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FAC Insider – April 2017

News from FAC President & CEO, David Dahlin

This will be my final Insider. Effective May 1, Erin Hannan will be taking the reins of our beloved FAC, assuming her new role as Director of the Fine Arts Center. I am so pleased to be able to transfer the honor and responsibility of leadership to someone so committed to the FAC, so passionate about the arts in our community, and so ready for the role. I will still be around, playing a supportive role, until the official transition to CC becomes effective on July 1.  Please welcome Erin into her new role and provide her with the support that will be needed for the FAC to thrive in the future.

For me, this is a time to reflect on my tenure here. We have had an amazing three years of growing our programs and enriching the arts experiences we offer to our community while we forged a path to sustainability for the future. We have had the joy of creating great exhibitions, performances and educational offerings. We have received rave reviews and gained renewed regional and national recognition for our work. Thank you for your support of me, the board, and our staff as we took on the challenge of shrinking budgets, aging infrastructure and significant debt. Thanks to the “out-of-the-box” thinking and immense courage by our board, we are a thriving arts institution in partnership with one of the strongest liberal arts colleges in the country with a stellar future ahead.

The President of Colorado College, Jill Tiefenthaler, has provided strong leadership in all aspects of this process from the original vision, to the strategic planning, to the operational integration issues. CC sees this alliance not as a small addition to the campus but as a significant part of their future identity and mission. The strategic planning process has revealed so many exciting opportunities to enrich and expand the FAC’s programming and to extend our reach and elevate our reputation. I’m confident you’ll be pleased with most of the changes to come with this alliance.

The FAC staff remain committed, passionate, and energized by the prospects for the future and are working very hard to manage this transition while keeping their outstanding mission-focused work on course. Rest assured, as we have said from the beginning, the mission of the FAC is protected, the building is protected and the art collection is protected. CC is fully committed to continuing and expanding upon our mission and utilizing our amazing facility to celebrate the arts. We have already recognized some of the great potential of this alliance in nearly all areas of our programs from enhanced school tours, to collaborations with the theatre company, to increased scholarly rigor and collaborative programmatic development in our museum exhibitions. I expect you will see more and more of that in the years to come.

It has been a pleasure serving as your CEO. The Fine Arts Center will always hold a special place in my heart.

David Dahlin