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- Chief Marketing Officer – Seattle Rep via TOC Arts Partners
About the Opportunity
Seattle Rep—one of the nation’s leading regional theaters—is experiencing a dynamic new chapter. With a strong artistic foundation, a reputation for and commitment to innovation, and a renewed sense of organizational and artistic momentum, Seattle Rep is poised to deepen its community impact and connection and excite audiences with an ever expansive artistic energy and focus.
The Chief Marketing Officer will play a defining role in this next phase. As a key member of the senior leadership team, the CMO will shape how the organization connects with audiences—driving revenue, elevating brand visibility, and advancing a modern, data-informed approach to marketing in the performing arts. This is a rare opportunity to lead marketing for a major American theater at a moment of both stability and ambition—where thoughtful strategy, creative energy, and institutional alignment can meaningfully expand impact and reach. The CMO will join a senior leadership team committed to collaboration around strategies designed to support a thriving theater organization keenly focused on fulfilling its mission through excellence, excitement, and innovation. This is an opportunity for a marketing and communications professional who is excited to join a team that is passionate about the future of this company; who brings ambition and vision; who is able to work within the realm of possibility while also anchoring the work in data and understanding; and who is eager to embrace the realities and potential of 21st century marketing tools.
About Seattle Rep
Seattle Rep puts theater at the heart of public life. Founded in 1963 and winner of the 1990 Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre, Seattle Rep is led by Artistic Director Dámaso Rodríguez and Managing Director Jeffrey Herrmann. Over a season and throughout the year, Seattle Rep collaborates with extraordinary artists to create productions and programs that reflect and elevate the diverse cultures, perspectives, and life experiences of the Pacific Northwest. Seattle Rep enjoys a celebrated national reputation based on its commitment to excellence on stage, its continuing commitment to developing new work and investing in national and local artists, and its place as the premiere regional theater in the Pacific Northwest.
Seattle Rep is set in the unique park-like environment of Seattle Center, a public space developed as part of the World’s Fair in 1962. Overlooked by the Space Needle, Seattle Rep shares this extensive cultural campus with the Opera House (home to both Seattle Opera and Pacific Northwest Ballet), the Chihuly Garden and Glass Museum, Seattle Children’s Theatre, and more, as well as open spaces that draw Seattle residents and visitors to numerous festivals and events throughout the year. Seattle Rep’s building houses two theaters – the Bagley Wright Theater, with a current capacity of 673; and the 282 seat Leo K. Theater. In addition, the Poncho Forum is a flexible space used for everything from rehearsal studio to educational programs space to public programs and readings. Seattle Rep’s production shops and administrative offices are also located within this building, creating opportunities for company collaborations and communications that are rare in a large theater organization.
Learn more about Seattle Rep here. https://www.seattlerep.org/
About Seattle
Seattle, Washington, is a city with perhaps the most beautiful setting in the United States. Known as the Emerald City because of its connection and access to nature – the city is filled with parks and green spaces – Seattle sits on the shores of Puget Sound, with the Cascade Mountains in view to the east, and the Olympics of the Peninsula to the west. Water views come into focus at almost every turn, with the Sound and Lakes Union and Washington defining the topography of this city of hills. For many centuries the area has been home to a large number of indigenous communities, including the Duwamish and Suquamish tribes, and is still home to one of the largest populations of urban native peoples in the country. As a Pacific rim city, Seattle also enjoys the influence of citizens of Asian ancestry, and the area’s reputation as a technology center continues to draw a diverse population to the city and environs.
Seattle’s evolution from timber and fishing economies, to aerospace and technology pioneers, to progressive eco-centric entrepreneurism has created a city with a distinct personality, where everyone from multinational corporate workers to maker-culture artisans benefit from the diverse food, art, and outdoor scene that represents the city’s unique story.
Culturally, Seattle is an exciting city that has impacted not only its citizens but the national culture as well. In music, through its reputation as a city who nurtured legends from Ray Charles and Quincy Jones to Jimi Hendrix to Nirvana; in visual art, through artists from Mark Tobey and Morris Graves to Fay Jones and Dale Chihuly; and through its history of cultivating a vibrant live theater scene. Seattle was a center of vaudeville in the early 20th century, and one of the leaders of the resident theater movement in the 60s as the Seattle Rep opened its doors, and for the next half century the theater community grew and evolved, as nationally celebrated playwrights from Steven Dietz to Cheryl L. West to August Wilson called Seattle home.
