Kelley Shanley Receives The George Abbott Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Arts

The Broward Center for the Performing Arts has announced that President and CEO Kelley Shanley has been honored with The George Abbott Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Arts from the Carbonell Awards, South Florida's theater and arts honors. The 44th annual award ceremony took place virtually on the Broward Center's YouTube channel.

"It is an amazing honor to receive this recognition," said Shanley. "I am proud to share it with my dedicated team who is passionate about building community through the arts. There is a strong underlying desire for us to be together again - to experience live performance and sit together in shared space, gaining the energy that comes from that connection between artist and audience - and among audience members. The inherent human desire to gather and share experiences is in our DNA. The Broward Center, and all of our theaters, will be the bright lights at the end of this tunnel."

The George Abbott Award recognizes an individual or team that has contributed significantly to the artistic and cultural development of the region. Named after the legendary Broadway producer, The George Abbott Award is voted upon by former recipients, members of the Carbonell board of directors and a cross-section of media, arts and local cultural leaders.

In presenting the award, Christine Dolen said, "Those who work with Kelley cite the importance of connections he makes with business and civic leaders in demonstrating the power and value of the arts. They describe him as empathetic, kind, an earnest listener and an analytical problem solver who relishes his interactions with colleagues, artists, crew members, arts partners and the diverse audiences drawn to performances at the Broward Center. That magic he felt as a boy seeing 'Brigadoon' is something he is determined to grow and share."

During Shanley's tenure at the Broward Center he has led two successful capital campaigns ensuring a bright future for the performing arts in the region. In 2014, the $60 million Encore! capital campaign renovated, renewed and revitalized the Broward Center. In addition, Shanley introduced a robust affiliated venues management program, bringing the infrastructure of the Broward Center to support the cultural advancement of the region, and now is overseeing a $30 million renovation of the iconic Parker Playhouse. Shanley's vision led the dynamic growth of the Broward Center's award-winning education programs, serving more than 3.2 million students to date. Through the affiliated venues management program he initiated, the Center manages, in addition to the Parker, the Aventura Arts & Cultural Center and Rose & Alfred Miniaci Performing Arts Center on the campus of Nova Southeastern University. He also provides oversight of the Riverwalk Arts & Entertainment District, a destination marketing organization that delivers cultural tourism to downtown Fort Lauderdale.

A long-time resident of Coral Springs, Shanley has been recognized with top leadership awards from the South Florida Business Journal and Leadership Broward Foundation and was named the 2018 Downtowner of the Year by the Greater Fort Lauderdale Chamber of Commerce and was the Riverwalk Tribute honoree in 2015. He holds an MBA from the University of Florida.

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