Washington Pavilion Names New President & CEO

Washington Pavilion Board of Trustees Chair, Angie Haft, announced today that the search for a new Washington Pavilion President & CEO has come to an end, and the Board is pleased to announce that Darrin Smith has accepted the position. Throughout the search for the new President & CEO, Haft was reminded that Sioux Falls is full of talented, capable individuals. Haft shared that, "The committee met with so many smart and interesting people. But when we met with Darrin, we quickly determined that he possessed a unique combination of skills, abilities and professional background that make him an ideal leader for the Pavilion."

Smith, who earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Political Science from the University of South Dakota, currently serves as the Director of Community Development with The City of Sioux Falls, a position held since June of 2010.

Since 1997, Smith has held several executive and management level positions. Smith worked for the American Heart Association's Midwest Affiliate organization in a Senior Director position for several years. During this time under his direction, Smith's organization received one of the largest grant contracts in the history of the American Heart Association at any level (national, regional or local) in the amount of $8.4 million.

Smith has received several professional awards including the AHA 2009 Rome Betts Award of Excellence (HM), a national award given to staff who consistently exemplify high performance in their area of expertise and are recognized for their leadership, professionalism and dedication.

Smith has been appointed and elected to several state and local boards. Smith was elected and re-elected to the Sioux Falls City Council, including stints as City Council Chairman and Vice-Chairman. Additionally, Smith has served on the Sioux Falls Development Foundation Board of Directors and the University of South Dakota (USD) Discovery District Board of Directors.

Scott C. Petersen, who is "re-retiring" at the end of May, explains that "Darrin's expertise in Sioux Falls government and corporate affairs as well as developing and executing state and local policy and advocacy efforts is an ideal background for the incoming President & CEO. I know the entire Pavilion team, which is well versed in the business of delivering compelling programming in the arts and sciences, is excited to begin working with Darrin and looks forward to continuing to build on the organization's ever growing success."

Haft and the Board agree with Petersen's assessment stating that "Darrin is a complete professional with a great history of working collaboratively. His detailed understanding of the City of Sioux Falls will really help him make an immediate impact as he starts in his new position. We have no doubt that he will lead the Pavilion to even greater success in the coming months! We are so happy to welcome him to the Pavilion Family."

Smith is ready to take the reins and begin his tenure at the Pavilion. "I am honored to be chosen to lead the Washington Pavilion, an iconic landmark in our downtown, community and region. I'm incredibly excited to begin working with the talented team already in place to chart the future course of the Pavilion by pursuing new opportunities, while continuing to serve the public at the highest possible level in so many important ways", Smith stated.

Smith is expected to begin working at the Pavilion on May 31.

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