful takeover, and Winter thought the newest employees would quickly be shown the door.

"I knew nothing about the business. I had been recruited for the job because of the internship and I didn’t get any other job offers because we were in the middle of an economic downturn," Winter said. "I was pretty green during the takeover and people seem to go easily during those types of situations."

Instead, Winter, now 68, would spend 29 years with CIG and later add safety, administrative services, audio-visual, building management, the mail room and even the company’s aviation department to her management responsibilities.

"I have been able to survive and gain more responsibility over time," she said. "A lot of life is about luck, but it is also about doing a good job, improving and growing."

She eventually took early retirement in another subsequent merger and joined Ent Credit Union as its vice president of human resources just as southern Colorado’s largest financial institution was gearing up for a major growth spurt. She would later shift responsibilities to Ent’s philanthropy and community outreach, and now plans to retire (for a second time) Jan. 4, though she’ll remain active with several local nonprofits.

Winter is stepping down after receiving just about every major business award in the city, including the Athena Award from the chamber and the Accolades Business Executive of the Year from the Southern Colorado Women’s Chamber of Commerce.

She has served as a board member of Penrose-St. Francis Health Services and eventually its foundation, where she now serves as chair; Discover Goodwill Foundation, the Pikes Peak United Way, the Colorado Springs Chamber & EDC, Silver Key Senior Services and the YMCA of the Pikes Peak Region. She also serves on a committee that helps decide what road projects will be financed by its road repair sales tax.

She also helped put together a 15-year marketing and operating agreement, which included naming rights, worth $12.6 million that helped finance construction of the Ent Center for the Arts on the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs campus. The $60 million center opened early this year and includes a 700-seat theater and several other performance venues and art galleries.

She credits longtime CIG presidents Thomas Pelican and Peter King for mentoring and believing in her, which helped Winter both advance her career and learn skills as she took on more responsibilities. Winter said she was a "pretty good student" of business and management and learned quickly that high-ranking mentors could "take you under their wing and help you grow."

After nearly three decades at CIG, Winter saw they she wasn’t likely to survive the company’s next merger with El Paso Corp. in 2001. She helped set up severance packages for 375 employees who left CIG when El Paso acquired Coastal, and took one of those packages herself, believing that she was "lucky to retire early."

Source Article

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[jasonheart1]

Mom speaks after son's balcony death in Cap Hill

DENVER — Just weeks after a Denver man fell to his death off a balcony, his mother says the “freak accident” tragedy has brought a small amount of good through donations to something her son loved: the theater.

“He was a big personality in the world,” Kathryn Keller said about her son, 29-year-old Spencer Wedum.

Spencer was at a Halloween party this past October at a Capitol Hill apartment in Denver. He was sitting on the balcony when tragedy struck.

“He scooted his chair back and the legs of the chair fell between the floor and the backing of the balcony. And the back collapsed and he fell,” she said.

Wedum fell three stories. He never regained consciousness.

Denver Police say the case is still being investigated, but it appears to be a non-criminal death. 

“The detective said it was just a tragic accident,” his mom told Denver7. “I had two beautiful children and now I have one.”

He’s now remembered in pictures his mother keeps around his childhood home, along with the patch and button covered jean jacket he was known for. But that’s not the only way he's being remembered.

“The family would like Curious to be a beneficiary in terms of donations made in honor of - in memory of (Wedum),” Curious Theatre Company founder Chip Walton said.

Spencer and his mother attended performances at the Theatre Company on Acoma Street in Denver almost every month. When he died, his family asked for donations to go to a place he loved.

“I’m really honored to be able to have Spencer’s legacy live on here,” Walton said.

The nonprofit theater has received more than $5,000 in donations, and are still accepting more. They have plans to build flower planters near the entrance to the theater, complete with a name plate in honor of their dedicated supporter.

The hope is that honoring Wedum’s life and legacy can help alleviate some of the pain from his tragic death.

“I’m happy that they will continue their incredible work because of him,” Wedum's mom said.

On top of the theater donations, Wedum’s family has also directed donations in his name to his favorite animal rescue and his boarding school in New York.

Wedum’s mom also tells Denver7 her son was an organ donor, and that his heart valves, corneas, skin, and bone have all be donated to help others.

If you would like to donate to the Curious Theatre in memory of Spencer Wedum, you can do so at www.coloradogives.org/curioustheatrecompany.

from Local News https://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/front-range/denver/man-falls-to-his-death-off-denver-balcony-family-keeping-his-legacy-alive-through-theater-donations

[nilority-blog]

Just who are among the most influential blacks in technology? Here’s a snapshot: One leads a dominant software brand that enables thousands of companies and millions of people worldwide to avoid a range of cyberthreats. Another high-powered executive has unveiled the next generation in mobile technology that will dramatically change the way we work, live, and conduct business. One entrepreneur has built a company that uses innovation to bring renewable energy to countries and could provide the answer to sustainability for a continent—and the world. And another CEO runs a publicly traded company that helps police departments detect and analyze gunshots as a means of reducing urban violence.

The aforementioned disruptors and more than a score of others represent a phalanx of CEOs, founders of ground-breaking enterprises, and corporate leaders who help drive the strategic direction at some of America’s most iconic tech companies. In the process, they impact a range of sectors, including financial services, manufacturing, food services, and entertainment to name but a few. Those found on our roster represent the following:

-Leaders who oversee, operate, and guide the strategic direction of publicly traded and privately held high-impact tech companies

-Top executives on leadership teams overseeing overall management, operations, product development, and corporate strategy

-Individuals who have engaged in driving digital transformation for their companies and customers

As such, we decided not to include core investors, venture capitalists, and corporate board members who play no other role within the tech space.

We have identified those on our list by consulting leaders, executives, experts, and consultants within and outside Silicon Valley.

Still trying to figure out the names of the four who we included as part of our opening snapshots? Read on to find these amazing leaders and others who comprise our list of Top Tech Influencers.

-—Reporting by Lisa Fraser, Roland Michel, Delicia Paisley-Smith and Tiamari Whitted

The 2018 List of the Most Influential Blacks in Technology 

Top CEOs

Ralph A. Clark

President & CEO

ShotSpotter Inc.

If you can identify technology that has helped reduce gun violence, police departments from Chicago to New York will point to ShotSpotter Inc. Ralph A. Clark, the company’s president and CEO, has been responsible for making the company the leader in gunshot detection, location, and forensic analysis. And most recently, he expanded the company’s portfolio with the acquisition of HunchLab technology from Philadelphia-based Azavea, which will enable the company to apply risk modeling and AI to help forecast when and where crimes are likely to occur and provide deterrence recommendations for specific patrol missions.

Clark’s 30 years of corporate, financial, and organizational leadership has led to the company’s superior performance. His previous positions include serving as president and CEO at GuardianEdge Technologies Inc., leading its transformation into a leader in endpoint data protection before helping orchestrate its acquisition by Symantec, and chief financial officer at Snap Appliance Inc. Prior to his role at Snap Appliance, he worked at several VC-backed startups, leading a number of them to successful acquisitions. Early in his career, Clark, who holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of the Pacific, and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School, excelled in sales and marketing roles at IBM as well as served as an investment banker at Goldman Sachs & Co. L.L.C. and Merrill Lynch & Co. Inc., handling transactions involving tech companies.

  Marc Jones

Chairman and CEO

Aeris

On the cutting edge of technology as chairman and CEO of Aeris, Marc Jones has led his team over the past decade to help power the world’s largest companies through the Internet of Things (IoT). Named by Goldman Sachs as one of the nation’s leading entrepreneurs in 2012 and 2013, Jones grew up in Chicago before heading west to Stanford University, where he received both his undergraduate and law degrees. As a young attorney, he was recruited by top-tier investment banks and then by some of his clients. In his early 30s, he was named president and COO of Madge Networks, where he helped turn the upstart network solutions company with $40 million in revenue into an industry leader producing revenue of $500 million. Madge’s initial public offering was successfully executed on Jones’ watch. After Madge, Jones served as the chairman and CEO of Visionael, a pioneer in enterprise network management and automation, raising over $40 million to fuel its rapid growth. In addition to his professional work, he serves as the chair of Management Leadership for Tomorrow and a board member of the California Health Care Foundation and a trustee for Stanford University.

  Eric Kelly

Chairman & CEO

Sphere 3D Corp.

A Silicon Valley heavyweight for more than three decades, Eric Kelly serves as chairman and CEO of Sphere 3D Corp., which delivers containerization, virtualization, and data management solutions via hybrid cloud, cloud, and on-premise implementations through its global reseller network and professional services organization.  He has served as Sphere 3D’s chairman since July 2013, and gained the CEO position in 2014, after its merger with Overland Storage, the enterprise he helmed five years prior to the transaction. Under his leadership, net revenues of the publicly traded company increased to $81.5 million for FY 2017  and its portfolio of brands expanded to provide solutions for the healthcare, education, government, and financial services sectors.

His previous positions have included vice president and general manager of Storage Systems Solutions at Adaptec Inc.; president and CEO of Snap Appliance; president of the Systems Division at Maxtor Corp., as well as various executive-level roles with Dell Computer Corp., Diamond Multimedia, Conner Peripherals, and IBM.

His business acumen placed him in high demand in business and government circles. In fact, Kelly, who earned an M.B.A. from San Francisco State University and a B.S. in Business from San Jose State University, served two terms on the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Manufacturing Council, providing counsel to the Obama administration on strategies and policy recommendations to promote and advance domestic manufacturing.

  François Locoh-Donou

President & CEO

F5 Networks Inc.

Having lived in the West African nation of Togo and France, François Locoh-Donou brings a unique global perspective to his leadership of Seattle-based F5 Networks Inc. Named president, chief executive officer, and a member of the board of directors in April 2017, he brought two decades of enterprise technology experience to the company, which specializes in application delivery networking technology.  His prowess delivered record revenue for the publicly traded company of $2.1 billion in 2017.

Locoh-Donou previously held successive leadership positions at Ciena, the network strategy and technology company, including chief operating officer; senior vice president, Global Products Group; vice president and general manager, EMEA; vice president, International Sales; and vice president, Marketing. Prior to joining Ciena, he held R&D roles at Photonetics, a French optoelectronics company.

Locoh-Donou, who received his bachelor’s and master’s in physics engineering at École Centrale de Marseille; a master’s in optical communications from Télécom Paris Tech, and his M.B.A. from Stanford, serves on the advisory board of Jhpiego, a nonprofit global health affiliate of Johns Hopkins University. He is also the co-founder of Cajou Espoir, a cashew-processing facility that employs several hundred people in rural Togo, 80% of whom are women. Cajou Espoir exports more than 400 tons of cashew kernels annually to the U.S. and Europe.

  Charles E. Phillips

President & CEO

Infor Inc.

Charles E. Phillips has built Infor Inc. into a multinational tech powerhouse. As CEO of one of the world’s largest providers of enterprise software applications since 2010, he has been responsible for doubling the company’s revenue to $2.7 billion and size to more than 15,000 employees. It also became the first major software company to offer an integrated, end-to-end application suite for entire industries: the first Industry Cloud Company. Due to this phenomenal growth, Koch Equity Development, a division of Koch Industries, made a $2.5 billion investment in the firm last year.

Phillips, who was named one of BE’s Most Powerful Executives in Corporate America has spent his career transforming companies with technology, industry domain, and unconstrained thinking. As such, the former captain in the Marine Corps.—who rose to become a managing director at Morgan Stanley and co-president and director of Oracle—has been highly sought after for service on boards, including Viacom Corp., Banco Santander, Apollo Theater, Business Executives for National Security, and Jazz at Lincoln Center. Phillips, who holds a bachelor’s degree from the Air Force Academy, an M.B.A. from Hampton University, and a law degree from New York University, serves as a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and was a member of the President’s Economic Advisory Board during the Obama administration.

  Corey E. Thomas

President & CEO

Rapid7

Rapid7 is one of the go-to companies for major corporations that seek to detect and respond to cyberattacks. Due to the leadership of Corey E. Thomas, its president and CEO, that reputation is well deserved. In fact, the Rapid7 Insight platform collects data from across a given company’s environment to enable teams to manage weaknesses, monitor user behavior, search logs, and other functions. It handles such services for more than 7,000 organizations—including Microsoft, Macy’s, Netflix, and Intuit—in more than 120 countries.

Thomas is one of the leading experts in this arena: In 2018, he was elected to the Cyber Threat Alliance board of directors and the Massachusetts Cybersecurity Strategy Council.

Having received a bachelor’s in electrical engineering and computer science from Vanderbilt University and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School, Thomas has led an array of tech companies to the next stage of innovation. Before joining Rapid7, he was vice president of marketing at Parallels Inc., a virtualization technology company; and group project manager of Microsoft’s Server and Tools division, launching the worldwide availability of SQL Server 2005 and steering product planning for its data platform.