Job Description
The Chief Marketing Officer leads the strategy, execution, and performance of all marketing, communications, and audience engagement efforts at Seattle Rep. This role oversees a broad portfolio spanning brand, sales, digital strategy, communications, and patron experience, and is responsible for delivering both immediate revenue results and long-term audience growth.
Key Responsibilities
- Accelerate revenue growth through effective subscription, single ticket, and group sales strategies
- Reinforce audience engagement in a post-pandemic environment, with a focus on long-term loyalty and growth
- Evolve a contemporary marketing model, incorporating new technologies, platforms, and audience behaviors
- Help strengthen alignment across revenue functions, particularly between Marketing and Development
- Clarify and amplify the Seattle Rep brand, both institutionally and across individual productions and events
Strategic Leadership
- Lead and mentor a multidisciplinary team spanning marketing, communications, patron services, and front-of-house operations
- Set clear priorities, goals, and performance expectations for the department
- Manage budgets, timelines, and resources to align ambition with execution
- Foster a collaborative, creative, and accountable team culture
Specifically, provide leadership and strategic direction of Seattle Rep marketing/communications/patron services teams in the following areas:
Marketing & Sales
- Develop and oversee subscription, single ticket, and group sales campaigns across all productions and programs
- Develop and implement dynamic pricing strategies and audience segmentation models
- Forecast, analyze, and respond to ticket sales trends to maximize revenue and attendance
- Oversee the planning and execution of show-specific campaigns for both produced and presented work
- Continuously refine the customer journey—from first interaction through post-show engagement—to drive loyalty and retention
Digital & Content Strategy
- Oversee all digital platforms, including website, email, SMS, social media, and paid advertising
- Partner with internal teams and external agencies to develop compelling, audience-centered content and campaigns
- Leverage data and analytics to inform strategy and optimize performance
- Stay at the forefront of digital innovation, evaluating new tools, platforms, and technologies to expand reach
Communications & Brand Management
- Steward and evolve the Seattle Rep brand across all external touchpoints
- Oversee public relations, media strategy, advertising, and community engagement efforts
- Serve as a key storyteller for the organization, shaping narratives that resonate with diverse audiences and stakeholders
- Ensure consistency, clarity, and impact across all communications
Patron Services and Front of House
- Ensure best practices in patron relationship building
- Support and advise on customer service policies and practices that remove barriers and encourage loyalty
- Work with the front of house team and other departments that impact audience experience, evaluate customer door-to-door experiences, and create opportunities and solutions to provide a best-in-field experience
- Support FOH teams in managing audience challenges, with training and solutions to empower them and build confidence
Lobby and Events
Oversee the lobby and events team in managing the public spaces at Seattle Rep, ensuring the highest level of visitor experience and optimizing revenue opportunities from rentals, food and beverage operations, and merchandise
Leadership Profile
Seattle Rep is seeking a leader who combines strategic rigor with emotional intelligence—someone who can deliver results while building strong relationships and a sense of shared purpose across the organization.
The successful candidate will be a visible and engaged presence, someone who leads from within the organization rather than at a distance. They will build trust through consistency, accessibility, and a genuine investment in the people and work around them.
They will bring a collaborative, enterprise-wide mindset, working fluidly across departments to align audience and revenue strategies. This includes strengthening the partnership with Development and other key teams, ensuring that marketing is fully integrated into broader institutional goals.
The ideal candidate will demonstrate confidence without ego—a leader who can operate as a strong peer at the senior level, advocate for ideas, and navigate complex dynamics with diplomacy and respect.
They will be both creative and disciplined: energized by new ideas, open to experimentation, and curious about the future of audience engagement, while also grounded in data, structure, and execution.
This is a role that requires resilience and steadiness. The pace of work is high, and the CMO must be able to manage pressure, support their team, and maintain focus in a dynamic environment.
Equally important is the ability to balance ambition with sustainability—championing bold goals while ensuring that strategies are realistic, priorities are clear, and teams are set up for success.
