CULTURE WORKS NAMES NEW PRESIDENT & CEO 

Martine Meredith Collier joins Culture Works as the new president & CEO

The Culture Works Board of Trustees announced today the hiring of Martine Meredith Collier as the new president and CEO of the organization. Ms. Collier will officially start at Culture Works on May 9, 2011.  

An extensive national search began in August 2010 to find a successor to Denise Rehg, who is now the assistant senior vice president for major gifts with the United Way of Central Ohio.  Since then, Kathy Hollingsworth of Innovative Interchange Associates has led the organization as the interim president and CEO. 

“Our search committee, led by Steve Petitjean of Fifth Third Bank, has worked diligently to ensure success,” said Rick Stover, chair of the Culture Works Board of Trustees.  “The committee held a series of rigorous interviews where finalists met with Board members, constituent leaders, stakeholders, and staff.  The committee was unanimous in its decision to hire Ms. Collier.  She possesses a wonderful balance of fundraising, marketing, and management experience.  Her leadership qualities, collaborative nature, and sincere enthusiasm will translate into success on all fronts.” 

Ms. Collier currently resides in Seattle, Washington, where she serves as the director of development and membership for Grantmakers in the Arts.  In this position, she is responsible for planning and implementing fundraising strategies conductive to the growth and development of  a national membership organization.  She has raised $1.9 million through new grants and increased the number of multi-year grants by 52 percent, gifts above $50,000 by 66 percent, and annual fund participation by 20 percent.  Her oversight of membership recruitment efforts resulted in the greatest number of members in the organization’s history in both 2009 and 2010.  Prior to her work at Grantmakers in the Arts, she was the executive director of the Sarasota County Arts Council in Sarasota, Florida.  

“The diversity and excellence of the arts organizations and cultural facilities serving the Greater Dayton region is extraordinary,” said Ms. Collier. “I am equally impressed by the sense of civic pride and community engagement that infuses all aspects of this community; I look forward to joining the dedicated board, staff, volunteers, and supporters of Culture Works in sustaining, enhancing, and promoting Dayton’s unique assets.” 

Ms. Collier received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre from the University of Memphis in Tennessee and a Master of Arts in Arts Administration from Goucher College in Baltimore, Maryland.  She has a long history of involvement with the arts and holds the credentials of a Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) and Grant Professional (GPC).    

During the past month, Ms.Collier has met with a wide variety of people in the Dayton cultural community.  As a result, she is starting with a solid understanding of the strengths of Culture Works as well as areas of opportunity for future growth. “We are confident that Mrs. Collier will effectively lead Culture Works.  We are excited for her to join the team and look forward to her arrival,” added Stover.