Top Entrepreneurs 

Chris Young

President & CEO

McAfee L.L.C.

In an era of cyberthreats, Christopher Young seeks to make the world more secure. As chief executive officer of McAfee L.L.C., he drives the company’s security business across hardware and software platforms and as a result, the firm generated 2017 revenues exceeding $3 billion. Through his leadership, McAfee protects mission-critical systems and data for a myriad of the world’s largest publicly traded corporations. Moreover, vast arrays of government agencies and non-governmental organizations as well as more than 400 million consumers rely on its cybersecurity solutions.

Young’s expertise has been tapped at the highest levels of government and business. For instance, he serves as a member of the National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee (NSTAC), which advises the U.S. government on national security and emergency preparedness. He also played a key role in the establishment and governance of the nonprofit Cyber Threat Alliance—a group of companies that share intelligence in this area.

He can also be found on the boards of American Express and Snap Inc. Moreover, the Harvard M.B.A. served on the board of trustees of Princeton University, his alma mater.

  Jessica O. Matthews

CEO

Uncharted Power

For years, Jessica Matthews has held a true passion for helping countries within the African continent. At the age of 22, the Nigerian-American innovator and entrepreneur created SOCCKET, a soccer ball that produced kinetic energy during play that could be used to power a lamp, cell phone, or other devices. The invention proved invaluable to Nigeria and other countries challenged by sporadic blackouts.

Roughly a decade later, that one invention has grown into Uncharted Power, “an energy and data technology firm that produces infrastructure solutions for communities, facilities, and the Internet of Things (IoT).” As such, it has developed an array of kinetic energy-generating vehicles like MORE (Motion-based, Off-grid Renewable Energy) and the energy-harnessing Pulse jump rope to serve major corporations and governments in Nigeria, Angola, Malawi, and Senegal, among others.  The company has more than 10-plus global patents that are either finalized or pending,

In 2016, Matthews became the first black woman to raise $7 million in a Series A financing, which was led by the NIC Fund with participation from Kapor Capital, Magic Johnson Enterprises, BBG Ventures, and Lingo Ventures. The Harvard grad has won over 25 awards, including being named the Black Enterprise Innovator of the year in 2013.

  Charley Moore

CEO & Founder

Rocket Lawyer

Charley Moore was seeking to solve a huge problem for small businesses: an online service that would provide entrepreneurs with legal advice on an accessible and affordable platform. When he launched San Francisco-based Rocket Lawyer, Moore took a risk with his company in the beginning by offering free services. The move paid off: His venture went from 25,000 subscribers to over 1 million users. The company was growing so rapidly that the staff increased from 50 employees to 100 employees.

Moore, a former internet law and business attorney for high-power Silicon Valley law firm Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, received $40 million in venture funding from August Capital, Google Ventures (now GV), and Investor Growth Capital between 2009 and 2013 to finance the infrastructure and operations. Today, the United States Naval Academy and University of California at Berkeley law school graduate has transformed Rocket Lawyer into an evolving, global operation that has helped more than 20 million people with their legal issues, ranging from business incorporations to estate planning as well as created more than 100,000 business contracts a month. Rocket Lawyer has also been ranked among the be 100s, the nation’s largest black-owned businesses.

  Guy Primus

CEO & Founder

The Virtual Reality Co.

When BE wrote about Guy Primus in 2016, we reported that this innovative entrepreneur represents one of the few African Americans (perhaps the only) heading up a virtual reality content studio. As co-founder of the Virtual Reality Studio, his company announced that it raised $23 million to produce original virtual reality content and position VRC as the premier VR storyteller and industry lead. And VRC continues to break new ground. Earlier this year, it announced its deal with Universal Studios and entertainment colossus Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Entertainment, launching “Jurassic World VR Expedition, an interactive cinematic virtual reality (VR) game that transports players to the visually stunning jungles of Isla Nublar, where fans will engage in an epic rescue adventure inspired by the Jurassic World film series.” The game was unveiled in June at more than 100 Dave & Buster’s entertainment centers—and as Variety reported in September, the biggest location-based VR debut ever. Moreover, VRC’s deal has been cited as “one of the most successful commercial VR partnerships for a major motion picture studio to date.”  Primus told Variety: “This will be the first time that a studio receives a 7-figure check for VR.”

Primus will continue to engage in similar partnerships with companies like motion seat maker D-Box Technologies, which helped introduce the company’s first original VR experience, an animated series, Raising a Rukus, as well as scout other family-friendly fare. His previous experience in senior-level roles such as COO of Overbrook Entertainment, director of Digital Media for Starbucks Entertainment, and group product manager at Microsoft has positioned him for such game-changing moves. Primus, who received his bachelor’s and master’s in industrial engineering from Georgia Tech and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School, will stay plugged into the latest tech developments: He’s also the chairman emeritus of the advisory board of top-ranked School of Industrial and Systems Engineering at his alma mater.

  David L. Steward

Chairman

World Wide Technology

Through continuous innovation and forging partnerships with Cisco, Dell EMC, Microsoft, Hewlett Packard Enterprises and other tech giants, David L. Steward has built World Wide Technology into a force within the industry. In fact, he grew WWT from a small product reseller that he founded in 1990 into a technology solutions provider that can meet the networking, big data, IoT, security, and storage needs of large public and private organizations worldwide. With $10.7 billion in 2017 revenues, WWT is the nation’s largest black-owned company and one of the biggest minority suppliers in the country.

Maintaining that WWT is headquartered in “Silicon Valley in St. Louis,” Steward recently announced his company’s inclusion in Gartner’s August 2018 Market Guide for Digital Business Consulting Services “as one of the 20 Representative Vendors in DBCS across digital strategy, digital customer, and employee experience, and digital business model transformation.” To better serve customers, WWT created the Advanced Technology Center, a brick-and-mortar campus containing labs used for product demonstrations, proofs of concept, building reference architectures, and so much more.

The Clinton, Missouri, native started his career in sales before launching WWT with less than 10 employees—now, WWT has 4,000-plus employees. Steward holds a bachelor’s degree from Central Mission State University.

Top Executives

Ty Ahmad-Taylor

Vice President, Product Marketing

Facebook

When Tyrone “Ty” Ahmad-Taylor took on the position as Facebook’s vice president of Product Marketing, members of the leadership team viewed the addition as a “big win” for its monetization strategy. In his role, he leads a team of 300 professionals engaged in product management and strategy, go-to-market plans, and financial analysis to both the advertising engineering organization and financial analysis teams—vital to the tech leader that produced 2017 global revenues of $40.7 billion.

When Facebook selected Ahmad-Taylor, the company recruited C-suite material: he previously held the position of president and CEO of THX Ltd, the innovative audio-visual company founded by Star Wars creator George Lucas. One of his groundbreaking projects was launching THX Live! during the debut of Beyoncé’s Formation World Tour. The Haverford College graduate with a B.S. in economics and an M.S. in journalism from Columbia University has also held the position of vice president of SmartTV Services at Samsung, directing global teams in the U.S. and Korea. The innovator is also founder of FanFeedr, a service he operated to provide statistics and data to sports fans, which he sold to Samsung Electronics. As an inventor, he has several patents, including a design for a system providing on-demand viewing for Comcast, and a patent for a set-top box.

He was recently appointed to the board of directors of GoPro, the digital camera producer, and continues to serve as a member of the boards of Industry Leaders for the Consumer Technology Association and not-for-profit Urbanworld Film Festival.

  Ime Archibong

VP of Strategic Partnerships

Facebook

Ime Archibong is the go-to executive to develop Facebook’s most valued strategic alliances, product integrations, and new commercial opportunities across a variety of sectors. The tech executive began his career at Facebook in November 2010 as director of partnerships, leading the team to accelerate and drive the tech giant’s product and strategies to various businesses around the world.

Since he came aboard, his role has become more expansive. Beyond media, music, and video partnerships, he travels the globe to find new means to connect millions worldwide through platforms like Facebook Groups and Messenger and initiatives to support its community of more than 9,000 developers as well as a multitude of small businesses.

Nigerian-born Archibong is extremely passionate about spreading awareness about diversity within the tech industry. He attended Yale University and studied electrical engineering and computer science. Determined to be an engineer, he gained his first opportunity at IBM and focused on licensing its global portfolio of storage research technology. After working several years at IBM, he was recruited to work at Facebook, developing strategies to help the world connect to the internet. Due to his influence and reach, Archibong, who also holds an M.B.A. from Stanford, has been recognized among the 40 under 40 Top Diverse Talent in Silicon Valley by theREGISTRY Bay Area and Digital Diversity Network.

  Marc Brown

Corporate Vice President,  Corporate Development

Microsoft 

Marc Brown represents one of the executives who powers the strategic direction of Microsoft. An 18-year veteran of the tech giant, which produced $110 billion in FY 2018 revenues, he oversees mergers and acquisitions and strategic investments. During his tenure, he has led more than 100 transactions collectively valued at more than $16 billion, including the acquisitions of Fast Search and Transfer, Tellme Inc., Danger Inc., Frontbridge, Softricity, and Massive Inc.

Prior to his role at Microsoft, Brown worked as a corporate lawyer at Boston-based Global 50 law firm Goodwin Procter L.L.P. as an associate in its corporate group, representing venture capital and private equity firms in structuring, analyzing, drafting, negotiating, and closing leveraged buyouts, recapitalizations, and early and later-stage venture investments for clients such as Alta Communications, TA Associates, Summit Partners, Great Hill Partners, and eCOM Partners.

Brown, who received his bachelor’s degree from Colgate University, an M.B.A. from New York University’s Stern School of Business, and a law degree from Georgetown University, had a previous stint as an investment banker at UBS.

  Stacy Brown-Philpot

CEO

TaskRabbit

Stacey Brown-Philpot continues to be the transformative force behind TaskRabbit, a “gig economy” leader that hires freelancers for odd jobs or “Taskers” and matches them with clients. As CEO, Brown-Philpot has expanded the company’s footprint by expanding its Tasker pool to more than 60,000, raising growth capital, and developing business-building partnerships like the one it struck with tech behemoth Amazon. Last year, however, she closed a masterstroke of a deal: Swedish home products retailer Ikea acquired TaskRabbit, which now operates as an independent subsidiary. The transaction gave TaskRabbit additional resources and heightened global branding—it has already doubled its scope to 40 markets in the U.S.—while Ikea gained a much-needed digital platform and expertise. Synergies, however, are readily apparent as Ikea promotes the fact that Taskers are on hand to provide furniture assembly, among other services.

After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania, Brown-Philpot never envisioned being a part of the Silicon Valley ecosystem. The Detroit native started her professional career as an accountant at PricewaterhouseCoopers and then took a job as an investment banker at Goldman Sachs. While working at the financial giant, she had the opportunity to work on tech deals. Intrigued by the growth in the industry and booming IPO activity, she attended Stanford Business School. After earning her M.B.A., she landed a role at Google. Her nine-year stint there provided the opportunity to work in India and launch Black Googlers Network, an employee resource group. A member of the be Registry of Corporate Directors, Philpot-Brown also sits on two corporate boards—Nordstrom and HP Inc.—and nonprofit Black Girls Code.

  Sam Bright

Vice President & General Manager, Soft Goods, eBay North America

eBay Inc.

A seasoned Silicon Valley executive, Sam Bright has more than 14 years of experience in the tech space that made him well-equipped to lead the multibillion-dollar Soft Goods business unit at eBay North America. As such, he oversees the sale of an eclectic mix of merchandise: Art & Collectibles, Media, Toys & Lifestyle, Sporting Goods, and Soft Home.

His expertise spans across a range of disciplines, including strategy, investment banking, corporate development, market research, and P&L ownership.

Since joining eBay six years ago, Bright has built an impressive portfolio and generated momentum via programming with brands like Marvel, StubHub, and Verizon. He previously led eBay’s Art & Collectibles platform with more than 50 million listings, ranging from rare comic books and high-end antiques to cryptocurrencies and sports memorabilia. In 2017, his leadership grew it into a multibillion-dollar category at the e-commerce enterprise.

Prior to that role, the Taylor University and Harvard Business School graduate led and scaled the Strategic Partnerships/Business Development team for eBay’s $30 billion Americas business, where he inked over 70 product, vertical, mobile, marketing, and data partnerships over the course of two years.

He also currently serves on the board of directors at Benetech, a Palo-Alto, California-based nonprofit that develops and uses technology to drive positive social change.

  Craig Cuffie

Senior Vice President and Chief Procurement Officer

Salesforce.com

As Senior Vice President and Chief Procurement Officer, Craig Cuffie oversees Direct and Indirect Sourcing, Procurement, Shared Services, Supplier Diversity and Data Center Fulfillment at Salesforce, the leader in customer relationship management software in the “cloud.” In that role, he and his team manage $3.5 billion of procurement spend, as Salesforce seeks to reach its revenue growth target of more than $20 billion.

