Richmond CenterStage Names New Executive Director

After an extensive search, Richmond CenterStage is pleased to announce Janet Starke will be the organization's Executive Director. Currently serving as Director of Education and Interim Executive Director, Starke's first day in her new role will be November 1st.

Earlier this year, a Search Committee was established by the Board of Directors of Richmond CenterStage to find the organization's next Executive Director. After more than a year operating under an Interim Executive Director, the board developed a list of skillsets, experiences and traits needed in the next leader of Richmond CenterStage. The process garnered many qualified candidates applying for the position.

After a thorough screening and interview process, including site visits and meetings with Board members, resident company leadership, a representative from the City, and other key stakeholders, the Board of Directors unanimously accepted the recommendation of the Search Committee to select Janet Starke as the Executive Director. Janet is no stranger to Richmond CenterStage. She has served as Richmond CenterStage's Director of Education since 2009, and since August of this year has also been serving as its Interim Executive Director.

"We had many outstanding candidates apply for this position, and while resumes came from all over the country, it turned out the person most suited for the position was already within our organization," said Pamela Royal, Chair of Richmond CenterStage's Executive Director Search Committee. "She knows the organization's strengths and challenges, and shares the Board's vision for moving forward."

"Janet's strong relationships with the arts and cultural community in Richmond and her passion for the performing arts will help strengthen Richmond CenterStage's position as a catalyst for the arts in Richmond. She has the experience we were looking for and the close ties to the arts community that will allow her to hit the ground running with little transition time needed," said Kathy Strawn, Chair of Richmond CenterStage's Board of Directors.

Janet is a Richmond region native whose life-long passion for the performing arts dates back to singing in Chester Middle School's chorus, in Chesterfield County Public Schools. She earned a B.S. in Arts Management from Shenandoah University, and later earned a M.A. in Arts Administration from the University of Cincinnati. Having worked in the field for nearly 20 years, her arts management experience is extensive. She served as Director of Educational Outreach at Orpheum Theatre in Memphis, Interim Managing Director at Barksdale Theatre, and Associate Director for the Education Institute at the Blumenthal Performing Arts Center in Charlotte, among others. She returned to Richmond in 2009 to be part of the senior management team opening Richmond CenterStage. As Richmond CenterStage's Director of Education, she directed the implementation of a comprehensive regional arts education plan involving public and private educators in 7 school systems and peers among our resident companies, other arts and cultural organizations and area universities, reaching nearly 30,000 students to date. She is a member of the national Americans for the Arts' Education Council and serves on the Virginia Commission for the Arts' Area V grants panel. Janet is active in the Richmond arts community both as a performer in the Richmond Symphony Chorus and a patron of all types of performing arts.

"It was a dream come true for me to return to my hometown in 2009 to be a part of opening a top-tier performing arts center. It has been so rewarding professionally and personally to be part of this organization and I'm very excited to help lead it to the next level. We have had many successes in our short history, including the renovation of Altria Theater, establishing a distinctive arts education program and attracting high-caliber performers to our venues. But I also know that we have much more we can accomplish. I'm more than ready to strengthen our relationships with the various arts groups in Richmond and build a strong financial structure to ensure the long-term success of our organization and its programs," said Starke.

"I've known and worked with Janet ever since Richmond CenterStage opened in 2009, and she has always been someone who actively looks for ways to collaborate with arts groups in Richmond. She has involved many of the resident companies in CenterStage's arts education programming, and has developed strong relationships with all of them. She firmly believes that if we work together, we can accomplish more; and that approach to the performing arts is what we need," said David Fisk, Executive Director of the Richmond Symphony and Vice Chair of the Richmond CenterStage Resident Company Association. "I know that she will be a terrific ambassador for Richmond CenterStage and for our performing arts community, and I'm happy that the Board selected her for this important position."

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