BCT Announces New Managing Director, Gabe Gloden

Boise Contemporary Theater is thrilled to announce today that, after a national search, the theater company has hired a new Managing Director. Gabe Gloden will begin his new position as BCT Managing Director on December 7, 2015.

Mr. Gloden was hired out of his current home of Detroit, Michigan, where he has served as the Development and Community Engagement Officer at Wayne State University Press, Detroit's largest nonprofit publishing company, for the past three years. In this role, he oversaw the 75- year-old publisher's outreach and development initiatives, including all fundraising, volunteer board recruitment and engagement, grant writing, community outreach programs, and public events programming related to the Press's celebrated regional books series that seeks to promote Detroit and the region. In his role at the Press, Mr. Gloden collaborated with a broad base of community organizations, businesses, and public agencies on strategic projects that educated, entertained, and engaged new and diverse audiences for the publisher's awardwinning publications. Inspired by these community engagement initiatives, the Huffington Post recently named WSU Press one of the 17 most innovative University Presses in the nation.

A nonprofit management professional, Mr. Gloden has more than ten years of marketing, engagement, administration, financial management, and development experience dedicated to the arts and cultural sector; he's particularly passionate about the production of contemporary plays and the BCT mission to "invite us all to imagine something new." About his new role, Mr. Gloden says, "I am excited, delighted, overjoyed and at least five other synonyms that I just now found on Thesaurus.com about joining Boise Contemporary Theater as its new Managing Director."

Devoted to theater, Mr. Gloden served for seven years as Managing Director of the Bloomington Playwrights Project (BPP), Indiana's only professional theater devoted solely to new plays, overseeing all paid and volunteer staff, development, capital fundraising, marketing, and financial budgeting, and reporting for the organization's extensive arts programming, including its renown youth summer theater camps. Under his leadership, the BPP was able to escape financial catastrophe, mount a complex capital campaign, and triple its audience within three years by implementing innovative marketing strategies and responsible budgeting. Bloom Magazine credited the administration with ushering in a "new era" for the theater, transforming its reputation from that of a "quirky local jewel" to that of a regional theater powerhouse capable of engaging diverse new audiences. For these accomplishments, Mr. Gloden was recognized in 2010 as Manager of the Year by the Bloomington Tourism Bureau.

After an extensive interview process with several candidates, the BCT Staff and Board of Trustees unanimously selected Mr. Gloden as the ideal candidate to fill the Managing Director position. BCT Board President Sandra Andersen says, "The BCT Board of Trustees is very pleased with our new Managing Director, Gabe Gloden. He brings with him all of the essential elements we were looking for, especially his business background and experience in the theater. We can't wait for you to meet him!" Founding Artistic Director Matthew Cameron Clark agrees, adding, "As we celebrate our 20th Season, we are also making big plans for the future of BCT. Gabe is a fantastic addition to the BCT family and he will have a direct impact on the shape and success of those plans."

The national search began at the end of last season to replace long-time Managing Director Helene Peterson. Ms. Peterson served in the position for 13 years with tireless dedication and kindness. BCT Staff member Marney Ellis has served as Interim Managing Director since July 1, 2015, helping the theater company launch its 20th Season, and overseeing one of the most successful BCT Opening Season Celebration fundraising events in the company's history. Ms. Ellis will continue at BCT in her Finance and Development Director roles.

Mr. Gloden holds a Masters in Public Administration/Affairs (MPA) from Indiana University's School of Public and Environmental Affairs (SPEA) with a concentration in nonprofit management. He is also a recent graduate of Wayne State University's Accounting program, and is currently pursuing his CMA certification "like a total nerd," according to his wife.

Mr. Gloden married actor and playwright Emily Goodson in 2012 (at the theater, of course!), and they have a beautiful baby girl named Beatrice, with another bundle of joy on the way in 2016. A big music fan, Mr. Gloden considers disco his favorite genre ("If I could live in any decade of my choosing, it would be the 1970s," he says), and he's been to the South by Southwest Music Festival every year for the last twelve. According to Mr. Gloden, he is also a bit of masochist, idiotically liking both the Detroit Lions and overly spicy food. He is a proud champion of the Triple Atomic Hot Wing Challenge at Quaker Steak & Lube, the Midwest's finest automotive-themed buffalo wing restaurant chain. He has the bumper sticker to prove it.

Please contact Interim Managing Director Marney Ellis with questions or for more information.

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