The CMO will bring energy, curiosity, and optimism—helping to shape a marketing function that not only drives revenue, but also contributes to the spirit, momentum, and forward-looking identity of Seattle Rep.
Preferred Qualifications
- 10+ years of progressive experience in marketing, communications, sales, and audience engagement, ideally within performing arts, entertainment, or live events
- Demonstrated success leading integrated marketing strategies that drive measurable revenue growth
- Strong expertise in digital marketing, analytics, audience segmentation, and campaign optimization
- Experience managing ticket sales campaigns, pricing strategies, and revenue forecasting
- Proven ability to lead teams and collaborate cross-functionally in complex organizations
- Strong financial and operational acumen, including budget management
- Excellent communication and storytelling skills, with a refined sense of brand and audience
- Experience managing external vendors and agency partners
- Familiarity with CRM systems (Tessitura preferred)
- Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, evolving, and collaborative environment
Compensation
Seattle Rep offers a salary range of $145,000 to $185,000 based upon experience, and a comprehensive benefits package, including health, dental, and vision insurance; retirement plan options; and paid time off.
Application Instructions
The Chief Marketing Officer search is being conducted on behalf of Seattle Rep by TOC Arts Partners, a national consultancy aligning strategies, structures, and leadership toward a thriving cultural sector. The search is being led by VP of Executive Search Cynthia Fuhrman, in consultation with and support from the TOC Arts Partners search team.
To apply, visit the online application and submit your materials. Your cover letter should include any training or experience relevant to the job profile that you would like to highlight, why you consider yourself a good fit for this opportunity, and anything else you’d like us to know about your qualifications that may not be present in your resume. Applications will be accepted until this role is filled.
For general questions or nominations of prospective candidates, please contact searchteam@tocartspartners.com. We kindly request no phone calls.
Specific questions about the position may be directed to:
Cynthia Fuhrman
VP, Executive Search
cynthia@tocartspartners.comNot sure you meet 100% of our qualifications? Research shows that cis men apply for jobs when they fulfill an average of 60% of the criteria, while others tend only to apply if they meet every requirement. If you believe that you could excel in this role, we encourage you to apply. We are dedicated to considering a broad array of candidates, including those with diverse workplace experiences and backgrounds. So, whether you’re returning to work after a gap in employment, simply looking to transition, or taking the next step in your career path, we will be glad to have you on our radar.
- The Biennale by Subtraction
Good Morning,
The Venice Biennale opens Saturday and most of today’s biggest stories are about what isn’t there. Iran withdrew, and The Conversation reads it as the geopolitics finally catching up with the global art circuit. ARTnews visited the US pavilion and found it essentially empty — an unintentional comment on the Trump administration’s call for art that “promotes American values.” And Pussy Riot, predictably, stormed the Russian pavilion (The Guardian).
Elsewhere, institutions are buckling in less photogenic ways. A French parliamentary report proposes gutting public broadcasting by 25 percent, with the entertainment broadcast budget cut 75 percent (The Guardian). San Diego County scrambled to stand up a $2.75M arts grant program just as the city moves to gut its own (San Diego Union-Tribune). And programmatic ads are quietly creeping into public radio (Inside Radio) — the kind of slow capture that doesn’t make headlines until it has.
Meanwhile Wired reports on a study that finds that AI assistance makes problem-solvers worse at problem-solving when the assistance disappears. Shocking.
In San Francisco, Lawrence Halprin’s brutalist Vaillancourt Fountain caught fire mid-demolition (SF Chronicle) — one way to settle an architecture debate.
All of our stories below.
- He Couldn’t Choose Between Dance And Visual Art. He’s Ended Up Putting Dancers In His Art Installations.
