Job Description

Position Summary

Colorado State University seeks a visionary and entrepreneurial leader to serve as the inaugural Executive Director for the Arts and Associate Dean for the Arts. This position provides strategic leadership for the visual and performing arts at CSU, working collaboratively with department chairs to elevate the arts as a signature strength of the university and a cultural cornerstone for the state of Colorado.

Full Consideration Date

Feb 17, 2026

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Vision and Advocacy

• Provide visionary leadership to position CSU as a flagship institution for the arts in Colorado and the region.

• Articulate the value and impact of the arts to internal and external constituencies.

• Champion the arts as central to CSU's land-grant mission and research enterprise.

• Develop and implement strategic initiatives to enhance the visibility, reputation, and impact of the arts at CSU.

External Relations and Communications

• Develop and manage external partnerships with arts organizations, community partners, K-12 schools, and cultural institutions locally, regionally, and nationally.

• Partner with CLA Advancement and the Dean on development efforts, including major gifts, planned giving, and campaign initiatives.

• Cultivate and steward relationships with donors, alumni, foundations, and corporate partners.

• Represent the arts at university, community, state, and national venues.

• Coordinate staff efforts for marketing and communications strategies across arts units.

• Enhance public engagement with the arts through strategic programming and outreach.

University Center for the Arts (UCA) Operations

• · Manage operational systems and staffing structure that oversees performance spaces, galleries, and common maker spaces across the University Center for the Arts and the Visual Arts Building, as well as other management tasks. Teams and staff include:

• Facilities team that coordinates master calendar for shared performance spaces to minimize conflicts, including curricular and non-curricular performances as well as rentals and external use of space.

• Production and technical staff, including Technical Director and production crew, who support CSU productions; plan and implement technical upgrades and capital improvements; ensure maintenance, safety, and accessibility of all spaces; oversee audio/visual support and livestreaming capabilities; and manage inventory of equipment, instruments, and technical assets

• Box office operations team, ticketing systems, and revenue generation.

• Partner with the Dean’s Office Communication team that advertises arts programming; provides public relations for faculty, staff, and student achievements; and coordinates cross-arts recruitment activities.

Visual Arts and Gallery Operations

• Oversee Visual Arts Building operations, including maker spaces and fabrication facilities that provide technical and fabrication activities across visual and performing arts.

• Work closely with Senior Director of Visual Arts Engagement on GAMA (Gregory Allicar Museum of Art) operations and staff as well as other CLA gallery spaces and visual arts exhibitions.

Budget Management

• Manage and allocate funds from PAC (Performing Arts Center) fee revenue, Box office and ticket sales, Facilities rentals, and non-curricular entrepreneurial activities.

• Allocate production budgets for non-curricular and external events.

• Develop business models for sustainable revenue generation.

• Monitor budgets and ensure financial accountability.

Collaborative Leadership Responsibilities

• Chair the Arts Leadership Committee, comprised of chairs and program directors across arts programs, for shared strategic and tactical planning and problem-solving.

• Facilitate interdisciplinary collaboration and programming across arts units.

• Coordinate collective planning for scheduling and programming in shared facilities.

• Process and assign external requests for faculty and student artistic services.

• Support resource planning and collective decision-making around allocation of shared resources (PAC fee, box office revenue, etc.).

• Cultivate alumni relationships across arts disciplines.

• Provide collaborative problem-solving around external-facing curricular artistic activity, management of technical support labor, interdisciplinary curriculum development, cross-unit programming and initia