Title: Chief Development Officer

The Opportunity

Sarasota Performing Arts Foundation (The Foundation) was founded in 1987 to support arts education programming at Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, which serves more than 35,000 students and their families with enriching arts-based education opportunities and professional development for more than 400 teachers across five counties. The Foundation is leading the vision to build a new Sarasota Performing Arts Center as a public-private partnership with the City of Sarasota and Sarasota County, and in collaboration with the Bay Park Conservancy and Van Wezel Hall. 

The Foundation is at a pivotal moment in its history. Building upon its successful support of the performing arts in Sarasota, the Foundation is committed to leading an anticipated $300 million capital project to build and operate a vibrant, new performing arts campus in a public-private partnership with the City of Sarasota. Sarasota’s new performing arts center will sit at the center of The Bay, a 53-acre signature public park being built on Sarasota Bay, and serve as a magnet destination for generations with the potential to impact and enrich communities across the state and country. 

The Foundation seeks an entrepreneurial and results-oriented Chief Development Officer (CDO) to lead the anticipated campaign. The CDO will lead the Foundation’s capital campaign from conceptualization through completion, with experience articulating the case for support in an environment where a portion of the project is supported by government sources. The ideal candidate will build a comprehensive, world-class development operation from the ground up to raise funds for annual, endowment, and capital. 

The CDO will report to the Chief Executive Officer. S/he will manage the Development Data Manager and the Relationship Manager, and lead the continued growth of the development team. As part of the public-private partnership, the successful candidate will build and deepen relationships within the community with the City of Sarasota, Sarasota County, Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, and the Bay Park Conservancy. 

About Sarasota Performing Arts Foundation

Sarasota Performing Arts Foundation (The Foundation)’s mission is to create and sustain a vibrant performing arts campus, advance education, and enrich communities by inspiring minds through the power of the arts. The Foundation has raised over $17 million to date for the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall since 1987 to support arts education throughout the Sarasota region, serving more than 35,000 students and their families annually with enriching arts-based education opportunities and professional development for more than 400 teachers across five counties. The Foundation is leading the vision to build a new Sarasota Performing Arts Center as a public-private partnership with the city and in collaboration with the Bay Park Conservancy and Van Wezel Hall. 

The Foundation has a deep-rooted connection to Sarasota’s rich cultural history. In 1987, the Foundation entered a cultural partnership with the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall (The Hall) through its owner, the City of Sarasota. The Hall has served as a beloved performing arts center for over half a century – a home to international creative experiences and a springboard for the Foundation’s educational collaborations. 

In 2015, the Foundation began exploring the future of the performing arts in Sarasota during the Bayfront Master Plan process, a community-led effort to transform a 53-acre city-owned site into a community waterfront destination. The Foundation retained a national theater research and planning consultant to conduct a seminal study which revealed the long-term environmental and financial risks that face The Hall, concluding that it should be replaced with a state-of-the-art facility. 

Looking forward, the Foundation is committed to leading an anticipated $300 million capital project to build and operate a new performing arts center in a public-private partnership with the City of Sarasota. Following a six-month architect selection process, the Foundation has selected Renzo Piano Building Workshop to create the design of the new performing arts center, which will serve as a magnet destination for generations with the potential to impact and enrich communities across the state and country. The project’s vision statement is: 

Sarasota Performing Arts Center (SPAC) will celebrate community, culture, and nature. Our goals are to surprise and delight audiences, empower learners of every age, nurture innovative artists, and create shared experiences. We aspire to break down barriers of access to the arts – to be a performing arts center for all. 

The Foundation’s core values are: 

• Passion: The Foundation are inventive catalysts for artistic exploration. 

• Inclusivity: The Foundation seeks out diverse perspectives and fosters cultural equity across its programs. 

• Collaboration. The Foundation builds forward-thinking partnerships to extend the impact of its mission. 

• Stewardship. The Foundation operates with integrity and transparency to expand its rich history of culture-building and philanthropy. 

2021-2026 Strategic Plan

The Foundation is committed to a five-year strategic plan to reshape the future of the performing arts in Sarasota. Through fiscal year 2026, the Foundation is focused on the following three strategic goals: 

1. Create a state-of-the-art Sarasota performing arts center that will be a cultural icon and civic asset. 

2. Bolster communication of the vision for the new performing arts center to engender broad support. 

3. Deepen and broaden the current work in arts education and explore new platforms that enhance quality of life for children and adults through the arts. 

To read the Foundation’s five-year strategic plan, please click here. 

Leadership

For over twenty years, Tania Castroverde Moskalenko has been leading complex performing arts institutions and guiding them through strategic, financial, and operational turnarounds. At this moment of deep transformation for the arts and cultural sector, she is energized to bring her knowledge and experience in organizational transformation, strategic planning, capacity building, facility operations and expansion, fund development, capital campaigns, and community development, to lead the vision for a new performing arts center in Sarasota, FL. 

Previously, Castroverde Moskalenko served as Executive Director of Miami City Ballet where she launched and successfully completed a $65MM campaign, created MCB’s first DEI strategic plan, and laid the foundation that secured permanent dormitory space for the MCB School. 

Prior to that, Castroverde Moskalenko served as the CEO of Chicago’s Auditorium Theatre, a 4,000 seat National Historic Landmark, revitalizing the organization’s financial health through innovative programming and community partnerships, increased earned revenue, and expanded philanthropic support. In 2017, she was named 'Chicagoan of the Year for Dance' by the Chicago Tribune. Before that, she was President/CEO of the Center for the Performing Arts and the Great American Songbook Foundation in Indiana and also spent seven years as the Executive Director of the Germantown Performing Arts Centre in TN. 

