Fox Cities Performing Arts Center to Welcome Maria Van Laanen as President in 2014-15

The Fox Cities Performing Arts Center's Board of Directors announced today that Executive Vice President Maria Van Laanen will succeed Susan Stockton as president beginning in the 2014-15 Season.

This change was prompted by Stockton's decision to retire at the end of the 2013-14 Season, capping a career spanning more than 40 years in arts management. Stockton joined the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center as president in 2003.

Maria Van Laanen joined the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center in 2001 as director of marketing and draws from more than 20 years of arts management experience. She has been instrumental in leading the organization since the beginning. For more than five years she served as vice president of communications and external relations. In 2011 she was promoted to executive vice president and assumed the role of overseeing the day-to-day operations for the Center.

"The Fox Cities Performing Arts Center has quickly become recognized as a leader in our community and the industry. We are grateful for Susan Stockton's work leading the organization to its early successes," said John J. Hogerty, II, chairman of the board of directors. He added "Maria Van Laanen's work in the industry and history with the organization makes her the perfect choice to ensure the Center continues to provide the best live experience in Wisconsin."

Originally from Green Bay, Van Laanen received a bachelor's of organizational communication degree from University of Wisconsin Green Bay in 1996.

Van Laanen will assume her new role as president on July 1, 2014.

ABOUT THE FOX CITIES PERFORMING ARTS CENTER: The Fox Cities Performing Arts Center, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization located in downtown Appleton, provides a premier venue for live performing arts. Since 2002, the Center has proudly served as a gathering place for the community to engage in educational opportunities while enhancing a greater understanding and appreciation of the live performing arts. The Fox Cities Performing Arts Center - Where the Arts Come Alive!

To post a comment, you must register and login.