Posted January 17, 2020
DAYTON, OH (January 17, 2020) – The Dayton Performing Arts Alliance (DPAA) has announced that Patricia McDonald will serve as the organization’s interim CEO beginning February 2020.
McDonald will replace Paul Helfrich, current DPAA President and CEO, who will step down on February 14, 2020 to assume new duties as Executive Director of the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra in Orlando, Florida.
McDonald retired in 2018 as Interim CEO of Dayton Society of Natural History, also known as the Boonshoft Museum. Prior to this role, she served as the Market President of KeyBank, a position from which she retired in 2017. McDonald brings to the DPAA a proven track record of business success, a strategic and participative style of leadership, and expertise in attracting, building and motivating strong teams to achieve established goals.
McDonald has given much of her time over many years to active engagement in the Dayton community, serving on numerous organizational boards, including the board of the Dayton Performing Arts Alliance as well as healthcare and civic nonprofits. She has passion for the arts in the Dayton area, and she brings a thorough understanding of how this unique organization formed and has operated over the last several years.
“The Board of Directors is confident that Pat McDonald will bring vital insight and leadership to the DPAA as we conduct our search for a permanent President and CEO,” said John Beran, Chairman of the DPAA. “Pat’s depth of experience and involvement with the community, roles with the DPAA Board of Trustees and Dayton Ballet Association, and overall passion for the arts will be a great asset to the organization.”
“I am honored to return to the DPAA to help steward the organization through their transition,” said Pat McDonald. “The DPAA staff, executive leadership and Board of Trustees are a group of professional and community minded individuals who are dedicated to the sustainability of the organization. I look forward to my time working alongside them.”
The DPAA Board of Trustees will continue its process of a formal search for a permanent President and CEO. “We remain confident that the DPAA’s unique structure and opportunities will be of interest to many highly qualified individuals. We look forward to finding the right individual to work with our artistic directors and staff to take us to an even greater level of success and accomplishment.”
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About the Dayton Performing Arts Alliance
The Dayton Performing Arts Alliance was formed in July 2012 as the result of a groundbreaking and innovative merger between the Dayton Ballet, the Dayton Opera, and the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra. Together, they are the largest performing arts organization in the community, offering a tremendous variety of performance and education programs and setting a new standard for artistic excellence. Dayton Performing Arts Alliance performances are made possible in part by Montgomery County and Culture Works, the single largest source of community funds for the arts and culture in the Miami Valley. The Dayton Performing Arts Alliance also receives partial funding from the Ohio Arts Council, a state agency created to foster and encourage the development of the arts and to preserve Ohio’s cultural heritage. Funding from the Ohio Arts Council is an investment of state tax dollars that promotes economic growth, educational excellence, and cultural enrichment for all Ohio residents. In 2013, The Dayton Performing Arts Alliance was thrilled to be one of five performing arts organizations in the country selected to receive a three-year “Music Alive” grant from New Music USA and the League of American Orchestras. The Dayton Performing Arts Alliance is the proud recipient of a 2017-2018 Art Works grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.