Fluent in English and Spanish, Castroverde Moskalenko was raised in Miami where she and her family arrived as political refugees from Cuba when she was six years old. She has served on numerous panels including the National Endowment for the Arts. She holds a BFA from the University of Memphis, an MA in Philanthropy from Indiana University, and Executive Certifications from Harvard Business School and Harvard Kennedy School of Government. She serves on the Board of Directors of Philanthropy Miami. 

Board of Directors 

Sarasota Performing Arts Foundation’s Board of Directors is comprised of dedicated and engaged leaders committed to the Foundation’s mission, vision, and continued growth. The Board is a diverse group of corporate and finance professionals, and community leaders. 

For a complete list of the Board of Directors, please click here. 

Reporting and Important Relationships

The CDO will report to the Chief Executive Officer. S/he will manage the Development Data Manager and the Relationship Manager, and lead the continued growth of the development team. 

As part of the public-private partnership, the successful candidate will build and deepen relationships within the community with the City of Sarasota, Sarasota County, Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, and the Bay Park Conservancy. 

Key Responsibilities and Challenges

The CDO will serve as a key leader of Sarasota Performing Arts Foundation with responsibility for contributing broadly to all aspects of the fulfillment of its mission and campaign. The successful candidate will have the capacity and demonstrated track record to perform in the following areas: 

• Lead the creation and implementation of the Foundation’s comprehensive campaign in partnership with the Chief Executive Officer and members of the Board of Directors; 

• Provide dynamic leadership, strategic direction, and operational management of Sarasota Performing Arts Foundation’s comprehensive campaign, ensuring the campaign’s success from conceptualization through implementation; 

• Build a comprehensive, world-class development operation from scratch to raise funds for annual, endowment, and capital; 

• Create and articulate the case for support for the Foundation’s campaign in an environment where a portion of the project is supported by government sources;

• Lead campaign execution of the prospective donor constituency, including the expansion of individual, corporate, foundation, and government support; 

• Partner with the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer to provide timely reports to the City of Sarasota; 

• Maintain and revise the campaign plan, as needed, including the overall timetable, prospect tracking, and progress towards goals. 

• Create and carry a personal portfolio of top donors and prospects, including the identification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of individuals, corporations, and foundations;

• Strategically engage the Chief Executive Officer and Board of Directors in public outreach and fundraising activities, providing meaningful engagement opportunities and effective support; 

• Prepare and staff the Chief Executive Officer and Board of Directors with briefings in preparation for the cultivation and solicitation of prospects; 

• Recruit, lead, and mentor a team of fundraising professionals, promoting a culture of high performance, collaboration, and quality; and 

• Provide professionally mature, effective, and transparent management; implement policies and best practices that will ensure greater staff collaboration and accountability through quantitative measurement of results; model behaviors and create a culture that is comfortable with clearly defined goals and reliable methods with which to measure success. 

Ideal Attributes and Qualities

In addition to the demonstrated ability to meet and exceed the responsibilities listed in the preceding section, the successful CDO will possess the following experience and attributes: 

• Interest in Sarasota Performing Arts Foundation’s vision, values, and mission, with a demonstrated passion for the arts; 

• Significant comprehensive campaign leadership experience with knowledge of campaign compliance and regulations and all areas of development; 

• Demonstrated public-private partnership experience, with the proven ability to identify, cultivate, and solicit additional sources of local and state government funding; 

• Stature and authenticity to gain the trust and confidence of the Board members, staff, donors, prospects, volunteers, community members, and other constituencies; 

• Track record of leading a major comprehensive campaign from conceptualization through execution, ideally within an organization of similar scope and a campaign of similar scale; 

• Demonstrated ability to build and dramatically scale a fundraising program, providing strategic direction and operational management for fundraising initiatives, resulting in marked improvement and growth; 

• Stature, sophistication, and tenacity to effectively engage and support the Chief Executive Officer and campaign leadership; 

• Demonstrated track record of personal identification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship experience with the ability to bring creative and effective strategies to the major gift process; 

• Genuine and transparent team player with a creative manner of approaching issues and devising sound solutions based on good judgment and collaboration; 

• Grace, poise, and highly advanced facilitation skills to promote fundraising partnerships; 

• Excellent communication skills (writing, proofreading, speaking, presentation, and listening) and keen attention to detail, with the ability to effectively communicate with all levels of the organization, as well as external constituencies; 

• Commitment to the highest standards of professionalism and best fundraising practices; 

• Performing arts background or passion for the performing arts preferred; and 

• Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree preferred. 

Compensation and Benefits

The compensation and benefits package will be competitive and commensurate with the selected candidate’s background and experience.

Confidential Inquiries and How to Apply 

Sarasota Performing Arts Foundation has retained Freeman Philanthropic Services, LLC to assist on this recruitment. FPS is a national leader in executive recruitment for the not-for-profit sector and brings a proven track record of recruiting top talent to diverse institutions. 

Please send all inquiries, applications, and nominations directly to FPS via email at SarasotaPerformingArtsFoundation@glfreeman.com. 

All applications must include: (1) an up-to-date resume; and (2) a formal letter of interest (addressed to Gail L. Freeman, President of FPS) that specifically cites the experiences that best prepare the applicant for this role and why this particular opportunity at Sarasota Performing Arts Foundation is the logical and desired next step in their career. Additional materials and information will be requested during the search and interview process.