Management Consultants for the Arts Lands CEO for Society for the Performing Arts
November 1, 2018 – Following a wide-ranging nationwide search, Stamford, Conn-based executive search firm Management Consultants for the Arts has placed Meg Booth as the new CEO of the Society for the Performing Arts (SPA), Houston’s prestigious non-profit presenting arts organization. She takes over from longtime leader June Christensen, who is retiring at the end of the year.
“Meg is a dynamic and talented leader in both the U.S. and international performing arts communities, having helped steer one of the world’s premier performing arts centers,” said Theresa Einhorn, SPA’s board chair. “Through our extensive national search, Meg stood out among many brilliant and gifted candidates. Her artistic vision, her marketing savvy and her curation and programming expertise, along with strong management skills, are the perfect combination for SPA as we plan for our future.”
Ms. Booth, who assumes her new role on December 1, currently serves as director of dance programming for the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. Her department is responsible for programming, contracting and executing more than 80 performances annually while managing a multi-million dollar budget. Additionally, she has produced critically-acclaimed festivals and showcases, commissioned new works and served as producer for the Suzanne Farrell Ballet Company for 11 years.
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Ms. Booth’s prior arts administration experience includes positions with the Twyla Tharp Dance Foundation, Baryshnikov Productions Inc., IMG Artists and Charlotte Ballet in Charlotte, NC. She is a past board chair and longtime board member of Dance/USA. She also serves on the board of Dance Metro DC.
World-Class Organization
“I hope to build upon the strong repertoire of world-class performing artists and companies that SPA brings to Houston, along with expanding educational outreach programs and cultural engagement and collaboration in the community,” said Ms. Booth. “Houston’s reputation as a vibrant and growing arts mecca was a huge draw for me, and I see exciting possibilities working closely with the board, staff, and community leaders.”
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Founded in 1966, Society for the Performing Arts is the largest independent non-profit presenting arts organization in the Southwest. Since its inception, it has presented more than 1,000 performances of the world’s finest music, dance and theater events, in adherence to the belief that the arts are fundamental to the overall enrichment and quality of life within the Houston community.
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Serving Arts Organizations
Since 1983, Management Consultants for the Arts has been deeply involved with arts and cultural organizations of all types and sizes throughout the country, including theaters, museums, music and dance companies, performing arts centers, science centers, historical societies, colleges and universities, service organizations, public agencies, arts councils and foundations. The firm’s services include consultations in executive search for senior-level leadership, planning, organizational analysis, board and staff retreats, seminar & workshop development and facilitation.
Gregory Kandel, the search firm’s founding partner, has spent many years in arts management, both in the field and as a consultant to dance companies, theaters, orchestras and other performing arts organizations. He has served a diverse group of clients throughout the cultural community and assisted a number of them as a National Endowment for the Arts advancement consultant. As a faculty member at Yale University and guest lecturer at other academic institutions, Mr. Kandel has emphasized the special roles that artists and managers must play collectively in running arts organizations, as well as the governance necessary to make their work successful on behalf of the arts organization.
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