Cuffie is a veteran who has been engaged in an array of assignments in the tech space. Before joining Salesforce, he served as managing director at Eagle Island Advisors, a boutique private equity firm focused on sourcing lower mid-market opportunities in the third-party logistics industry. Moreover, he’s held various senior management roles throughout the years at revolutionary companies including Jawbone, Clearwire, and Intuit. Cuffie has over 18 years of experience in aerospace and high technology companies, most notably with Quantum Inc., Lam Research Inc., and United Technologies Corp. Over time, Cuffie achieved several leadership roles in general management, business development, program and project management, manufacturing, and supply chain.

Cuffie is a member of the Executive Leadership Council, the Stanford Global Supply Chain Forum, and the Institute for Supply Management. As an adviser to numerous Silicon Valley startups, Cuffie offers coaching to help build their business. He received his master’s degree in management from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

  David Drummond

Senior Vice President, Corporate Development; Chief Legal Officer; Chairman, GV and CapitalG

Alphabet Inc.

David Drummond represents the legal powerhouse behind Alphabet Inc. and is considered one of the most powerful executives in the tech industry. In fact, Drummond, a former partner of the premier tech law firm Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, played a major role in the transformation of how the world shares information, serving as Google’s first outside counsel and working with founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin to incorporate the company and secure its initial rounds of financing. The senior vice president of corporate development and chief legal officer seeks to protect the firm in legal battles, whether dealing with Uber or the European Union, as well as oversees its investment vehicles GV (formerly Google Ventures), which led the $6.5 million Series A round financing in Blavity earlier this year, and Capital G, which has Airbnb, Snap Inc., and SurveyMonkey in its portfolio and made a $1 billion investment in the ridesharing company Lyft last year. He has also personally invested in ventures such as Ozy Media, co-founded by former CNN journalist Carlos Watson and serves on the board of Rocket Lawyer. One of be’s Most Powerful Executives in Corporate America, Drummond is an independent corporate director on the board of KKR, the nation’s largest private equity firm.

Drummond, a graduate of Santa Clara University who holds an M.B.A. from Stanford, helped initiate the company’s $32 million-plus racial justice portfolio. In April, he spoke at the Vera Institute Gala on the importance of criminal justice system reform: “If you don’t have the data, you will never change them.” Drummond also played a role in kick-starting the Hidden Genius Project with a $1 million grant as a means of getting more young black males connected to tech. In 2017, he visited Chicago to present a $1.5 million grant to native Chance the Rapper’s nonprofit and a few other organizations to help students.

  Malik Ducard

Global Head of Learning, Social Impact, Family, Film & TV

Google/YouTube

In his current role, Malik Ducard oversees and drives business development efforts for the platform’s family, entertainment, and educational partnerships and programming. This innovator joined YouTube almost eight years ago, earning the reputation for dynamic, decisive leadership that fuses tech, business, user, and social interests.

A huge literacy advocate, Ducard launched the YouTube Kids app and YouTube Learning, an effort designed to expand and enhance education on the platform. Under his stewardship, YouTube recently announced a $20 million investment in educational videos with topics ranging from school subjects to cooking, and will soon roll out the YouTube Learning Fund focused on investing in educational content creators, aka EduTubers. Moreover, he has also helped launch #YouTubeBlack, a creator-driven movement aimed at spotlighting and supporting black creators on the platform.

A Columbia University graduate, with an M.B.A. from the University of California, Los Angeles, Anderson School of Management, Ducard currently serves on the board of the Digital Diversity Network, a nonprofit trade association whose mission is to advance diversity, create access, and champion inclusion within the digital and technology sectors, and as board president of LA Makerspace, a nonprofit organization that brings STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, mathematics) education to Los Angeles students.

Aicha S. Evans

Senior Vice President & Chief Strategy Officer

Intel Corp.

As Senior Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer at Intel Corp., Aicha S. Evans leads Intel’s efforts to convert from a PC-centric company to a data-centric juggernaut. Selected one of be’s Most Powerful Executives in Corporate America, Evans manages the companywide execution for the enterprise that generated 2017 revenue of $59.4 billion.

Evans started her career at Intel in 2006, as a software integration and test manager. Over the years, she has held numerous management positions responsible for Intel’s wireless efforts, including software engineering and support for customers deploying WiMAX networks in various parts of the globe. Evans also managed Wi-Fi engineering and product lines in Israel. Evans has also served as general manager of Wireless Platform Research & Development Group.

Prior to Intel, The George Washington University graduate with a bachelor’s in computer engineering gained a decade of tech management experience in numerous roles at Rockwell Semiconductors, Conexant, and Skyworks. Evans serves as a member of the Supervisory Board at SAP SE and has served as an independent director of Autoliv Inc. from February 2015 to May 2017.

  Ehrika C. Gladden

Vice President/General Manager

Cisco Refresh, a Cisco Capital Business

Ehrika Gladden leads Cisco Refresh, the global organization for the $250 million business unit Cisco Capital. Her responsibilities include managing the delivery of the profit and loss for sales, marketing, channels, operations, and supply chain. She is also responsible for identifying growth opportunities in the multibillion-dollar remanufactured equipment market and defining the growth strategy for this next-phase startup business.

Her prowess and track record have earned her recognition and respect as an outstanding industry leader. Known as a global turnaround specialist and market disruptor, Gladden has successfully applied her commercial expertise in a range of international markets, including Europe, Africa, Middle East, Asia, and Latin America.

Prior to this role, she served as vice president for market strategy in Cisco’s $19-billion Enterprise Networking Business Unit, identifying core growth markets for the worldwide IT and networking leader.

This strong advocate for inclusion built a program to attract, retain, and promote diverse talent. As such, the initiative has resulted in three times the promotion rate for program participants and earned her multiple awards for inclusive leadership development.

Gladden, who graduated from the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill, currently serves as a Cisco Foundation Trustee and director for the Pennsylvania Women’s Conference Board. She is also a member of the Executive Leadership Council, the preeminent organization for black senior executives.

Xavier “X” Jernigan

Head of Cultural Partnerships

Spotify

As Head of Cultural Partnerships at Spotify, one of Xavier “X” Jernigan’s current responsibilities is to engage students via Spotify’s Opening Act HBCU Conference as a means to recruit top talent to the music streaming service from within the African American and LatinX communities. It’s a symbiotic process, as the conference provides students with varied opportunities, allowing them to see the value of applying their soft and hard skills to increase their advantage in the tech, music, and media industries.

Prior to this role, the Florida A&M University graduate served as Head of North America, Shows & Editorial at Spotify where he oversaw music programming and curation for the USA and Canada.

A pop culture expert, he was recently installed on The Kennedy Center’s Hip Hop Culture Council, a new initiative to help expand its presence at the institution and deepen public knowledge of the genre. He’s also the host of “Showstopper,” a Spotify original podcast about memorable music moments in film and television.

  Arthur P. Johnson Jr.

Vice President, Corporate Development and Strategic Planning

Pure Storage Inc.

Arthur Johnson takes point for corporate strategy and mergers and acquisitions activities, building a deal-making team that helps drive the growth of Pure Storage, the data storage leader that produced more than $1 billion in FY 2018 revenues. He orchestrated the first-ever M&A deal for the Mountain View, California-based company, completing the acquisition of StorReduce, a cloud-first software-defined storage solutions firm, in August.

Prior to this current position, Johnson drove inorganic growth at Twilio, a cloud communications platform, as vice president of Strategy, Corporate Development and Global Partnerships, and Managing Partner of TwilioFund. His previous roles include serving as operating partner at VC powerhouse Andreessen Horowitz, chief operating officer for Cisco WebEx and vice president, corporate development at Intuit. He also led Hewlett Packard’s Software Division’s Strategic Planning group.

This 20-plus year expert in strategy operations, M&A, business development, and finance received his bachelor’s degree from California State University-Los Angeles and an M.B.A. from Stanford University Business School. He launched his career in investment banking at Goldman Sachs, before engaging in a range of tech sectors such as big data, mobile and security, and application programming interfaces (APIs).

  Marachel Knight

Senior Vice President, Wireless Engineering, Construction and Operations

AT&T Inc.

Knight is accelerating AT&T’s 5G evolution, the next generation of mobile technology, which will transform business. In fact, she managed the trials to test the connectivity and speed of 5G, gauging its use for first responders within “smart cities” or smartphones video access of the company’s its DirecTVnow service. (See feature on the AT&T Business Summit, this issue.) One of be’s Most Powerful Executives in Corporate America, Knight has always had a cutting-edge role within the mammoth company. In her previous role as senior vice president of Wireless Network Architecture and Design, she was responsible for all facets of mobile device technology and tools. Throughout her 20-year career at AT&T, she has held myriad leadership positions in engineering, marketing, and technology operations,

Knight—a licensed professional engineer and certified project management professional with a master’s degree in information networking from Carnegie Mellon University and a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Florida State University—also has two patents under her belt: Systems for Use with Multi-Number Cellular Devices and Messaging Forwarding System. She received the Black Engineer of the Year President’s Award in 2013, and Women of Color Professional Achievement Award in 2014.

This innovator has also invested her time nurturing the careers of women and minorities both internally and externally. She sits on the boards of the National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering and After School Matters. She also served as co-founder and national advisor of AT&T Women of Technology as well as a national board advisor for oxyGEN, an AT&T employee resource group that seeks to attract, develop, and retain young professionals.

  Tony Prophet

Chief Equality Officer

Salesforce Inc.

Tony Prophet helps accelerate overall corporate strategy as chief equality officer at Salesforce. A member of the leadership team, he drives equality initiatives with a focus on LGBTQ and racial equality for the company that reported 2017 revenues of $8.4 billion. Prophet also directs its Ethical & Humane Use of Technology Innovation, ensuring optimal customer experience as well as igniting positive social change. As such, he reports directly to Chairman and co-CEO Marc Benioff.

Realizing that people are the true drivers of innovation, Prophet has been a tireless advocate for defending the rights of young workers, providing information on women’s health issues for female employees, and improving education for migrant workers’ children among other issues.

His technical and P&L background, however, has been critical in preparing him for his current position. Prior to coming aboard Salesforce, Prophet was a corporate vice president at Microsoft, where his team initiated the Windows 10 Go to Market and Launch planning. After the release of Windows 10 in 2015, it garnered more than 200 million users within six months, gaining the reputation as Microsoft’s most prosperous and fastest-growing operating system. At the time, he served as co-executive sponsor of Blacks at Microsoft and founding executive of BlackLight, an organization empowering black marketers at Microsoft. Hewlett Packard Enterprise appointed him senior vice president, Supply Chain Operations Personal Systems in 2006, and then six years later, he assumed the role of senior vice president, Operations, Printing & Personal Systems. In 2013, HP PC and Printing Operations delivered more than 100 million units, generating $55 billion in revenue and $4.8 billion in operating profit while serving as a principal driver of HPE’s $11.6 billion of cash from operations.

  Troy Richardson

Senior Vice President & General Manager, Enterprise & Cloud  Application Offering Group

DXC Technology

In his role, Troy Richardson focuses on alliance-driven enterprise solutions and next-generation cloud applications to help clients modernize and design intelligent back-office processes.  The 2017 merger of CSC and the Enterprise Services business of Hewlett Packard Enterprise spawned this $25 billion global end-to-end IT services leader. Richardson’s division is critical as DXC develops partnerships, offers guidance, and provide tools that enable customers to make decisions more efficiently as well as execute digital transformation strategies.

In his previous role, Richardson served as CSC’s general manager/global sales leader, responsible for all aspects of sales, including operations and strategic alliances.

Over the past decade, Richardson gained valuable management experience and industry contacts key to his current assignment. In 2007, he served as head of Xiocom Wireless Inc. before serving as president of Novell Americas, overseeing its sales and consulting business across the U.S., Latin America, and Canada. Prior to DXC, he held the position of senior vice president of Global Alliance Sales for Oracle in which he managed $2 billion in strategic partner sales for Oracle’s Diamond System Integration Partners and delivered triple-digit year-on-year growth in cloud revenues. He was also responsible for the growth of enterprise and mid-market segment as senior vice president of Global Cloud Sales for E&C at SAP, and bolstered sales from top global clients in manufacturing, energy, oil and gas, among others, as vice president and general manager of Global Account Sales at HP.

  Scott Taylor

EVP, General Counsel & Corporate Secretary

Symantec Corp.

Scott Taylor began his career at Symantec in 2007, and quickly moved up to general counsel in 2008. In his current role, he leads a global team of 143 professionals for the software giant and oversees its intellectual property portfolio, government affairs, public policy, corporate responsibility, and philanthropic work.

The Stanford University and George Washington University Law School graduate has gained vast experience working at other tech companies including Phoenix Technologies Ltd. He was previously chief administrative officer and senior vice president of Phoenix Technologies Ltd. and vice president and general counsel of Narus Inc.

