The members of the Supporters of the Performing Arts (SOPA) Board of Trustees feel privileged to welcome the services and expertise of their new Interim Executive Director, Richard F. Zellner. Now that the economy is showing hopeful signs for the many prospective “wait-and-see” donors, Mr. Zellner will be helping SOPA gear up for a major fund-raising campaign as well as for planning its future programming and operational budget. Mr. Zellner (Dick) comes with over thirty years of successful experience in nonprofit arts administrative positions with special expertise in development, philanthropy, and strategic planning. A condensed version of his background in these areas includes the following:

He was born, raised and educated in Wisconsin. Starting out as a professional trumpet player and an instrumental music teacher, he became involved with entrepreneurial programs in the performing arts as a staff person at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Extension Arts Department and the Florida State University, Division of Continuing Education. This meant that development and fundraising for the arts became the focus of his career activities.

After serving as the Executive Director of the Electric Symphony Orchestra, an experimental project based in Berkeley, California, he partnered with colleagues in the founding of the Institute for Advance Musical Studies in Montreux, Switzerland where he was the President and CEO.

Dick has served as President and CEO of The Arts Center Foundation of the East County Performing Arts Center in El Cajon, California, where he oversaw the renovation and revitalization of a major arts center that served as an economic driver for the core downtown district, making the arts center a focal point for the cultural life of the local community. Other positions included serving as President and Executive Director of the National Repertory Orchestra currently based in Breckenridge, CO; as Development Director of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra; and as Executive Director of Greater Twin Cities Youth Symphonies.

He teaches the on-line course “Developing Financial Resources” as an adjunct lecturer for the Baltimore, MD based Goucher College Master of Arts in Arts Administration Program. At the University of San Diego he taught the course “Fundraising and Patronage: The Art of Strategic Fundraising” for the “Business for the Arts and Nonprofit Art Organizations” certificate program. His focus has been on training arts managers to mobilize their respective organizations as they reach out to philanthropists and other supporters—even in a recessionary environment—who seek worthwhile, well-managed cultural endeavors to promote as part of their enduring legacy.

Dick is currently serving as a volunteer board member and officer of the Harmony Project in Denver, Colorado. He has also worked across the country as a consultant to arts organizations, most recently with the Pasadena Symphony as they acquired the Pasadena Pops, assisting with the merger of these two entities and helping them find and hire the current Executive Director.

Dick is married and has four children and eleven grandchildren. In order to work with the SOPA Board and the Estes Park community, he will be residing at McGregor Mountain Lodge Mondays throughWednesdays, but he will be on call for special interviews and meetings at any time. Please watch the SOPA website for further developments at www.estesparktheater.com. Also, to find out how you can help, to make suggestions, or to ask for more information, please call the SOPA office at 481-6630.