Meet Brendan Fernandes, whose latest work, Score for the Murphy Auditorium at Chicago’s Driehaus, deploys seven dancers executing semi-improvised steps within a dodecahedron of mirrored benches. – WBEZ (Chicago)
- Study: Using AI Could Make You Lazy And Dumber
Some participants were given access to an AI assistant capable of solving the problem autonomously. When the AI helper was suddenly taken away, these people were significantly more likely to give up on the problem or flub their answers. – Wired
- The Shady, Underpaid Gig Work That Makes Video Clips Go Viral
“Everything you’re watching on the feeds could, potentially, be an ad programmed to make someone a Discourse Topic and/or Zeitgeist Definer, made famous thanks to paid spammers instead of organic attention. The effect is to make one wonder whether anything on social media is ‘real,’ even if it isn’t A.I.” – Slate
- What Iran’s Absence From The Venice Biennale Means
Iran’s withdrawal is less a sudden decision than the result of converging geopolitical and economic pressures that are reshaping both the global art world and Iran’s place within it. – The Conversation
- Brandywine Conservancy Announced $100M Expansion
The Brandywine Conservancy & Museum of Art on Wednesday announced a $100 million expansion plan to open a second museum building, create a 325-acre campus, and a nature preserve with 10 miles of trails. – Philadelphia Inquirer (MSN)
- Transcending Boundaries: What Is The Ministry Of Awe?
What is the Ministry of Awe? “Is it an art gallery?” she asked rhetorically. “Is it a theater? Is a museum? Is it a dream? It’s none of those and all of those and it doesn’t matter exactly what it is because there’s no one right way to experience it.” – The New York Times
- Study Confirms: English National Opera’s Breathing Therapy Program Brings Major Improvements For Long COVID Patients
“Published in The Lancet Digital Health, a new study looked at 1,438 participants and found that 80% reported improved levels of breathlessness, with 61% having achieved clinically important improvements. Of the participants, 87% said that it had a positive impact on their general well-being and 73% reported improved anxiety levels.” – The Stage (UK)
- Living In A Gaudi Masterpiece
Imagine that you live in an enormous, beautiful apartment designed by one of the world’s most admired architects in the most expensive street in Spain and for which you pay a derisory rent, with the right to live there until you die. – The Guardian
- Remembering The Pioneering Ted Turner
His bold, audacious bet to launch CNN completely transformed the news business, busting the tightly curated delivery platforms that came before it and opening the floodgates of news to the people. – The Hollywood Reporter
- Advertising Is Intruding More And More Into Public Broadcasting
With ads like these, it begs the question, is programmatic advertising legal for public radio? “FCC regulations only apply to broadcast,” Henry says. “The only caveat is, if you are wildly successful selling a ton of programmatic advertising, be careful not to do too much commercial business that could risk your IRS tax-exempt status. – Inside Radio
- Arthur Miller Opens Up About Being Married To Marilyn Monroe On Newly-Released Tapes
“Miller had felt ‘death was always on her shoulder – always’ … (and) that if he did not ‘take care of her life’ she would come to a ‘catastrophic end’. … ‘As it turned out, it took some years, but it happened. It was beyond my powers or anybody else’s to hold her back.’” – The Guardian
- Why Are So Many Pop Stars Canceling Tours This Summer?
In recent weeks big-name artists including Meghan Trainor, Zayn Malik, Post Malone and the Pussycat Dolls have cancelled performances or entire tours. – The Times (UK)
- This Year’s US Entry In The Venice Biennale: Empty
The second Trump administration’s call for proposals for the Venice Biennale said the American presentation should “reflect and promote American values” and foster “peaceful relations between the United States and other nations.” So how does that bear out in Allen’s US Pavilion? – ARTnews
- Parliamentary Report Proposes To Sweeping Cuts To France’s Public Broadcaster
Right-wing lawmakers have issued a report following a five-month inquiry into the “neutrality, workings and financing” of French public broadcasting. The paper’s recommendations include reducing the overall public broadcasting budget by 25%, merging several major channels, and reducing the sports budget by 33% and the entertainment budget by 75%. – The Guardian
- A Manifesto From The Battle Front Of French Literature’s Latest Culture War
“A publishing house is not meant to be a propaganda machine. It is a place where conflict, doubt and nuance can, and should, coexist. … Grasset’s authors rarely agreed on much, but as the letter of protest we signed said, we have had — and still have — a common enemy: authoritarianism.” – The New York Times
- Louvre’s New President Outlines His Plans For Museum Post-Heist
“With the search for France’s crown jewels still ongoing, … plans are afoot for a new display of Empress Eugénie’s diamond-and-emerald crown. … In time, Christophe Leribault recently (said), the crown Emperor Napoleon III commissioned for his wife will become a new highlight, one only surpassed by the Mona Lisa.” – Artnet
- San Francisco’s Notorious Brutalist Fountain Bursts Into Flames As It’s Being Disassembled
“A small fire broke out Wednesday during the removal of San Francisco’s Vaillancourt Fountain, sending flames and dark smoke from a section of the massive concrete sculpture as crews dismantled the controversial artwork at Embarcadero Plaza.” – San Francisco Chronicle (Yahoo!)