Besides demonstrating superior legal chops for the company that generated $4 billion in 2017 revenues, Taylor is a staunch advocate of corporate diversity, pushing for more black talent at Symantec and within the tech sector as a whole. For instance, he serves as the executive champion and sponsor of SyBER, Symantec’s Black Employee Resource Group.

He also sits on the corporate board of Piper Jaffray and a national advisory board of the Stanford University Center for Comparative Studies on Race and Ethnicity.

  Toni Townes-Whitley

President, U.S. Regulated Industries

Microsoft

Toni Townes-Whitley leads the U.S. sales strategy for driving digital transformation across customers and partners within the public sector and regulated industries. She’s the highest-ranking African American female executive at Microsoft with responsibility for approximately $11 billion P&L and 2,000-plus sales professionals. As such, she has developed a strong, undisputed track record for accelerating profitable business performance and building high-performance teams.

Her organization is responsible for executing on Microsoft’s market-focused strategy related to the U.S. public sector and regulated industries, including education, financial services, government, and health.

In addition to leading this team, Townes-Whitley drives the formation of Microsoft’s worldwide AI National Plans and represents the global salesforce on the tech giant’s Aether Committee (AI and Ethics in Engineering and Research), which recommends policies and procedures to address the implications of AI on society.

The Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School graduate also serves as a co-executive sponsor for the Blacks and Africans Employee Resource Group at Microsoft; an adviser to the Women’s Center of Northern Virginia; and a past president of Women in Technology.

  Wanji Walcott

Senior Vice President & General Counsel

PayPal Holdings Inc.

As senior vice president and general counsel at PayPal, Walcott has been responsible for building a legal team of more than 170 professionals across the globe. As such, she directs them to tackle legal issues in more than 200 markets, dealing with an expansive regulatory environment in the U.S. and abroad given the San Jose-based online payment company’s innovative thrust.

Since joining PayPal in 2015 as vice president of Legal Product, she has risen up the ranks to become the company’s first African American general counsel. A member of the company’s executive leadership team and industry influencer, Walcott was also named one of be’s Most Powerful Executives last year.

These days, she has also been focused on identifying initiatives to foster a more diverse and inclusive corporate culture. As such, her staunch advocacy in this area has recently been making headlines. In fact, she serves as the executive sponsor for PayPal’s women’s interest network, Unity, and helped launch Amplify, PayPal’s black employee network.

Walcott has more than 20 years of legal experience, particularly in fintech and payments law. Prior to PayPal, Walcott, who holds a bachelor’s and a law degree from Howard University and law school graduate served as senior vice president and managing counsel at American Express Co. At Amex, where she worked as lead counsel for its Enterprise Growth Group, developing the global strategy to expand emerging and digital payments services. She is also a member of the Executive Leadership Council.

Edward Ward

Senior Vice President of Engineering Client Solutions

Dell Inc.

Edward Ward leads a worldwide team of engineers and technical professionals who handle engineering and development of commercial PCs and workstations, consumer PCs, platform software, data security software, and IoT solutions.

A member of be’s Most Powerful Executives in Corporate America, Ward gained decades of management experience before tackling his current position. At NCR Corp, he held the position of vice president of Engineering Shared Components & Technical Services, responsible for worldwide engineering and development of the hardware, firmware, and software drivers for shared components across NCR’s financial, retail, and travel lines of business.

As vice president of Engineering Technical Services & NCR University Relations from November 2009 to May 2011, he focused on cost reduction, field quality improvement, and enhancing design review processes across all of NCR’s product lines. Ward also maximized NCR’s University Relations program to develop and encourage technical collaboration, R&D, internships, and community outreach programs to fundamental research and engineering institutions. Committed to inspiring African American youth’s interest and engagement in STEM education, Ward is a member of the local chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers and executive sponsor at Dell for the national organization.

  Tony West

Chief Legal Officer

Uber Technologies Inc.

As chief legal officer at Uber, West leads a global team of more than 500 in the company’s Legal, Compliance and Ethics, and Security functions.

With more than 20 years of experience in the public and private sectors, West joined Uber as the peer-to-peer ridesharing company dealt with major reputational challenges.  He previously served as corporate secretary and executive vice president of Public Policy and Government Affairs of PepsiCo, where he prioritized diversity and ethical practices and led PepsiCo to be named one of the most ethical companies by the Etisphere Institute 10 years in a row.

From 2012 to 2014, the Obama administration appointee served as Associate Attorney General of the United States, the third highest-ranking official in the U.S. Department of Justice. In that role, he supervised the department’s Civil Rights, Antitrust, Tax, Environment and Natural Resources, and Civil Divisions, as well as the Office of Justice Programs, the Office on Violence Against Women, and Community Oriented Policing Services Office. From 2009 to 2012, he was Assistant Attorney General of the Civil Division, the largest litigating division of the Justice Department. In fact, Uber’s CEO, Dara Khosrowshahi, tapped the Stanford Law School graduate due to his experience as a federal prosecutor and commitment to corporate ethics and diversity.

  Kareem Yusuf

General Manager, Watson IoT

IBM Corp.

Kareem Yusuf prepares customers for the future today. He leads Watson IoT—Internet of Things—the IBM business unit focused on helping clients in asset-intensive industries. The Watson IoT is a cognitive system that learns from and infuses intelligence into the physical world. As such, his team helps clients transform their enterprises by maximizing value from their connected assets, leveraging insights, and AI.

The 19-year IBM veteran has held a variety of leadership positions within the tech giant that produced 2017 revenues of $79 billion. His prior position was chief product & technology officer, Watson Customer Engagement in which he helped drive digital marketing, commerce, and supply chain success using cognitive technology. He has also worked with software development and SaaS operations, mergers & acquisitions, and field technical sales.

With a doctorate from the University of Leeds (England) focused on decision support systems for civil engineering construction, Yusuf admits to having “an active interest in all things technical, with a particular interest in digital media and programming languages.” He is also an author and a TED speaker. In fact, his TED Talk focused on the importance of emotional tone in the digital age, including everything from email to data.                                  be

The post List of the Most Influential Blacks in Technology appeared first on Black Enterprise.

Go to Source List of the Most Influential Blacks in Technology Just who are among the most influential blacks in technology? Here’s a snapshot: One leads a dominant software brand that enables thousands of companies and millions of people worldwide to avoid a range of cyberthreats.

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Rodney E. Slater

Rodney Earl Slater (born February 23, 1955) was the United States Secretary of Transportation under U.S. President Bill Clinton.

Education

Slater graduated from Eastern Michigan University in 1977, and received his Juris Doctor degree from the University of Arkansas School of Law in 1980.

Early career

Slater became a research assistant to the State Judiciary Committee of the Arkansas Constitutional Convention in 1979–80, an assistant attorney general for the state of Arkansas in 1980. He was appointed to several state government positions in Arkansas by Bill Clinton. Positions included assistant to the governor between 1983 and 1987, and member of the Arkansas State Highway Commission between 1987 and 1993. Slater was also the director of governmental affairs for Arkansas State University during that time.

Appointment to federal positions

After Clinton was elected president, 1993 Slater became the first African-American Director of the Federal Highway Administration.

In 1997, Slater was appointed to be the Secretary of Transportation. He was the second African American to hold that post.

Projects

Slater was able to muster bipartisan support in congress for his projects including:

Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21), making a record $200 billion investment in surface transportation.

Wendell H. Ford Aviation Investment Reform Act for the 21st Century (AIR-21), which provides a record $46 billion to provide safety and security of the nation's aviation system

Negotiated of 40 Open skies agreements with other countries

Private sector

Slater is part of a group of investors headed by Stan Kasten that successfully purchased the Major League Baseball team, the Washington Nationals.

Slater is an attorney at the Washington, D.C.-based law firm Patton Boggs LLP, where he is head of the transportation practice and works on projects related to the transportation infrastructure. He is also a partner in James Lee Witt Associates, a risk management firm headed by former Federal Emergency Management Agency director James Lee Witt.

He serves on the board of directors of Africare, a nonprofit providing development aid to countries in Africa, and The Dance Theater of Harlem, and is the chair of the Board of Trustees of United Way. Slater also serves on the corporate boards of Delta Air Lines and Verizon. He has been appointed to join the board of WS Atkins as a non-executive director effective 9 September 2011.

As of December 3, 2014 Slater was appointed to serve as special counsels to Takata Corporation in support with Takata's dealings on the 2013 airbag recall issues they are facing. They will advise the Company as they address the current challenges Takata faces.

Wikipedia

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Imagine MKE – Chief Executive Officer

An accomplished professional and exemplary leader, the CEO of Imagine MKE will build the organization, advance the strategic agenda, recruit a talented staff, and facilitate the engagement of grasstops and grassroots leaders in Milwaukee.

Organization Imagine MKE is a start-up nonprofit organization whose mission is to unite diverse artists and arts and culture groups to strengthen their ability to thrive and contribute to an inclusive, engaged, and inspired community for residents and visitors of Greater Milwaukee. Imagine MKE will serve as the leadership hub to advance the contribution and sustainability of Milwaukee’s arts and culture sector. The specific goals include supporting artists to access more economic opportunity for their creative expression, partnering with local groups to achieve greater cultural, social, educational, and economic impacts, and building greater public engagement and support for arts and culture. The success of this initiative will increase local and national recognition, local audiences, and financial support for the arts and culture sector and increase social and economic benefits for the city as a whole.

Sustainability of the breadth and depth of the arts and culture sector in Milwaukee has been at risk for many years. This is reflected in increasing dependence on contributed income, lack of living wages for artists, and plateaued audience development. The sector is struggling to remain relevant in a changing population in which many residents have no access to arts and culture. In response to these conditions, more than 100 diverse artists and leaders from arts groups, neighborhoods, business, and philanthropy designed Imagine MKE’s strategic agenda. As a collective impact effort, these same arts, culture, and community leaders will work together with Imagine MKE staff to achieve the overarching deliverable of improved sustainability and expanded community relevance of artists and arts and culture groups. 

This agenda is an ambitious one that was borne of the sector and its activation will be informed by current community opportunities, identifying and layering strategic decisions on organizational priorities. The sector representatives built this agenda with the knowledge that it will be adapted to meet both the needs of the sector and the needs and priorities of the community. The Chief Executive Officer (CEO), board, and staff will be the key stewards of managing and advancing this agenda.

Imagine MKE will provide businesses, local government, and community groups a central place to access artists and arts groups to partner on projects that combine cultural, economic, and social impact. The organization will promote and coordinate opportunities to build audience and capacity. Imagine MKE will work to ensure that the philanthropic and public investments in arts and culture have the greatest influence possible and that the sector will gain seats at community decision-making tables. With its partners, Imagine MKE will tell a cohesive, data-driven story of the value and power of arts and culture to build a more connected community. Perhaps most importantly, Imagine MKE will be a leadership voice and ears for the sector as it helps build a more vibrant, engaged, and inspired Milwaukee.

Poised for significant growth, the organization’s proposed, fully staffed operating budget is $790,000, with 100 percent derived from contributed revenue in the initial year. Currently, there is a transition budget with an interim consultant management team in place until the new CEO is on board. Fundraising for the fully staffed initial year is near completion. The staff will include six direct reports to the CEO, one each in programming, fundraising, marketing and communications, outreach and education, network support, and administrative support. Imagine MKE has a 14-member board of directors, led by Chair Katie Heil. Comprised of community leaders, the board of directors includes Work Group Chairs in the areas of Narrative and Network, Public Policy and Advocacy, Neighborhood Based Arts and Culture Impact, and Support for Artists. 

Community As Wisconsin’s largest city, Milwaukee offers rich history, diverse neighborhoods, and world-renown arts and culture. The city sits on the shores of Lake Michigan at the confluence of three rivers where indigenous people lived for thousands of years. In the mid-1800s there was an influx of German immigrants and the sense of community established is still strongly present today. With an estimated population of almost 600,000 residents, the city is the commercial capital of Wisconsin and an important market in the Midwest. Milwaukee is home to seven Fortune 500 global headquarters and many thriving industries, including electronics, medical technology, and food and beverage manufacturing.

Milwaukee provides a robust breadth and depth of diverse arts and cultural offerings. It is the only Midwestern city boasting a nationally acclaimed and ranked symphony, ballet company, regional repertory theater company, opera company, and art museum. There are major facility developments underway in Milwaukee, including a new symphony hall (along with a newly appointed Music Director), new homes for the Milwaukee Ballet and the Milwaukee Public Museum, and continual additions to the world-renowned Milwaukee Art Museum. The Milwaukee Youth Arts Center houses the biggest children’s theater company and youth symphony orchestra in the nation. The city features numerous dance and theater companies, including the highly reputed Milwaukee Repertory Theater and Skylight Music Theatre, a unique musical opera company. One of the reasons for this stellar arts scene is the United Performing Arts Fund, which was established in 1967 and is the region’s largest arts fundraising group. The arts and culture sector has been booming for some time and establishing strategies to protect and sustain these assets will be key to establishing Milwaukee as a vibrant community attracting and retaining the best of talent. 

