Mark Nerenhausen begins tenure as Dallas Center for the Performing Arts President/CEO

by PegNews wire

Performing arts center veteran Mark Nerenhausen began his new role Monday as president and chief executive officer of the Dallas Center for the Performing Arts. An innovative leader in the industry, Nerenhausen previously served as President and CEO of the Broward Center for the Performing Arts in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Nerenhausen comes to North Texas in time to oversee the October 2009 opening and ongoing operation of the $354 million Dallas Center for the Performing Arts.

Known for his signature collaborative approach to arts management, Nerenhausen has pioneered a new national model for cultural organizations, with the Broward Center now recognized as one of the top venues in the world and a catalyst for tourism, economic development, education, industry leadership and cross cultural exchange.

“What attracted me to this project is the incredible support and careful planning that have gone into the Center from the outset. Dallas is now uniquely positioned to have an unprecedented cultural impact and a lasting legacy that will benefit generations,” said Mark Nerenhausen. “A performing arts center can have a transformational effect on a community, from education to economic and urban development, and I am looking forward to helping shape the impact the Dallas Center for the Performing Arts will have on the North Texas region.”

With multiple signature venues designed by world-renowned architects surrounded by a 10-acre urban park, the Dallas Center for the Performing Arts completes the 30-year vision of the Dallas Arts District. Featuring hundreds of diverse performances each year, the Center is expected to draw up to 800,000 visitors in its opening year.

The most significant new performing arts center to be created since New York City’s Lincoln Center opened 50 years ago, Dallas Center for the Performing Arts will provide state-of-the-art performance spaces for resident companies The Dallas Opera, Dallas Theater Center, Texas Ballet Theater, Dallas Black Dance Theatre and Anita N. Martinez Ballet Folklorico. TITAS, the Dallas presenter of highly acclaimed touring music and dance companies, will also present its season at the Center. In addition, the Center will present a full range of programs, including the Center’s Lexus Broadway Series, the Brinker International Forum, a concert series, family programs and more.

“We are fortunate to have secured someone of Mark Nerenhausen’s experience, talent, dedication and vision to lead the Dallas Center for the Performing Arts,” said Howard Hallam, chair of the Board of Directors of the Dallas Center for the Performing Arts. “Our capital campaign has been enormously successful in raising the funds to build a world-class performing arts center. With Mark at the helm, we are now well-prepared to transition from a fundraising enterprise to a performing arts center that plays a vital role in our community and the region.”

During Nerenhausen’s tenure, the Broward Center saw annual attendance of more than 700,000 and more than 650 performances and events each year. Its main concert hall, the Au-Rene Theater, has consistently ranked in the top 10 venues in the world when judged by ticket sales, according to leading industry publications Pollstar and Venues Today.

Among his many accomplishments, Nerenhausen initiated an alliance with local merchants and cultural attractions that would become the Riverwalk Arts & Entertainment District which now draws approximately one million ticketed visitors each year. He has taken a visionary role of forging community and international partnerships, promoting economic development through multi-cultural activities and events that embrace the diversity of the region.

Under Nerenhausen’s direction, the Broward Center built on successful education initiatives established in partnership with the School Board of Broward County to develop the largest free arts in education program in the country. Having served more than two million students to date, these initiatives include the award-winning SEAS (Student Exchange in the Arts) program that reaches 150,000 students and teachers annually.

About Mark Nerenhausen

Mark Nerenhausen has more than 25 years of experience as an arts administrator. For the past 10 years, he served as president and CEO of the Broward Center for the Performing Arts in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where he was responsible for the strategic direction and management of the Center, including operations, planning, programming and financial affairs.

Prior to the Broward Center, Mr. Nerenhausen served as executive director of the Maui Arts & Cultural Center in Hawaii for five years, where he developed and guided business and operations plans for a visual and performing arts complex. He has also served as the executive director of the Oshkosh Grand Opera House in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, and the Bijou Theater Center in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Mr. Nerenhausen received an MA in Arts Administration from the University of Wisconsin Graduate School of Business in Madison, Wisconsin. He is the recipient of numerous awards, most recently the 2008 Leader of the Year from the Leadership Broward Foundation Inc. and the Diamond Award from the South Florida Business Journal.

Source: Dallas Center for Performing Arts