Michael J. Terry Announced as New Director Of The Whiting

The Flint Cultural Center Corporation (FCCC) has announced the appointment of Michael J. Terry as the new Director of The Whiting, effective February 18, 2009.  He will replace Christina Bellows, who has resigned due to plans to further her education and make a career change, but remains as part-time Acting Director until the new director starts.  Bellows also will act as an advisor to Terry during the transition.

Michael Terry joins The Whiting from his role as the Williams Auditorium Manager at Ferris State University, where he has served for 10 years.  In that job, Terry directed all aspects of Williams Auditorium operations including booking, budgeting, technical management and front of house functions.  His organization presented touring artists, serviced campus departments and student affairs programs, and provided venue and production management for external renters.  Terry also served as an adjunct faculty member for the Humanities Department and University College.

During his tenure at Ferris State, Terry was responsible for creating the "Live! At Williams Performing Arts Series" in 2003, which significantly increased students' and community access to live performing arts. Terry also served on the Arts & Lectures Faculty Committee and was an advisor to the Student Finance Committee, facilitating a wide range of co-curricular activities at Ferris State University.   He increased the usage of his facility by more than 70%, created numerous opportunities for active student engagement with visiting artists, enhanced the ticketing and marketing functions of the auditorium, and achieved budget surpluses that funded several facility upgrades.

In announcing the appointment, FCCC President & CEO Cindy Ornstein said, "We are very excited to welcome Michael Terry to the senior management team of the FCCC.  We feel confident that his passion for the performing arts and his commitment to community engagement, combined with his excellent experience and track record, will enable The Whiting to continue its record of providing great experiences and education programs to the citizens of our region."

Prior to Ferris State, Terry directed and produced consumer and industrial videos as owner and manager of a professional video production company in Toledo, Ohio; was Advertising and Exhibits Manager for Aeroquip Corporation in Maumee, Ohio; served as Events Manager for the Lansing Convention and Exhibition Authority in Lansing, Michigan; and was Coordinator of Technical Services at Jackson Community College in Jackson, Michigan.

Michael Terry earned his B.A. in Communication and the Arts from the University of Wisconsin—Green Bay, a Masters of Arts in Speech and Drama from the University of Wisconsin—Superior, and a Masters of Business Administration from Ferris State University.

The mission of the Flint Cultural Center Corporation is to foster cultural activity and community vitality through history, science and the arts.  The FCCC governs, operates and provides centralized services to its member organizations, Sloan-Longway and The Whiting, maintains the Cultural Center grounds, and helps to coordinate campus-wide activities and events, working in close cooperation with its independent partners on the campus: the Flint Institute of Arts, the Flint Institute of Music, the Flint Public Library and the Sarvis Conference Center.  Through its programmatic entities, the FCCC provided services for over 265,000 visits in its last fiscal year.  It is a nonprofit organization and an Equal Opportunity Employer that receives support from a wide variety of local, regional and national funding sources.

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