Known as a “big city of little neighborhoods,” Milwaukee’s East Side, Historic Third Ward, and Bay View are just a few of its great locales, each with its own unique personality. Offering rich cultural diversity with mixed-use areas that are simultaneously historic and hip, the region attracts young professionals and families. The cost of living is 10 percent lower than the national average, making it an accessible metropolitan destination. Major new additions to the city in the past two decades include the Milwaukee RiverWalk, the Wisconsin Center, and Pier Wisconsin. Often referred to as the “City of Festivals,” Milwaukee is home to an amazing film festival, many ethnic festivals celebrating the city’s diverse cultural makeup, and Summerfest, the world’s largest music festival. 

Milwaukee County has one of the best park systems in the nation and the area features numerous outdoor attractions, including kayaking down the Milwaukee River and cycling on the 125-mile Oak Leaf Trail. Sports fans can catch the MLB Brewers at Miller Park, considered one of the best ballparks in America, and the NBA Bucks at the brand-new Fiserv Forum, a 17,500-seat arena designed solely for basketball. Milwaukee also offers extensive options for public transportation, including streetcar, bus, and commuter rail networks. General Mitchell International Airport is the largest airport in the Wisconsin region, serving over half a million passengers a year. 

Sources: jsonline.com; visitmilwaukee.com; mmac.org

Position Summary  An accomplished professional and exemplary leader, the CEO of Imagine MKE will build the organization, advance the strategic agenda, recruit a talented staff, and facilitate the engagement of grasstops and grassroots leaders in Milwaukee. Reporting to the board of directors, the CEO will be an entrepreneurial leader responsible for supervising and directing all aspects of the strategic vision, public visibility, and managerial operations. The successful candidate will be inclusive, collaborative, creative, adaptive, and able to lead a sector-focused, results-based culture defined by the best practices of collective impact. This individual will own a deep commitment to inclusion and racial equity. A passionate champion of arts and culture, the CEO will support staff, board, and volunteers to pursue and be accountable for ambitious goals that socially and economically benefit the community. 

Roles and Responsibilities

Leadership and Advocacy

Serve as the primary representative and spokesperson of Imagine MKE.

Develop relationships with key stakeholders and influencers at the civic, corporate, government, and community levels.

Create and communicate strategies to demonstrate the economic and civic value of a diverse and vibrant arts and culture sector. 

Design and implement strategies to increase the sustainability of the sector by identifying and facilitating opportunities for revenue diversification and audience development.

Increase access to arts and culture experiences in diverse Milwaukee communities and neighborhoods.

Establish strategies and methodologies to measure the social and economic impact of the arts and culture sector and communicate findings through public reporting.

Advocate for increased community investment in arts and culture to address inequities, ensure sustainability, and expand opportunities for growth.

Leverage resources and connections to ensure Imagine MKE is involved in community development decision-making.

Arts and Culture Sector Engagement

Sustain and increase the level of sector engagement through Imagine MKE Work Groups.

Nurture the inclusive nature of Imagine MKE to increase agenda ownership among Work Group participants and to balance expectations. 

Evaluate and prioritize opportunities in collaboration with Imagine MKE Work Groups to leverage resources and achieve maximum impact.

Explore viability to develop and maintain a combined arts and culture calendar for greater Milwaukee to enhance asset mapping and identify gaps in service. 

Partner with a broad array of organizations, such as United Performing Arts Fund (UPAF), Milwaukee Artist Resource Network (MARN), Metro Milwaukee Association of Commerce, Greater Milwaukee Committee, and public sector partners, to ensure strategic alignment and coordination of programs with similar goals and objectives. 

Programs and Revenue Development

Identify and explore viability of new program opportunities for Imagine MKE to serve as a think tank for policy ideas and strategies to enhance the arts and culture sector in Greater Milwaukee.

Serve as a guiding partner to artists and arts and culture organizations for best practices in areas including but not limited to organizational structure, board planning, governance, proposal creation, fundraising, and volunteer management. 

Support audience development efforts and explore opportunities to leverage sector marketing through partnerships with UPAF, MARN, Visit Milwaukee, Milwaukee Filmmakers Alliance, Greater Together, Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce, the Greater Milwaukee Committee, and other similar organizations.

Develop methodologies to measure audience participation and investment and create strategies to reach new audiences.

Expand and diversify creative offerings available to residents throughout Milwaukee’s neighborhoods and elevate the visibility of existing neighborhood cultural assets.

Promote capacity building by providing business development training to individual artists.

Benchmark similar advocacy programs across the country with an eye to implementing best practices.

Organizational Development

Develop a realistic business plan and oversee all aspects of building a new organization, including bylaws, budgets, HR policies and procedures, and strategic, fundraising, marketing, and communication plans.

Oversee all fiduciary and budget aspects of the organization.

Hire and manage staff with clear expectations and support.

Help develop and support the engagement of the board as effective governors, ambassadors, and advocates for Imagine MKE.

Facilitate the collective impact structure, managing a diverse group of engaged stakeholders who will support Imagine MKE’s ongoing work.

Manage organizational resources in accordance with the highest ethical and nonprofit standards.

Instill and drive a culture of philanthropy and accountability within the organization.

Traits and Characteristics

The CEO will be a natural leader and advocate with a high level of comfort and credibility in both traditional power structures and grassroot community environments. A firm believer in cultural equity and inclusion, the CEO will have a deep appreciation for the value of shared ownership and collective impact, along with a strong understanding of the arts and culture’s capacity to transform, inspire, regenerate, and build bridges across communities. A creative entrepreneur and dynamic innovator, the CEO will envision and activate Imagine MKE’s impact and reach. With superior communication skills and political savvy, this individual will possess an exceptional ability to manage and engage diverse networks at all socioeconomic levels. A result-oriented leader, the CEO will pursue and be accountable for ambitious performance goals.

Other key competencies include:

Teamwork – The ability to effectively and productively working with others to unite the sector, achieve organizational goals, and manage conflict.

Self-Starting and Flexibility – The capacity to demonstrate initiative and agility in adapting to change.

Diplomacy and Appreciating Others – The dexterity to identify with and care about others, treating everyone fairly, regardless of personal biases or beliefs.

Qualifications A bachelor’s degree and demonstrated expertise in organizational development, collaboration, program creation, public policy, advocacy, and fiscal management are required. Experience working with public agencies, arts councils, creative industries, and/or similar institutions is essential. The successful candidate will possess a commitment to the arts, artists, and development of cultural organizations. Demonstrated expertise relevant to successfully collaborating with artists, business executives, community leaders, and elected and appointed officials is essential. Applicants must have experience working with boards and high-level volunteers. Excellent written, verbal, and presentation skills are necessary. Knowledge of the Milwaukee area’s complexities is highly desirable. 

Compensation and Benefits Imagine MKE’s competitive compensation (commensurate with experience) consists of a base salary along with incentives linked to board designed benchmarks. Its benefits package includes medical, dental, vision, and prescription coverage; a flexible spending account; life and disability insurances; paid time off; holiday and sick pay; and participation in a 403(b) retirement plan.

Applications and Inquiries Please submit a letter and resume with a summary of demonstrable accomplishments (electronic submissions preferred) to:

Jenna Deja, Vice President 201 West Lake Street, Suite 133 Chicago, IL 60606-1803 Tel (888) 234.4236 Ext. 227 Email ImagineMKE@ArtsConsulting.com

Imagine MKE is an equal opportunity employer and is dedicated to the goal of building a diverse and inclusive organization. It strongly encourages applications from women, people of color, and members of other historically under-represented groups.

READ MORE

Article source here:Arts Journal

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Artistic Director – New York City Gay Men’s Chorus

The AD will devise and implement an innovative, transformational, and relevant artistic strategy. The strategy will be in line with the mission, vision, and values as a leading organization within the field of LGBTQ performing arts in New York as well as nationally and internationally.

Organization Big Apple Performing Arts (BAPA) is an LGBTQ-identified organization that serves as the nonprofit umbrella management company for New York City Gay Men’s Chorus (NYCGMC), Youth Pride Chorus, the pop a cappella band Tonewall, and various subgroups. BAPA’s mission is to create and manage ensembles that achieve choral and performance artistic excellence, provide a safe and supportive space, and use the performing arts to bring people together, change lives, combat fear and hatred, and challenge perceptions of the LGBTQ community.

Founded in 1979, NYCGMC is a world-class, world-renowned New York institution and a pioneering voice for the LGBTQ community. It is comprised of approximately 300 talented volunteer singers of various ages, backgrounds, and experiences, across a spectrum of gender identity and sexual orientations. It produces a vibrant sound and energy that audiences can feel and with which they can connect. Through the power of its sound and spectacular performances, NYCGMC and its members are fearless champions for love, equality, and acceptance. NYCGMC has formed a strong bond with devoted followers and continues to make lasting connections with new and diverse audiences. It sings in every style—from classical to pop, Broadway to gospel—from cultures all over the world. As a collective group of artists, NYCGMC listens to the changing world and transforms what it hears into music. NYCGMC sings to challenge perceptions of the LGBTQ community, combat fear and hatred, encourage compassion and human connection, and thrill its audiences with the superb quality of its sound. Through its music, audiences mourn losses, cheer victories, find unconditional acceptance, and celebrate life.

NYCGMC performs at a variety of settings, including concerts, festivals, conferences, weddings, parties, fundraisers, and community, special, private, and corporate events. It has also made several appearances in Broadway/theater productions and on television programs, such as Good Morning America, The Tonight Show, and Last Week Tonight, providing a national platform for its mission. It annually performs three mainstage shows per year—a holiday concert in December, a fun and upbeat pop show in March (currently billed as Big Gay Sing, now in its 11th year), and a pride-themed show in May/June. NYCGMC conducts more than 40 outreach activities across all five boroughs and beyond. Its school programs reach more than 2,000 New York City public middle school students. Other outreach activities include performances and events at corporate and public pride celebrations, LGBTQ teen homeless shelters, and SAGE, the country’s largest and oldest organization dedicated to improving the lives of LGBTQ elders. Through technical assistance and joint concerts, NYCGMC supports the development of LGBTQ choruses in the United States and internationally. Every four years, NYCGMC attends the GALA Festival, hosted by the Gay and Lesbian Association of Choruses, and is regularly called upon to lend its voices in moments of need for the community.

NYCGMC is also a pioneer of choral music, commissioning more than 75 new works from more than 50 composers, including Leonard Bernstein, Ann Hampton Callaway, Joseph Jennings, Stephen Sondheim, James Adler, David Hurd, and Conrad Susa. Performances have included appearances in more than a dozen states, throughout the Caribbean, and internationally in London, Dublin, Mexico City, Amsterdam, Cologne, Berlin, Munich, Barcelona, Montreal, and Paris. NYCGMC has appeared in all of the iconic New York City performance sites, including Brooklyn Academy of Music, Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Madison Square Garden, and the Apollo Theater.

NYCGMC commemorates its 40th anniversary and the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall uprising with a new choral music suite co-commissioned by NYCGMC and the Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles. Quiet No More: A Choral Celebration of Stonewall50 marks the occasion of the first ever WorldPride NYC and celebrates the vast legacy and worldwide change that started from events in June 1969—the effects of which are still as vital today as they were 50 years ago. The largest collaboration in LGBTQ chorus history, this piece will have performances by choruses throughout the United States in 2019. More than 400 singers from across the country will be seen on stage at the Carnegie Hall performance, which will feature the voices of diverse LGBTQ composers, including Julian Hornik (Dear Evan Hansen), Our Lady J (Pose and Transparent), Michael Shaieb (Through a Glass Darkly), Ann Hampton Callaway (singer/song-writer), Michael McElroy (Broadway Inspirational Voices, Rent), and Jane Ramseyer Miller (One Voice Chorus).

Operated jointly by BAPA and the Center Youth program of the LGBT Community Center of New York, Youth Pride Chorus (YPC) is one of only a few youth choruses of its kind in the world. YPC harnesses the power of the performing arts to engage lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and straight young people ages 13 to 22 as agents of change. It is comprised of up to 40 LGBTQ youth from diverse socioeconomic, cultural, and ethnic backgrounds. Many come from low-income families and neighborhoods in the five boroughs of New York City, have experienced intense prejudice from their peers, schools, and families, and no longer even live at home. Many YPC members have also never sung in public and truly find their voice by being welcomed into the YPC family. YPC members benefit from learning the discipline required for music training and performing, all within the safe space of a strong community where they feel accepted and proud. YPC fights homophobia, bullying, and all forms of hate through music by boldly asserting the joy, diversity, strength, and pride of today’s youth. YPC singers discover their own strength by empowering others in schools, online, and in the broader community through electrifying, high caliber singing and performances. YPC has performed at the White House’s annual Pride event, on Broadway with Kristin Chenoweth, and at Radio City Music Hall with Cyndi Lauper.

