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Dear South Arts Friends and Colleagues; I am writing to ask your assistance with the very important task of recruiting the next Executive Director of South Arts. For all of us who believe deeply in the work of this exemplary regional arts organization, the responsibility falls on us to encourage the very best people we know to consider this opportunity. South Arts is an assertive, pro-active and dynamic organization, with a clear mission and sound strategy for its current and future work. Artists, presenters, and leaders of the diverse arts organizations, arts advocates and arts policy makers nationally respect the work we are doing. Our signature programs, including the Performing Arts Exchange and ArtsReady, are healthy and significant means of supporting a strong and vital arts industry within the South and across the nation. Our emerging research profile, exemplified by the excellent report “Creative Industries in the South” authored by Allen Bell, affords South Arts a strong leadership position, providing information to support the agendas of our primary stakeholders. We are indeed building a better South through the arts. Our search consultants, led by Jeanie Duncan at Transition-Guides, are gathering candidates for this leadership position, and working closely with our search committee to ensure that we not only recruit the right person; they are committed to helping South Arts build a clear transition and on-boarding process so that we all can work with each other to ensure the success of our next Executive Director. Our timeline is aggressive. The search committee, consisting of Malcolm White, Dana LaFonta, J. Martin Lett, Hellena Tidwell, Richard Ranta, Todd Lowe and myself, has met over the phone with the Transition-Guides team to develop the position announcement and profile. Transition-Guides will be receiving nominations and applications from the field through the end of April, updating the search committee periodically on their progress. The search committee next will meet by telephone during at the beginning of May with the Transition-Guides team to select leading candidates for telephone/Skype interviews to occur within the first two weeks of May. Our intention is to invite those candidates who rise to the top of the list to visit the South Arts office in Atlanta to meet with the South Arts staff and departing executive director during the third week of May; those candidates also will interview further with the search committee at that time. We will be determining the best way for the full board to speak with the finalists during their site visits as well. Upon receiving feedback from all board and staff members, the search committee will make its formal recommendation to the Executive Committee by the end of May. The Executive Committee will then determine appropriate next steps in the recruitment process, keeping the staff and full board informed at appropriate points. We would hope to make an offer to the candidate of choice as soon as possible after that. The actual starting date for the incoming Executive Director will be determined when the offer is accepted. We are looking forward to a smooth transition, thanks to the excellent work of the current South Arts leadership team and the incredible South Arts staff. We are extraordinarily grateful to Gerri Combs for her expertise and leadership as she has led the South Arts stakeholders – staff, board, artists, arts organizations, partners and friends – through a dynamic and exciting journey of sustained growth and enhanced reputation over these past years. Her legacy of vision, energy and proactive advocacy provides a solid foundation for the next Executive Director’s work. Please do all you can to encourage the best people that you know who are qualified to pursue this opportunity. South Arts is on an exciting trajectory; your efforts to ensure that we bring the right person to lead the organization are very much appreciated. On behalf of the Search Committee, |
Executive Director Search