- As City Of San Diego Prepares To Slash Arts Funding, County Sets Up $2.75 Million Program
This despite the fact that the San Diego County government is facing a budget cliff of its own, just as the city is. – The San Diego Union-Tribune (MSN)
- Of Course They Did: Pussy Riot Stormed Russian Pavilion At Venice Biennale
“Wearing pink balaclavas, the protesters ran towards the Russian pavilion where they gathered outside and lit pink, blue and yellow flares while playing punk music and shouting slogans, including ‘Blood is Russia’s Art’. At one stage about 40 activists … attempted to enter the Russian pavilion but were pushed back by police.” – The Guardian
- Due To Fire, Broadway’s “The Book Of Mormon” To Be Closed For Two Weeks
“The long-running Broadway hit … will close its doors through May 17 as its theater undergoes repairs. … The blaze, which began May 4 in an electrical room, caused ‘substantial damage’ to the Eugene O’Neill Theatre.” – AP
- For the Thousandth Time, Art is Essential. Arts Organizations Are Not.No one is arguing against the former. Certainly not me. All I’m asking is how is your nonprofit arts organization disproving the latter?
- Executive Director— Springboard for the Arts
St Paul, Minnesota (Hybrid)
Springboard for the Arts (Springboard) seeks an experienced leader to serve as its next Executive Director. The Executive Director provides overall leadership and strategy for Springboard by articulating a shared vision and purpose for the organization, working with organizational leadership to create a collaborative and effective organizational culture, and leading the teams responsible for fundraising, external relations, programming, staffing, and operations. The Executive Director is a visible advocate for artists, and participates in local and national thought leadership through writing, speaking, and representing Springboard in local, state-wide, regional, and national conversations and working groups. The Executive Director reports to a 9-12 member Board of Directors, leads a 21-member hybrid staff based in offices in Saint Paul and Fergus Falls, MN, and manages the operating budget of over $5 million and more than $14 million in net assets.
Equity is foundational to Springboard’s work, whose priority communities include Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC), LGBTQIA+ artists, artists with disabilities, and artists living in rural places and underinvested urban neighborhoods.
About the opportunity
Springboard is undertaking a planned leadership transition to strengthen its long-term sustainability and position the organization for its next stage of impact.
Over the past five years, Springboard’s operating budget has grown by almost 50% driven by major initiatives including piloting one of the longest-running Guaranteed Income programs in the U.S., scaling its Emergency Relief Fund through a statewide partnership with MN’s regional arts councils, transforming a used car dealership into its new Saint Paul offices and public space, and establishing the national Creative Change Coalition. After operating at this increased scale, the board and staff recognized the need to focus the organization and right-size operations for long-term health.
As part of this shift, Springboard’s Creative Change Coalition (CCC) is moving into a related but independent structure that the current Executive Director, Laura Zabel, will lead. This evolution enables both organizations’ work to thrive with greater focus, dedicated leadership, and operational flexibility, while keeping artists at the center of all decisions.
With the current Executive Director transitioning to leadership of the CCC, Springboard seeks a new Executive Director to fully lead its strategy, culture, operations, fundraising, and local partnerships and programming. This new position will report to the Springboard Board of Directors and be responsible for leading Springboard in the future.
About Springboard
Founded in 1991 as Resources and Counseling for the Arts, Springboard for the Arts is a nationally recognized artist-led community and economic development organization: by artists, for artists. Its mission is to support artists with the tools to make a living and a life, and to build just and equitable communities full of meaning, joy, and connection. From its dual offices in Saint Paul and Fergus Falls, Springboard delivers resources locally and nationally tailored to creative workers, and pilots bold ideas rooted in local contexts, assets, and needs.
