The City of Bloomington has named a new manager for the Bloomington Center for the Performing Arts.
James Mack will start as the city’s performing arts manager Feb. 12. Mack most recently served as managing director and facility director for the Mesquite Arts Council in Mesquite, Texas. He’s currently working on his Master’s of Nonprofit Administration at the University of Notre Dame.
“(Mack’s) passion for the arts paired with a strong background in management and fundraising will benefit the BCPA greatly,” Jay Tetzloff, the city’s director of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Arts/Miller Park Zoo, said in a statement. “With the kickoff of the BCPA’s 2018-2019 season just around the corner, now is the optimum time to have him join our team.”
The BCPA has been without a permanent BCPA manager since March 2017, when then-Director Tina Salamone passed away. Carl St. Clair, a retired VenuWorks executive, was hired in April for a six-month stint as interim director of the BCPA. He has since left the city.
A search to fill the position permanently began in summer 2017. That was put on hold when city officials involved in the search learned then-City Manager David Hales wanted to possibly turn over BCPA management to VenuWorks, the same company that already runs Grossinger Motors Arena.
“We were not aware that City Manager Hales was looking at outsourcing as we were going through the process,” said Tetzloff. “As we learned of the conversations he was having, that’s when we paused our process.”
Ultimately, the Bloomington City Council rejected the proposal to hire VenuWorks at the BCPA. That meant the venue would remain under city management, and the search resumed.
Thirty applicants applied for the position, and five were interviewed, Tetzloff said.
“We’re excited about it. With Tina Salamone’s passing, we had a void in many different ways,” he said. “We’re looking for Jim to move the BCPA forward.”
Hales is now Joliet's city manager. He did not reply to GLT's request to answer questions for a Dec. 21 story about St. Clair’s tenure as interim director.
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