BAPA has a 15-member board of directors and an annual operating budget of slightly more than $1 million. BAPA’s administrative staff includes the Executive Director (ED) and its artistic team includes the Artistic Director, Assistant Conductor, and Accompanist, along with tremendous volunteer support from a Production Manager, Dance Team Choreographer, and numerous committees that support BAPA and its operating choruses.

Position Summary The Artistic Director will devise and implement an innovative, transformational, and relevant artistic strategy for BAPA. The strategy will be in line with BAPA’s mission, vision, and values as a leading organization within the field of LGBTQ performing arts in New York as well as nationally and internationally. The Artistic Director will be a visible leader and ambassador who oversees all artistic activities of BAPA’s performing groups, educational programs, and social action efforts. This individual will also serve as NYCGMC’s principal conductor for rehearsals, artistic retreats, and a variety of performances. Working in partnership with the ED and Membership and Social Team Chair (MAST Chair), each of whom reports to the board of directors as BAPA’s Managing Body, the Artistic Director will guide the planning and execution of an artistic vision that advances LGBTQ initiatives, develops strategic alliances, cultivates commissioning concepts, engages exemplary guest artists, and mentors and builds morale among singers who have varying levels of experience and education in music. This individual will represent NYCGMC at various GALA events and participate in donor cultivation activities, press and community relations events, and board meetings. The Artistic Director will promote a shared understanding with audiences and among singers whose multi-generational life experiences range from disenfranchisement to empowerment, building a sense of community where music and camaraderie communicate love, equality, and acceptance.

Roles and Responsibilities

Artistic Vision and Strategic Planning

Energize the artistic team, board, staff, volunteers, and audiences with an artistic vision that maintains high standards of professionalism, respect, inclusiveness, and artistry.

Ensure positive, productive, and appropriately challenging relationships and artistic experiences across all performing groups.

Serve as the principal conductor of NYCGMC rehearsals and performances, develop repertoire for each concert, and engage the music advisory committee and outreach committee in research and planning for all concerts and outside events.

Identify and secure guest artists to complement NYCGMC’s visibility, social activism, and artistic impacts.

Create, communicate, and implement the artistic vision for BAPA, including NYCGMC, YPC, Tonewall, and subgroups, in collaboration with the ED and board of directors.

Advise YPC, Tonewall, and other subgroup leaders to achieve a unified BAPA artistic vision and social action message.

Initiate the commissioning of new works and arrangements and otherwise secure agreements from composers, arrangers, and orchestrators, in coordination with ED and other GALA artistic leaders as appropriate.

Lead, appoint, manage, and support the artistic staff and volunteers, with a focus on developing and achieving operational goals for each BAPA performing group and subgroup as necessary.

Identify, plan, and implement touring and recording opportunities, as appropriate, for NYCGMC with the ED.

Embrace BAPA’s dynamic artistic and social life as a visible part of performances, special events, meetings, strategic and operational planning, and GALA activities.

Member Relations and Social Activism

Develop and manage a range of strong relationships and strategic alliances with partner organizations within the local, national, and international LGBTQ and performing arts communities.

Communicate the connection between the power of music and impact of intersectionality in social justice movements.

Lead NYCGMC members in rehearsals and performances, devising appropriate attendance requirements and behavior policies and addressing other membership issues with the MAST Chair, ED, and artistic team.

Respect membership through advance music preparation and rehearsal/performance schedules and conduct thoughtful, organized, and productive rehearsal experiences.

Value and showcase the full tapestry of BAPA’s age, culture, gender-identification, and orientation.

Improve musicianship, technical proficiency, and performance capability of NYCGMC and its individual members by balancing appropriate vocal pedagogy with artistic inspiration.

Support personal growth through artistic and educational leadership in BAPA’s overarching social action identity.

Serve as a representative to GALA and other appropriate professional and/or community groups and attend meetings, workshops, and conferences.

Embrace other member relations and social activism responsibilities as needed.

Production and Operational Implementation

Plan season programs in advance, coordinate and rehearse all performance and production elements, prepare descriptive copy for promotional campaigns, and implement performances and community outreach activities.

Lead the artistic and production team in setting high artistic standards and a fresh aesthetic in a fun, nurturing, and respectful manner.

Devise and implement a process to recruit, audition, select, supervise, and mentor artistic personnel, both paid and volunteer.

Supervise or conduct auditions for vocal soloists, dancers, actors, and other artistic roles related to NYCGMC performances.

Coordinate the hiring of instrumentalists as required, maintain effective relationships with Local 802 orchestral contractor and others, and adhere to American Federation of Musicians (AFM) union rules.

Partner with volunteer and paid production managers and other production staff to ensure quality performance and outreach activities.

Participate in planning discussions with performance venues in collaboration with the ED, artistic team, and technical staff.

Oversee the purchase, rental, or otherwise secure all music and licenses required and submit program notes and song list for each concert program.

Advise the board and ED in negotiation of collective bargaining agreements with Local 802 of AFM and any other performing arts unions with which BAPA enters into agreements.

Evaluate and recommend improvements for each season, major performances, and strategic alliances.

Embrace other production and operational implementation responsibilities as needed.

Public Visibility and Donor Cultivation

Serve as a public voice for BAPA with the ED as local, national, and international ambassadors.

Develop fundraising messages with the ED, prioritized as is an essential element of a successful organization.

Participate in fundraising and marketing activities, press events, and community relations opportunities as appropriate.

Assist in the preparation of articles for newsletters, annual reports, and other publications as needed.

Cultivate major individual, corporate, and foundation gifts as appropriate.

Embrace other public visibility and donor cultivation responsibilities as needed.

Budgeting, Administration, and Human Resources

Participate in the creation of annual operating budget and expense forecasting with the ED, reporting both to the BAPA Board.

Operate within the financial limitations established by the annual operating budget and resources, adjusting if the situation requires.

Participate in biannual employee performance review and advisory services of the BAPA Board.

Establish goals for paid, full-, and part-time NYCGMC artistic personnel and conduct at least one annual review.

Prepare monthly written reports for BAPA Board meetings.

Strengthen the voluntary culture of BAPA by working with board members, NYCGMC Membership Team, and member volunteers.

Embrace other budgeting, administration, and human resources responsibilities as needed.

Traits and Characteristics Courageous and willing to affect change to maximize artistic and organizational impact, the Artistic Director will support and expand a culture of artistic success, community investment, social activism, camaraderie, humor, and sense of purpose. The Artistic Director will be a decisive and engaging leader, clearly established as a primary decision maker who also seeks input and collaboration. Receptive to new ideas and actively building consensus, the Artistic Director will successfully navigate both competing and complementary priorities. With an effective communication style to passionately speak on behalf of LGBTQ causes and actively listen among members and in public forums, the Artistic Director will recognize and appreciate diverse perspectives as a tool to encourage continuity of membership. Simultaneously, this individual will make room for new voices to join in the public conversation and balance the needs of diverse stakeholder groups. The Artistic Director will appreciate and honor the NYCGMC’s history, inspiring stakeholders with a vision for the organization’s future.

Other key competencies, communications, and motivations of the individual holding the role include:

Leadership, Teamwork, and Accountability – The dexterity to prioritize strategic initiatives while creating a sense of direction embedded in the active participation of a variety of internal and external stakeholders.

Planning, Organizing, and Priority Management – The acuity to establish relevant, realistic, and attainable goals and objectives while anticipating the effects, outcomes, and amount of time needed to deliver extraordinary results.

Diplomacy and Collaborative Focus – The capacity to build rapport and effectively communicate and listen to a wide array of engaged stakeholders who sometimes have differing opinions and priorities.

Interpersonal Skills and Flexibility – The agility to understand and respect others, treat them fairly regardless of personal biases or beliefs, and maintain positive and productive relationships to reach mutually beneficial outcomes.

Qualifications and Experience A bachelor’s degree (master’s degree preferred) or equivalent experience in choral conducting, vocal pedagogy, musical theater, or related fields in an array of musical styles and genres are required. Qualified applicants will be experienced programmers who understand the balance of diverse musical styles and production elements that are embedded in storytelling and social action. A background in music arrangement or composition is welcomed but not required. Superior interpersonal skills as a public advocate and community leader are essential.

Compensation and Benefits BAPA offers competitive compensation and benefits, including full health, dental, and vision insurance and a matching retirement plan. These benefits are enhanced by the ability to make a major difference in a vibrant organization, on a resilient LGBTQ community, and throughout the GALA movement where members’ core values are as catalysts, harmonizers, listeners, and leaders. Opportunities to participate in occasional outside freelance opportunities that enhance BAPA’s reputation, such as guest conducting, performances, clinics, and conference presentations, are possible with advance board approval.

Applications and Inquiries Please submit a 1) cover letter that balances artistic vision with accomplishments, 2) resume that highlights a commitment to the performing arts and the communities they serve, and 3) production-oriented curriculum vitae that demonstrates how one’s past performing arts productions have made a meaningful contribution to artistic and/or LGBTQ endeavors. Direct all inquiries and applications (electronic submissions preferred) to:

Dr. Bruce D. Thibodeau President Arts Consulting Group 292 Newbury Street, Suite 315 Boston, MA 02115-2801 Tel (888) 234.4236 Ext. 201 Email NYCGMC@ArtsConsulting.com

BAPA provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, or genetics. In addition to federal law requirements, BAPA complies with applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment in every location in which the company has facilities. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.

New York City Gay Men’s Chorus

Article source here:Arts Journal

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Imagine MKE – Chief Executive Officer

Organization Imagine MKE is a start-up nonprofit organization whose mission is to unite diverse artists and arts and culture groups to strengthen their ability to thrive and contribute to an inclusive, engaged, and inspired community for residents and visitors of Greater Milwaukee. Imagine MKE will serve as the leadership hub to advance the contribution and sustainability of Milwaukee’s arts and culture sector. The specific goals include supporting artists to access more economic opportunity for their creative expression, partnering with local groups to achieve greater cultural, social, educational, and economic impacts, and building greater public engagement and support for arts and culture. The success of this initiative will increase local and national recognition, local audiences, and financial support for the arts and culture sector and increase social and economic benefits for the city as a whole.

Sustainability of the breadth and depth of the arts and culture sector in Milwaukee has been at risk for many years. This is reflected in increasing dependence on contributed income, lack of living wages for artists, and plateaued audience development. The sector is struggling to remain relevant in a changing population in which many residents have no access to arts and culture. In response to these conditions, more than 100 diverse artists and leaders from arts groups, neighborhoods, business, and philanthropy designed Imagine MKE’s strategic agenda. As a collective impact effort, these same arts, culture, and community leaders will work together with Imagine MKE staff to achieve the overarching deliverable of improved sustainability and expanded community relevance of artists and arts and culture groups. 

This agenda is an ambitious one that was borne of the sector and its activation will be informed by current community opportunities, identifying and layering strategic decisions on organizational priorities. The sector representatives built this agenda with the knowledge that it will be adapted to meet both the needs of the sector and the needs and priorities of the community. The Chief Executive Officer (CEO), board, and staff will be the key stewards of managing and advancing this agenda.

Imagine MKE will provide businesses, local government, and community groups a central place to access artists and arts groups to partner on projects that combine cultural, economic, and social impact. The organization will promote and coordinate opportunities to build audience and capacity. Imagine MKE will work to ensure that the philanthropic and public investments in arts and culture have the greatest influence possible and that the sector will gain seats at community decision-making tables. With its partners, Imagine MKE will tell a cohesive, data-driven story of the value and power of arts and culture to build a more connected community. Perhaps most importantly, Imagine MKE will be a leadership voice and ears for the sector as it helps build a more vibrant, engaged, and inspired Milwaukee.

Poised for significant growth, the organization’s proposed, fully staffed operating budget is $790,000, with 100 percent derived from contributed revenue in the initial year. Currently, there is a transition budget with an interim consultant management team in place until the new CEO is on board. Fundraising for the fully staffed initial year is near completion. The staff will include six direct reports to the CEO, one each in programming, fundraising, marketing and communications, outreach and education, network support, and administrative support. Imagine MKE has a 14-member board of directors, led by Chair Katie Heil. Comprised of community leaders, the board of directors includes Work Group Chairs in the areas of Narrative and Network, Public Policy and Advocacy, Neighborhood Based Arts and Culture Impact, and Support for Artists. 