Springboard’s guiding principles center on the belief that how the work is done is as important as what is done. Springboard collaborates with and within existing resources and systems, especially outside of the traditional arts sector, both because there is abundant potential in these relationships, and because systems will be improved by engaging artists. Springboard builds bridges and mechanisms to connect artists as partners in system change. The goal of Springboard’s work is not a product, but rather the relationships that are sparked and will grow through working together. Beyond Springboard’s own work, the organization helps artists and organizations collaborate with each other and others in their communities.
Springboard incorporates the expertise and experience of artists to create effective, responsive, and relevant programs and tools to support the interests and needs of artists and communities. Springboard uses the broadest definition of who an artist is, and builds its work through an intentional and creative process using collaboration, communication, iteration, and play. Springboard’s focus is on local artists in their own communities—an intentional strategy rooted in equity, anti-displacement, and repair of historic economic and cultural extraction.
Springboard’s programs are deeply practical, providing direct resources and supports for artists and creative workers’ lives and livelihoods, while also focusing on longer term system change to build power and improve conditions for our communities.
Springboard works nationally, regionally, and locally. In its two homes, Fergus Falls and Saint Paul, Springboard is a “doer.” In other places, Springboard focuses on strengthening and supporting local ecosystems by connecting people, convening networks, fostering collaboration, sharing tools and resources, and advocating for community-driven work.
The Springboard staff currently works on a hybrid schedule in an open office format with the requirement of three days in the office for most staff. The requirements of the position mean that the Executive Director is mainly an in-person position in the Saint Paul office location.
About the Executive Director’s responsibilities
The position’s job duties are summarized below:
Strategy and operations: The Executive Director leads the vision, strategic, programmatic, financial, and management operations of the organization, including regularly updating Springboard’s strategic framework and its broadly-owned guiding principles. The Executive Director works with the Operations and Finance Director to ensure that the operations of the organization meet the programmatic needs of the mission.
Programmatic leadership: In partnership and collaboration with program directors, the Executive Director identifies opportunities and needs for new programming, evaluates the relevance and impact of existing programs, and ensures that Springboard’s programs are aligned with its strategic framework, guiding principles, and the mission of the organization. The Executive Director prioritizes listening to local and community voices, responsiveness to current events affecting our communities, and building durable collaborations with other organizations and leaders, both in and outside of the arts community.
Financial management: The Executive Director ensures that financial strategy and resource allocation support programmatic goals, organizational values, and mission impact, working in close collaboration with the Operations & Finance Director on financial management and operational execution. Together, they oversee the organization’s financial health, including the operating budget, balance sheet, capital assets, and contractual commitments, ensuring the ethical, effective use of resources and the responsible attraction and stewardship of financial support.
Board relations and governance: The Executive Director serves as the primary interface between the Board and the organization, ensuring that directors receive accurate and timely information and tools to support informed decision-making, strategic planning, and organizational growth. Working closely with Board leadership, the Executive Director collaborates in recommending, achieving, and maintaining the ideal composition of the Board and its committees, and fosters a culture of engagement that encourages active participation from each board member.
Fundraising: The Executive Director builds on a track record of resource-building with creativity, equity, and an abundance mindset. Springboard’s diverse funding mix—anchored by strong foundation and public support—centers long-term, trust-based relationships. Working closely with the Advancement Director, the Executive Director plays a key role in sustaining and expanding these partnerships, engaging directly with funders, and helping to shape strategy for growing individual giving.
External relations: The Executive Director plays a primary role in representing Springboard to stakeholders including artists, community leaders, donors, foundations, the press, and others who support and engage with the organization. The Executive Director engages with local and national critiques of philanthropy and nonprofit structures, challenges these structures to be more human-centered, and is open and willing to implement new practices. The Executive Director provides intellectual leadership and insight in developing future direction and programs for the organization. They are responsible for the clear and innovative framing and articulation of Springboard’s mission that influences program design, implementation, and overall communications strategy.
People and culture: The Executive Director creates an organizational culture of equity, abundance, health, joy, and accountability, and actively fosters a collegial and collaborative environment internally. As the primary liaison to the board, the Executive Director builds and sustains an effective partnership with board members in service to Springboard’s mission. In collaboration with the Operations & Finance Director, who leads the organization’s people and culture functions, the Executive Director and Operations and Finance Director together ensure that Springboard attracts, supports, and retains a talented and diverse staff; that roles are clearly defined and appropriately resourced; and that teams are supported to work effectively and collaboratively in service of the organization’s programs and long-term growth and durability. The Executive Director serves as a thought partner and collaborator to the three Program Directors.
