Orcas Center considers three candidates for director position

Published 1:27 pm Friday, January 14, 2011

The Orcas Center Board and staff as well as community members spent three days in on-site interviews with candidates for the recently vacated position of Executive/Artistic Director of the center.

“All three candidates demonstrated enthusiasm, knowledge and experience in the non-profit arts world,” said the board.

The board will be voting on the candidates early next week. The Search Committee, comprised of board members Eska Wilson, President Dimitri Stankevich, Vice President April Duke and community representatives Diane Berreth and Lance Evans are very excited about the “excellent caliber” of the candidates they met. An announcement will be made as soon as an offer is accepted.

Kara O’Toole

Tuesday’s candidate was Kara O’Toole from Seattle. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Dance and History from Holyoke College and a Master of Fine Arts, Dance, from University of Washington. She was Executive Director at Velocity Dance Center, Seattle’s primary center for contemporary dance, from 2006 through 2010. Prior to that she was a Founding Director of two non-profit dance organizations while simultaneously working with Universities in Faculty and program Administrator roles. O’Toole received the 2010 Seattle Mayor’s Arts Award after five successful years of leading the Velocity organization through a capital campaign and relocation. She decided to leave Velocity on a high note and look for a new challenge. O’Toole holds a “deep commitment to the role of community based arts organizations.”

Monica Miller

Wednesday’s candidate was Monica Miller from Seattle and, most recently, Ellensburg. She earned her Bachelor of Arts at College of William and Mary with concentrations in Arts and English literature and studied ceramics at Alfred University in China. Miller held progressively more responsible positions at Artist Trust in Seattle, beginning in 2006 as Manager of Special Events, then Director of Individual Giving and finally Director of Programs. Prior to moving to Artist Trust, she served as the Development Officer for ArtWorks, Seattle and Auction Coordinator, Project Manager and Parade director for several Seattle arts organizations. She describes herself as having “passion, enthusiasm and independent judgment.”

Sharon Mack

Thursday’s candidate was Sharon Mack from Wolfeboro, N.H. She received her Bachelor of Arts at Aquinas College in Grand Rapids, Mich. Mack spent her paying career in Michigan where she worked in journalism and worked her way up to editor of a daily newspaper before embarking on a career in the Arts. She served eight years as Executive Director for St. Cecilia Music Society in Grand Rapids and two years at South Haven Center for the Arts prior to moving to New Hampshire. While in New Hampshire, she has volunteered at numerous arts non-profit organizations in marketing and fund development roles. Mack has “tremendous interest and experience in community relations, community/music education development and performing arts programming.” She finds relocation to Orcas Island a “very attractive element of this leadership opportunity.”