Home » Lyric Theatre announces search for new executive director

Lyric Theatre announces search for new executive director

Donald Mason

LEXINGTON, Ky. — The Lyric Theatre and Cultural Arts Center recently announced the opening of the search for a new executive director. The search will be led by a committee comprised of Lyric Board members, with assistance of nonprofit consultant, Lee Ellen Martin.

The executive director is responsible for the overall administration and management of the organization, including fundraising, arts and cultural programming, community relations, as well as business and facilities operations.

Donald Mason, who has been the director since 2015, is leaving to explore new opportunities. Mason served on the Lyric Board of Directors before stepping in as interim director after the departure of former director, Rasheedah El-Amin.

In October 2015, Donald was named executive director and during his tenure, the Lyric hosted many high profile artists including George Clinton, Galactic, Christian McBride and Talib Kweli. Some of his programming highlights include Funk Fridays, Learn to Play Series, International Women’s Day Festival and The Feed the Soul Lunchtime Series.

Mason was instrumental with strengthening partnerships with Message Theater, LexArts, Toyota through the development of the Black Lens Movie series, and the creation of the Alex Williams Jr. Recording Center.

“We at the Lyric would like to thank director Mason for his service and commitment to fulfilling the vision and mission of the theatre and cultural center,” said Lyric Board Chair James Brown. “We are also excited about the opportunity to recruit and hire the next director who can pick up the torch and continue moving the Lyric forward.”

During the search, longtime Lyric board member, Chester Grundy, will serve as the interim director. Grundy has over 40 years of experience in higher education at both Kentucky State University and the University of Kentucky where he founded and was director of the Martin Luther King Jr. Cultural Center. His many decades of experience in cultural education and the arts will be essential to helping the Lyric during this transition.

Aside from his career in higher education, Grundy was also the co-founder of the Lexington Roots & Heritage Festival, co-sponsor of the famed UK Spotlight Jazz Series, and has served as the co-chair of the Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Committee since 1985.

For the full job description and additional information, visit the Lyric website at http://www.lexingtonlyric.com/jobopportunities.html.

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