Relationship with affiliated entities: Springboard manages an active fiscal sponsorship program, serving as an umbrella for 150+ artist-led projects. Springboard also manages a number of re-granting initiatives that operate independently from Springboard’s daily operations and programming. Most recently, Springboard has formed an independent entity for the Creative Change Coalition which will be led independently by Springboard’s former Executive Director, Laura Zabel. The Coalition delivers national network, storytelling, and capacity-building programs, and leads specific independent national initiatives. Though these projects are led and managed outside of Springboard’s regular operations, Springboard’s Executive Director serves as Springboard’s key advisor to the leadership of these projects, and coordinates national positioning, funder-facing communications, and public narrative to ensure their alignment and clarity with Springboard’s core work and mission.
Qualifications sought
The Board of Directors seeks a candidate who is aligned with Springboard’s mission and values, and who has demonstrated vision and strategic leadership experience and abilities, including the following skillsets:
- Systems thinking and ecosystem-building work
- Innovative and entrepreneurial thinking in pursuit of an organization’s strategic vision
- Operational and financial management; fundraising and resource generation
- Relationship- and network-building
- Equity-centered culture-building
- Fostering an organization with a creative, collaborative, and strategic orientation
- Knowledge and appreciation for the capabilities, potential contributions, and mindsets of artists and those with creative practices
- Working for and with a board of directors
- Nimbleness and flexibility, particularly in service to response to community needs
Priority expertise
Minnesota lens: Strong relationships in Springboard’s immediate neighborhoods and communities and across Minnesota. Awareness of the issues and opportunities in these places; commitment to long-term relationship building with formal and informal leaders. Understanding the dynamics and importance of urban-rural solidarity in Minnesota and elsewhere.
Fundraising and communications: Springboard is financially healthy and has built successful long-term funding relationships while also attracting new individual and institutional donors. Springboard’s financial model is dependent on an Executive Director who is actively involved in fundraising, prospecting, and relationship-building across many sectors and types of donors.
Evidence of commitment to equity, inclusion, and access: Springboard’s work is rooted in addressing the recurring inequities that exist in the arts, the nonprofit sector, and broader economic systems.
Community development experience: Springboard’s Executive Director position is not a traditional role as leader of a cultural or arts organization. Experience and comfort in the fields of community development, economic security, local economies, and social justice are vital to the development of Springboard’s programs and relationships.
Engaged in creative practice: Alongside comfort with community development work, having a deep appreciation for and belief in artists is key to successful leadership of Springboard’s mission achievement and work. A practicing artist, broadly defined as anyone who has an intentional creative practice, is preferred.
Organizational care and feeding: Springboard is a growing and changing organization with a large staff of creative and innovative artists. The organization requires a leader who cares deeply about system design and implementation and values-aligned organizational structures, and who is committed to mentorship and support of its leaders.
Compensation and benefits
The salary range for this position is $175,000 to $195,000 plus excellent benefits, and an annual salary increase at the discretion of the Executive Committee of the Board.
The benefits package includes:
- 100% health insurance coverage for employee and 50% employer-paid for family members
- 100% dental insurance for employee
- 403(b) plan with 5% employer contribution match
- Generous paid time off, sick leave, vacation, sabbatical, semi-annual office closures, and holidays
- Flexible work schedule
- Creative, artist-led work environment
The position is in-person and based in Springboard’s Saint Paul office. The position requires some travel, including time working from Springboard’s Fergus Falls office (approximately four times per year) and occasional national travel for meetings, convenings, and relationship building. The role requires minimal to light physical effort, including sitting or standing in an office environment and using a computer.
The application process
Interested candidates may contact 8 Bridges Workshop directly by email to find a time to discuss the position. Inquiries will be handled in confidence. Scheduling a preliminary call is not required if candidates wish to start the application process immediately. Please email us at SpringboardSearch@8bridgesworkshop.com if you want to chat before applying.
When ready to apply, candidates are asked to submit their materials through the Springboard website portal. The application requirements include a cover letter and current resume. As noted above, candidates may submit materials when ready, with or without a preliminary call.
