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I have long known my professional goal in theatre. And now, after a decade of involvement in educational theatre, I have found it has changed little:
To build, lead, and be a part of an artistic home of significance.
The desire to be a part of an artistic home is a major motivator in my life. It is the foundation for my decision to pursue a career in the theatre through artistic institutions. My move into educational theatre was a natural progression of that desire. I define an artistic home as an institution that houses and supports a collaborative team of enthusiastic, imaginative theatre artist/educators collectively dedicated to the growth of their student artists, themselves, the community, and the art of theatre to the fullest potential.
To build and lead such a team would require a leader with vision and the ability to build teams while developing institutional and community support. A leader invested into strategic planning and assessment, with a willingness to take responsible and reasonable risks to bring prominence to the program and the institution.
I know I have the vision, leadership skills, and understanding necessary to help build and lead such an artistic home. I believe in building a team by building consensus through a process of detailed assessment and strategic planning. I understand the importance of communication (including listening) in building trust and facilitating growth, as is the exercise of fair and ethical practices including confidentiality and openness to others ideas. I know that leadership holds great responsibility that is empowered by the trust it earns from those it serves. I am willing to take the initiative to get done what must be done and I am willing to take on problems and solve them. Moreover, I am tenacious enough to keep on working, even after setbacks. I have followed the "Roman Rule" since my military days: "Those who say it cannot be done should never interrupt the one who is doing it!" I believe in reasonable and responsible risk taking guided by the needs, mission and long-range goals of the program.
On a practical level, I understand that a good leader must have management skills to handle the day-to-day responsibilities of running a program. It has been my experience that if the "house" is not in order, it cannot function properly. I understand and have experience in budget management, fiscal responsibility, fund raising, grant writing, scheduling, personnel management, conflict resolution, delegation, problem solving, assessment, and strategic planning. I have used those skills in a wide range of management positions from supervising a Nuclear Weld Shop in the U.S. Navy to being Managing Artistic Director of a Performing Arts Center in the U.S. Virgin Islands to serving on the Executive Committee of the Faculty Senate at TCU. Moreover, I have a working knowledge of the theatre from both a production and performance perspective, which aids in facilitating the mission and growth of a program. I have a great respect for the process of creating theatre and work to support and facilitate the success of that process.
Underscoring this is a passion for the theatre, and for the education of future theatre artists that empowers and gives significance to my work. I believe that my passion gives me the ability to inspire others to join and participate in fulfilling the goals shared by Artist-Educators. I know that my work and the work of my colleagues can make a difference and I am willing to work hard for their success and the success of the program.
Most importantly, I believe in myself, and my ability to develop
an artistic home of significance. To balance this sense of pride, I also have
a sense of humor - one strong enough, I hope, to avoid being found guilty
of hubris.
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