Earl R. Merrill: 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