The selection process will include preliminary review by 8 Bridges followed by the Search Committee, and will include telephone or Zoom interviews; reference checking; and semi-finalist and finalist in-person interviews. The process will also include submission of writing and work samples, and, for the finalists, an opportunity to meet with staff at Springboard.
Please submit your application through the Springboard website portal no later than 5:00 p.m. Central Daylight Time on June 2, 2026
Equity is the Foundation for all our work
Springboard has adopted the following equity statement about its work:
“Springboard’s scope is to provide infrastructure, ecosystem and support to artists and communities across Minnesota, the Upper Midwest and the nation. Springboard is for everyone. We know that to be truly ‘for everyone’ means we need to address the recurring inequities that exist in the arts, nonprofit sector and broader economic systems that have prevented ‘everyone’ from equitable access and opportunities. We do this through this framework:
Across all our programs we start with our intention to increase accessibility and to prioritize communities that are under-resourced. As a baseline all our programs prioritize:
- People who are BIPOC and Native
- People who are LGBTQIA+
- People in rural places and underinvested urban neighborhoods
- People with disabilities
“We acknowledge that there are additional communities that experience systemic marginalization and extraction, including because of gender, religious belief, geography, and poverty. While these identities may not be defined in our prioritized groups, our goal is to always ask “Who benefits?,” “Who is being left out?” and “How can we make this program more accessible to more people?”
Thank you!
Thank you for your interest in the Executive Director position at Springboard for the Arts. If you need additional information please reach out to SpringboardSearch@8bridgesworkshop.com.
Helpful links
Springboard “About Us” (website)
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The 2026 Venice Biennale has experienced waves of uncertainty that have only grown in strength as the public opening of the world’s most prestigious international art exhibition nears on Saturday morning. – The New York Times
- Media Mogul Ted Turner, 87
The media business is full of big-talking executives. But Turner’s outsized public persona — some called him the “Mouth from the South” for his free-wheeling trash talk — actually matched his influence on news, politics, sports and entertainment in the late 20th century. Over and over again, Turner shook up established industries. – Los Angeles Times (MSN)
- “The Devil Wears Prada” And The Rise And Fall Of Chick Lit
“Before it was a movie, Lauren Weisberger’s The Devil Wears Prada, published by Broadway Books in 2003, marked the absolute high point of that once-ubiquitous genre. … Soon after the success of the novel, chick lit started to fall apart,” with dedicated imprints long since discontinued. – Publishers Weekly
- Can The UK Theatre Touring Model Be Saved?
“It doesn’t feel as though we have recovered any meaningful ground since the pandemic, and the fact that venues and their teams remain under such pressure is evident in terms of morale, energy, staff turnover and sector knowledge.” – The Stage
- What Research Tells Us About How Memory Works
The idea of photographic memory is simple and powerful: Experience is captured objectively, stored completely and retrieved perfectly. See it once, keep it forever. There’s just one problem. There’s no scientific evidence it exists. – The Conversation
- “Death Of A Salesman” Director Joe Mantello On Working With Disgraced Broadway Producer Scott Rudin
“I would be lying if I said … I didn’t grapple with making that decision. … I will say I do believe in accountability, and I think Scott has spoken about taking responsibility. … I believe in second chances. I know other people don’t share that belief, and that’s their right.” – Variety
- How A Change In SEC Reporting Might Change How Hollywood Studios Behave
The SEC is proposing to change its rules, allowing for public companies to report financials semi-annually rather than quarterly. Will major studios buy in? – The Hollywood Reporter
- So Just How Big is the Culture Audience? (comparisons that may make you rethink)
By revenue, the nonprofit arts sector is small — about $73 billion in organizational spending compared to $1.17 trillion in total US arts and cultural production. Disney’s annual revenue alone is larger than every US nonprofit cultural institution in the country combined. But the map of audience shows something entirely different.
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- In An AI Economy, Human-Made Becomes Luxury Good
We don’t value human creations solely for their beauty or their price tag. We also value them because they embody deliberate labour and expertise. – The Conversation
- Indianapolis Symphony CEO to Step Down
James Johnson began his tenure with the symphony in 2018 after serving as president and CEO of the Omaha Symphony Association. Since then, Johnson has overseen several changes in the Indianapolis orchestra. – Indianapolis Star