Community As Wisconsin’s largest city, Milwaukee offers rich history, diverse neighborhoods, and world-renown arts and culture. The city sits on the shores of Lake Michigan at the confluence of three rivers where indigenous people lived for thousands of years. In the mid-1800s there was an influx of German immigrants and the sense of community established is still strongly present today. With an estimated population of almost 600,000 residents, the city is the commercial capital of Wisconsin and an important market in the Midwest. Milwaukee is home to seven Fortune 500 global headquarters and many thriving industries, including electronics, medical technology, and food and beverage manufacturing.

Milwaukee provides a robust breadth and depth of diverse arts and cultural offerings. It is the only Midwestern city boasting a nationally acclaimed and ranked symphony, ballet company, regional repertory theater company, opera company, and art museum. There are major facility developments underway in Milwaukee, including a new symphony hall (along with a newly appointed Music Director), new homes for the Milwaukee Ballet and the Milwaukee Public Museum, and continual additions to the world-renowned Milwaukee Art Museum. The Milwaukee Youth Arts Center houses the biggest children’s theater company and youth symphony orchestra in the nation. The city features numerous dance and theater companies, including the highly reputed Milwaukee Repertory Theater and Skylight Music Theatre, a unique musical opera company. One of the reasons for this stellar arts scene is the United Performing Arts Fund, which was established in 1967 and is the region’s largest arts fundraising group. The arts and culture sector has been booming for some time and establishing strategies to protect and sustain these assets will be key to establishing Milwaukee as a vibrant community attracting and retaining the best of talent. 

Known as a “big city of little neighborhoods,” Milwaukee’s East Side, Historic Third Ward, and Bay View are just a few of its great locales, each with its own unique personality. Offering rich cultural diversity with mixed-use areas that are simultaneously historic and hip, the region attracts young professionals and families. The cost of living is 10 percent lower than the national average, making it an accessible metropolitan destination. Major new additions to the city in the past two decades include the Milwaukee RiverWalk, the Wisconsin Center, and Pier Wisconsin. Often referred to as the “City of Festivals,” Milwaukee is home to an amazing film festival, many ethnic festivals celebrating the city’s diverse cultural makeup, and Summerfest, the world’s largest music festival. 

Milwaukee County has one of the best park systems in the nation and the area features numerous outdoor attractions, including kayaking down the Milwaukee River and cycling on the 125-mile Oak Leaf Trail. Sports fans can catch the MLB Brewers at Miller Park, considered one of the best ballparks in America, and the NBA Bucks at the brand-new Fiserv Forum, a 17,500-seat arena designed solely for basketball. Milwaukee also offers extensive options for public transportation, including streetcar, bus, and commuter rail networks. General Mitchell International Airport is the largest airport in the Wisconsin region, serving over half a million passengers a year. 

Sources: jsonline.com; visitmilwaukee.com; mmac.org

Position Summary  An accomplished professional and exemplary leader, the CEO of Imagine MKE will build the organization, advance the strategic agenda, recruit a talented staff, and facilitate the engagement of grasstops and grassroots leaders in Milwaukee. Reporting to the board of directors, the CEO will be an entrepreneurial leader responsible for supervising and directing all aspects of the strategic vision, public visibility, and managerial operations. The successful candidate will be inclusive, collaborative, creative, adaptive, and able to lead a sector-focused, results-based culture defined by the best practices of collective impact. This individual will own a deep commitment to inclusion and racial equity. A passionate champion of arts and culture, the CEO will support staff, board, and volunteers to pursue and be accountable for ambitious goals that socially and economically benefit the community. 

Roles and Responsibilities

Leadership and Advocacy

Serve as the primary representative and spokesperson of Imagine MKE.

Develop relationships with key stakeholders and influencers at the civic, corporate, government, and community levels.

Create and communicate strategies to demonstrate the economic and civic value of a diverse and vibrant arts and culture sector. 

Design and implement strategies to increase the sustainability of the sector by identifying and facilitating opportunities for revenue diversification and audience development.

Increase access to arts and culture experiences in diverse Milwaukee communities and neighborhoods.

Establish strategies and methodologies to measure the social and economic impact of the arts and culture sector and communicate findings through public reporting.

Advocate for increased community investment in arts and culture to address inequities, ensure sustainability, and expand opportunities for growth.

Leverage resources and connections to ensure Imagine MKE is involved in community development decision-making.

Arts and Culture Sector Engagement

Sustain and increase the level of sector engagement through Imagine MKE Work Groups.

Nurture the inclusive nature of Imagine MKE to increase agenda ownership among Work Group participants and to balance expectations. 

Evaluate and prioritize opportunities in collaboration with Imagine MKE Work Groups to leverage resources and achieve maximum impact.

Explore viability to develop and maintain a combined arts and culture calendar for greater Milwaukee to enhance asset mapping and identify gaps in service. 

Partner with a broad array of organizations, such as United Performing Arts Fund (UPAF), Milwaukee Artist Resource Network (MARN), Metro Milwaukee Association of Commerce, Greater Milwaukee Committee, and public sector partners, to ensure strategic alignment and coordination of programs with similar goals and objectives. 

Programs and Revenue Development

Identify and explore viability of new program opportunities for Imagine MKE to serve as a think tank for policy ideas and strategies to enhance the arts and culture sector in Greater Milwaukee.

Serve as a guiding partner to artists and arts and culture organizations for best practices in areas including but not limited to organizational structure, board planning, governance, proposal creation, fundraising, and volunteer management. 

Support audience development efforts and explore opportunities to leverage sector marketing through partnerships with UPAF, MARN, Visit Milwaukee, Milwaukee Filmmakers Alliance, Greater Together, Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce, the Greater Milwaukee Committee, and other similar organizations.

Develop methodologies to measure audience participation and investment and create strategies to reach new audiences.

Expand and diversify creative offerings available to residents throughout Milwaukee’s neighborhoods and elevate the visibility of existing neighborhood cultural assets.

Promote capacity building by providing business development training to individual artists.

Benchmark similar advocacy programs across the country with an eye to implementing best practices.

Organizational Development

Develop a realistic business plan and oversee all aspects of building a new organization, including bylaws, budgets, HR policies and procedures, and strategic, fundraising, marketing, and communication plans.

Oversee all fiduciary and budget aspects of the organization.

Hire and manage staff with clear expectations and support.

Help develop and support the engagement of the board as effective governors, ambassadors, and advocates for Imagine MKE.

Facilitate the collective impact structure, managing a diverse group of engaged stakeholders who will support Imagine MKE’s ongoing work.

Manage organizational resources in accordance with the highest ethical and nonprofit standards.

Instill and drive a culture of philanthropy and accountability within the organization.

Traits and Characteristics

The CEO will be a natural leader and advocate with a high level of comfort and credibility in both traditional power structures and grassroot community environments. A firm believer in cultural equity and inclusion, the CEO will have a deep appreciation for the value of shared ownership and collective impact, along with a strong understanding of the arts and culture’s capacity to transform, inspire, regenerate, and build bridges across communities. A creative entrepreneur and dynamic innovator, the CEO will envision and activate Imagine MKE’s impact and reach. With superior communication skills and political savvy, this individual will possess an exceptional ability to manage and engage diverse networks at all socioeconomic levels. A result-oriented leader, the CEO will pursue and be accountable for ambitious performance goals.

Other key competencies include:

Teamwork – The ability to effectively and productively working with others to unite the sector, achieve organizational goals, and manage conflict.

Self-Starting and Flexibility – The capacity to demonstrate initiative and agility in adapting to change.

Diplomacy and Appreciating Others – The dexterity to identify with and care about others, treating everyone fairly, regardless of personal biases or beliefs.

Qualifications A bachelor’s degree and demonstrated expertise in organizational development, collaboration, program creation, public policy, advocacy, and fiscal management are required. Experience working with public agencies, arts councils, creative industries, and/or similar institutions is essential. The successful candidate will possess a commitment to the arts, artists, and development of cultural organizations. Demonstrated expertise relevant to successfully collaborating with artists, business executives, community leaders, and elected and appointed officials is essential. Applicants must have experience working with boards and high-level volunteers. Excellent written, verbal, and presentation skills are necessary. Knowledge of the Milwaukee area’s complexities is highly desirable. 

Compensation and Benefits Imagine MKE’s competitive compensation (commensurate with experience) consists of a base salary along with incentives linked to board designed benchmarks. Its benefits package includes medical, dental, vision, and prescription coverage; a flexible spending account; life and disability insurances; paid time off; holiday and sick pay; and participation in a 403(b) retirement plan.

Applications and Inquiries Please submit a letter and resume with a summary of demonstrable accomplishments (electronic submissions preferred) to:

Jenna Deja, Vice President 201 West Lake Street, Suite 133 Chicago, IL 60606-1803 Tel (888) 234.4236 Ext. 227 Email ImagineMKE@ArtsConsulting.com

Imagine MKE is an equal opportunity employer and is dedicated to the goal of building a diverse and inclusive organization. It strongly encourages applications from women, people of color, and members of other historically under-represented groups.

Article source here:Arts Journal

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President & CEO, Tennessee Performing Arts Center

The board of Tennessee Performing Arts Center Management Corporation seeks a visionary and entrepreneurial President & CEO to guide the board in making the most important strategic decisions about its master facility plan and the future of TPACMC.

POSITION TITLE: President and CEO

REPORTING TO: Board of Directors through the Chair

LOCATION: Nashville, TN

THE COMPANY: Tennessee Performing Arts Center Management Corporation

Tennessee Performing Arts Center Management Corporation (TPACMC), located in downtown Nashville, is a nonprofit dedicated to providing and supporting the presentation of the performing and cultural arts. Founded in 1980, as a private-public partnership with the State of Tennessee, TPACMC serves several hundred thousand audience members each year with the HCA/TriStar Health Broadway at TPACMC series, a variety of special engagements, and the productions of three resident artistic companies – Nashville Ballet, Nashville Opera, and Nashville Repertory Theatre.

In addition, TPACMC administers one of the largest and most comprehensive arts education programs in the United States, serving students from pre-school to high school, educators, and adults. Over almost four decades, TPACMC has welcomed more than 12 million audience members and served more than 1.8 million students, educators, and adults with performances at TPAC, teacher resources, professional development opportunities, classroom residencies, and enrichment programs.

Located in the James K. Polk Cultural Center, TPAC occupies an entire city block between 5th and 6th Avenues and Deaderick and Union Streets. Performance venues include Andrew Jackson Hall (2,472 seats), James K. Polk Theater (1,075), Andrew Johnson Theater (256), and the War Memorial Auditorium (1,661-2044), a historic concert hall located across 6th Avenue from the Center.

TPACMC has an operating budget of approximately $25 million. The majority of TPACMC’s operating budget is earned income – ticket sales, rentals, etc. It enjoys a strong relationship with the State, has loyal patrons, and a newly conceived membership program.

The facilities, built in the 1980’s, require major renovation to accommodate modern day and future programming and patron amenities. The next President and CEO will guide the board to make the most important strategic decisions about its master facility plan and the future of TPACMC.

SCOPE AND RESPONSIBILITIES: The President and CEO will be tasked with visioning the future of TPACMC. He or she will guide the board as they contemplate a variety of long-range master plan options, while ensuring the organization continues its excellent reputation for arts programming and educational outreach and balancing a $25 million plus operating budget in the short term.

Specific Responsibilities:

Working with the board, oversee the completion of the long-range vision for the organization and develop implementation plans to realize the vision;

Devise capital and endowment campaigns in alignment with the institution’s vision and goals; develop a robust fundraising infrastructure to meet these goals;

With the support of the board, lead TPACMC’s fundraising activities by identifying, cultivating, and soliciting gifts from individuals, foundations, and corporations;

Supervise a highly functional executive leadership team; direct, evaluate, enable, and inspire a group of arts professionals to help achieve the mission of the organization;

Support the leaders of the resident arts companies; maintain the positive working relationship between TPAC and those groups;

Manage the operating agreement with the State’s building management company, ensure the optimal use and safety of the building and manage the lease arrangements with the State of Tennessee;

With the Executive Vice President of Programming and Sales, curate a programming season that delights audiences and maximizes ticket sale potential;

Optimize and nourish beneficial business relationships with the multiple vendors, including touring Broadway, agents, artists, and contractors;

Navigate the complex relationship with the State of Tennessee with a renewed awareness campaign, advocating in the best interest of TPACMC while respecting the historical relationship and bureaucratic process;

Work closely with the Board, providing support to facilitate its policies;

Optimize the composition of the Board to align with TPACMC’s needs and opportunities;

Represent TPACMC at the PACC, the IPN, and with the multiple industry and community groups with which it interacts;

Enthusiastically communicate the unique contributions made by TPACMC to the performing arts world, to the community, and to education and arts leaders in Nashville and nationally;

QUALIFICATIONS AND PROFESSIONAL ATTRIBUTES: The President and CEO will be a visionary executive, able to think creatively and strategically about future opportunities, build consensus amongst the board and various stakeholders, and implement the agreed upon plans. He or she must be politically savvy, an expert relationship-builder with a keen sense for how governmental bodies operate. He or she must have a high level of business acumen – pursuing deals, managing budgets, and executing strategies to ensure the sustainable, long-term success of the enterprise. He or she must be a skilled manager, able to evaluate performance effectively and motivate teams to perform to their highest potential. He or she must also be committed to fundraising, dedicating the necessary resources toward building a robust infrastructure and comfortably building relationships and soliciting gifts from various sources. This person will ideally be conversant in the performing arts, familiar with the unique governmental and philanthropic culture of Nashville, with a proven understanding of real estate development. Ambition, vision, and excellent business skills and entrepreneurial drive, combined with a deep respect for the arts and non-profit culture, are essential characteristics of the successful President and CEO.

