Chief Development Officer
Website Sarasota Performing Arts Foundation
To be a preeminent destination for the performing arts in the nation by offering extraordinary cultural and educational experiences that open a world of new possibilities for all.
Sarasota Performing Arts Foundation (The Foundation) was founded in 1987 to support arts education programming at Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, which serves more than 35,000 students and their families with enriching arts-based education opportunities and professional development for more than 400 teachers across five counties. The Foundation is leading the vision to build a new Sarasota Performing Arts Center as a public-private partnership with the City of Sarasota and Sarasota County, and in collaboration with the Bay Park Conservancy and Van Wezel Hall.
The Foundation is at a pivotal moment in its history. Building upon its successful support of the performing arts in Sarasota, the Foundation is committed to leading an anticipated $300 million capital project to build and operate a vibrant, new performing arts campus in a public-private partnership with the City of Sarasota. Sarasota’s new performing arts center will sit at the center of The Bay, a 53-acre signature public park being built on Sarasota Bay, and serve as a magnet destination for generations with the potential to impact and enrich communities across the state and country.
The Foundation seeks an entrepreneurial and results-oriented Chief Development Officer (CDO) to lead the anticipated campaign. The CDO will lead the Foundation’s capital campaign from conceptualization through completion, with experience articulating the case for support in an environment where a portion of the project is supported by government sources. The ideal candidate will build a comprehensive, world-class development operation from the ground up to raise funds for annual, endowment, and capital.
The CDO will report to the Chief Executive Officer. S/he will manage the Development Data Manager and the Relationship Manager, and lead the continued growth of the development team. As part of the public-private partnership, the successful candidate will build and deepen relationships within the community with the City of Sarasota, Sarasota County, Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, and the Bay Park Conservancy.