The successful candidate will have:

Exceptional and effective communication skills, verbal and written, and the ability to publicly communicate to a variety of audiences;

Experience working in a performing arts organization with a proven ability to design and control a sustainable financial model and continually improve the bottom line through careful expense control and increased income generation;

Experience in capital fundraising campaigns and building projects;

Leadership ability and behaviors demonstrated by a keen sense of self awareness, empathy, the ability to analyze complex management and political situations, and the ability to lead, influence, and reach consensus on a range of topics among multiple constituents;

An entrepreneurial approach and sense of urgency coupled with a calm demeanor;

An enthusiasm for and commitment to fundraising and a drive to increase the level and breadth of contributions;

Experience in developing contributed revenue streams, including individual, institutional, corporate, and public/quasi-public donors and major gift cultivation;

An analytical approach to business development, with the ability to gather and synthesize data and to make calculated business investment decisions based on the data;

A demonstrated sense of marketing, with experience increasing earned income from ticket sales, licensing, facility rentals, and creating new opportunities for earned income;

The ideal candidate will have gained and demonstrated the above skills through:

Ten years of increasing responsibility as CEO of a presenting or performing arts organization, with an annual operating budget in excess of $10 million; or

Ten years of increasing responsibility at the C-suite level in a major ($25 million or above) performing arts organization that relies on a combination of earned and contributed income; or

Ten or more years’ experience in the commercial live entertainment sector, with a demonstrated understanding for real estate development and negotiating deals; or

Ten or more years’ experience in government, combined with strong business skills and knowledge of the performing arts.

COMPENSATION AND TIMING:

Competitive compensation is offered. Applications will be accepted until the position is filled. All contacts and correspondences will be confidential.

Please send résumé to: Phil DeBoer Senior Associate DHR International pdeboer@dhrinternational.com (708) 450-4003

Article source here:Arts Journal

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President and Chief Executive Officer

Reporting to the board of directors, the President & CEO will be responsible for the overall success and creative growth of The Center.

Organization Center for the Arts (The Center) is a hub for cultural, artistic, creative, and educational activity in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. With a mission to connect the creative community by providing a dedicated campus, supporting excellent programming, and nurturing a collaborative spirit, The Center is proud to share its 78,000-square-foot campus with 19 inspired local, regional, and state-wide nonprofit resident partner organizations that call The Center home. These resident partners—independent arts and education organizations that represent more than half of the cultural nonprofits in Jackson Hole—include the Art Association of Jackson Hole, Dancers’ Workshop, Jackson Hole Public Art, Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival, Off Square Theatre Company, University of Wyoming Outreach School, and Wyoming Humanities Council, among many others.

Beyond the range of events staged by these resident partners, The Center Presents series offers a diverse selection of music, spoken word, film, and family programming to enhance the cultural vitality of Jackson Hole. Summer 2018 programming includes Mary Chapin Carpenter, Béla Fleck and the Flecktones, Rickie Lee Jones, and Rodrigo y Gabriela. The Center’s Creative in Residence program invites guest curators to utilize The Center campus to create installations and exhibits to inspire the community. Campus Exhibitions add visual vibrancy by supporting and showcasing a diverse group of visual artists through the juried Center Theater Gallery art exhibitions, youth art displays, artist talks, workshops, and more.

Centrally located just two blocks away from Jackson’s town square, The Center opened in 2007. A decade later, in 2017, there were nearly 4,000 performances, seminars, classes, and community activities, with 125,000 people visiting the campus. The Center encompasses the 530-seat Center Theater, 100-seat Black Box Theater, rehearsal space and practice rooms, dance studios, over 10,000 square feet of visual arts studio and gallery space, a park, and administrative offices for resident partners and The Center staff. In 2016 The Center signed a 99-year campus lease with the Town of Jackson and Teton County.

The Center operates on an annual budget of approximately $3.5 million, of which 51 percent comes from donations and sponsorships, 19 percent from ticket sales, and 15 percent from leases. It is governed by an energetic and committed 19-member board of directors, with support from a staff of 15 employees. The Center has just launched a campaign to grow its endowment from $2 million to $12 million under the banner of two goals: to manage immediate and future costs associated with providing a state-of-the-art arts center for the community and to secure ample funding to support a diversity of innovative programming.

Community  “Yonder is Jackson Hole, the last of the Old West,” reads the sign at Teton Pass, overlooking the valley below. Grand Teton National Park occupies the northwestern part of the Jackson Hole valley, while the Snake River meanders through the entire valley from its headwater in Yellowstone National Park. Within these extraordinary natural surroundings sits the Town of Jackson, with a population of just over 10,000 residents, at an elevation of 6,237 feet. National Center for Arts Research ranked Jackson second among the Top 10 Arts-Vibrant Small Communities in the United States, describing the town as “a mountain community of great beauty and innovation” in which “all arts forms are represented, at times recognized nationally or internationally for excellence.” In addition to The Center and its many resident partners, Jackson is home to the National Museum of Wildlife Art and the Grand Teton Music Festival. It is also in the top 1 percent in the country for independent artists per capita.

While more than 2.6 million people visit Jackson Hole annually for the unparalleled natural beauty and recreational opportunities, such as skiing, hiking, fly-fishing, and rafting, there is much more that Jackson and Teton County offer to residents. Teton County, with a population of approximately 25,000 residents, is one of the wealthiest and healthiest in the nation. Among K-12 educational options, Jackson Hole High School was ranked number one in Wyoming in a recent U.S. News & World Report. The county boasts a 98 percent high school graduation rate, which is above the national median, and nearly 60 percent of the county population has an advanced degree. Philanthropy and volunteerism are strong: the community supports one of most innovative and successful fundraisers in the nation, Old Bill’s Fun Run for Charities, which raised over $12 million from approximately 3,800 donors in 2017. Jackson’s housing costs are comparable to major metro areas, which is offset somewhat by the 0 percent state income tax.

Sources: cfjacksonhole.org; jacksonholechamber.com; jhnewsandguide.com; mcs.smu.edu/artsresearch2014/; usnews.com;visitjacksonhole.com

Position  Reporting to and working closely with the board of directors, the President & Chief Executive Officer (CEO) will be responsible for the overall success and creative growth of The Center, including the vibrancy of its programs and campus, quality of its resident partnerships, financial sustainability, and impact. The CEO will oversee The Center’s programming, strategic partnerships, development, marketing, financial management, production, and operations, as well as supervision and development of its human resources. The CEO will maintain an active presence in Jackson, surrounding communities, and Teton County in order to build a strong brand, visibility, and financial support for The Center, working collaboratively with board and staff members, resident partners, other arts organizations, and community members to fulfill The Center’s mission.

Roles and Responsibilities

Strategic Planning and Programmatic Vibrancy

With the board, set the vision for The Center as a campus dedicated to a comprehensive performing and visual arts program and oversee short-term operational and long-range strategic planning and implementation processes.

Serve as chief spokesperson and establish a broad public image for The Center, clearly articulating the needs of and long-term impacts on the community it serves.

Initiate, develop, and ensure strong collaborative and effective relations with The Center’s resident partners and other arts organizations to support joint programming and success.

Build and maintain relationships with key community stakeholders, including city and county government officials, regional and state arts leaders, and other stakeholders, in achieving mutually beneficial outcomes.

Engage with board and staff members, resident partners, and other arts and community stakeholders to better understand community needs and interests, obtain feedback, and set the direction for The Center.

Oversee the planning, scheduling, management, and evaluation of a diverse array of programming activities.

Affirm The Center’s role in a vital regional arts community with multiple constituents and develop relationships that enhance the goals of that larger community.

Contributed and Earned Revenue Enhancement

Drive the formulation and implementation of fundraising strategies to increase financial resources through annual fund, special event, planned giving, capital, and endowment fundraising activities.

Energize corporate sponsorship opportunities, foundation and government grants, and special campaigns to maintain The Center’s investment in a thriving arts sector.

Participate actively in the cultivation and solicitation of major donors, individuals, foundations, corporations, and government.

Supervise marketing and communication strategies and initiatives that maximize ticket sales, lease and rental revenues, and other earned revenue opportunities.

Ensure the highest levels of excellence in the delivery of outstanding customer service.

Governance and Financial Accountability

Collaborate with the board to ensure strong fiscal health and organizational governance, providing support to best utilize the talents and resources of board members, stimulate involvement, and recruit new members.

Advise the board and its committees on matters within the CEO’s scope of responsibility to promote the efficient operation of The Center.

Develop and maintain fiscal responsibility for the annual operating budget and financial objectives of The Center and provide the most effective use of financial resources, working closely with the board.

Establish sound financial management and administrative policies and maintain accurate financial records and monthly reports for board review.

Understand and maintain compliance with best accounting practices, tax filing requirements, and audits.

Initiate ongoing effective communication with the Board Chair, board of directors, staff, resident partners, volunteers, and other stakeholders.

Management and Operations

Supervise a diverse staff, including professional, creative, technical, clerical, maintenance, and volunteer workers, to ensure patrons, resident partners, artists, students, and community members have a welcoming and high-quality experience.

Hire, train, mentor, evaluate, and create accountability measures for staff and volunteers while actively addressing their concerns in creating a safe and productive work environment.

Recommend staffing levels, facilitate employee development, and maintain an environment where diverse individuals bring various talents, skills, and cultural competencies together to achieve common goals.

Monitor programming, operations, and facilities personnel to ensure that the organizational policies are efficient and effective in resource utilization.

Ensure that all activities in The Center are consistent with The Center’s mission and values and meet contractual agreements as well as legal and ethical obligations.

Create and actively promote a comfortable and welcoming environment where every stakeholder is treated with dignity and respect in a friendly and personal manner.

Traits and Characteristics  The CEO will be a strategic, entrepreneurial, diplomatic, and resilient leader who can articulate a vision and set the tone for The Center as a vibrant hub for a broad array of artistic, cultural, educational, and community activity. A steady hand, the CEO will demonstrate an appreciation for practical accomplishments and the ability to balance the strategic with the day-to-day, as well as the external- and internal-facing requirements of this position. Valuing creativity and self-expression, the successful candidate will be an intuitive and versatile self-starter, who possesses the following key competencies:

Leadership and Personal Accountability – The ability to organize and motivate other people with a sense of purpose and direction while being accountable for personal and professional actions.

Stakeholder Focus – The commitment to the satisfaction of patrons, resident organizations, board and staff members, and volunteers, with a high value on multiple stakeholder needs.

Planning, Organizing, and Managing Time and Priorities – The capacity to ascertain top priorities, anticipate outcomes and risks, and establish courses of action to ensure work is completed effectively and the desired outcomes are delivered within allotted time frames.

Qualifications  Qualified applicants must have a bachelor’s degree (master’s degree preferred) plus a minimum of five to seven years of increasing responsibility in a senior management role at an arts center or similar broad-based arts, culture, education, or community organization. Candidates should also possess a solid track record in donor stewardship and the successful solicitation of major gifts, as well as a strong command of the business of running a multi-disciplinary arts center, including theater and financial management, staff development, and communication skills. Candidates must know how to work effectively with board members, staff, resident organizations, volunteers, and other community leaders and demonstrate a commitment to The Center’s values of stewardship, excellence, inclusion, creativity, and respect. The Center and the community will appreciate and embrace candidates who love both winter and summer sports and the great outdoors, as well as those who demonstrate a genuine commitment to Jackson as their home.

Compensation and Benefits The Center provides competitive compensation and a standard benefits package, including health insurance, retirement plan, paid time off, and holidays, in addition to the extraordinary quality of life and outdoor recreation opportunities offered by the beautiful Jackson Hole region.

Applications and Inquiries Please submit a letter and resume with a summary of demonstrable accomplishments (electronic submissions preferred) to:

Ms. Rebekah Lambert Senior Vice President 818 SW 3rd Avenue, Suite 236 Portland, OR 97204-2405 Tel (888) 234.4236 Ext. 207 Email TheCenter@ArtsConsulting.com

Center for the Arts is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Article source here:Arts Journal