{"39668":{"#nid":"39668","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Ferst Center for the Arts Names New Director","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EGeorge Thompson, former conservatory general manager with the prestigious American Conservatory Theater (ACT) in San Francisco, has been named director of the Ferst Center for the Arts.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThompson is responsible for overall leadership, administration, coordination and fundraising, along with the successful integration of the Center with the Institute\u0027s academic community and the Atlanta arts community.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0022The Ferst Center\u0027s history of performances is solid and has deep roots,\u0022 Thompson said. \u0022I want to build upon this history and expand the interaction with the campus and the local community, with the goal of establishing a unique identity for the Center within the Atlanta presenting field.\u0022\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ERaised in Greenwich, Conn., Thompson\u0027s career in the performing arts-both as manager and performer-spans three decades, with more than 20 years in senior management positions of nationally recognized arts organizations. Thompson began his career in 1979 as a professional dancer for the American Ballet Theatre. In 1987, he was named business manager and assistant director for Finance and Development for the four-theater complex within the Purchase College Performing Arts Center in Purchase, N.Y.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThompson served as executive vice president for the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center in Tampa from 1994\u20142001, executive director for The Washington Ballet in Washington, D.C., from 2001\u20142003, senior vice president of Programming and Operations at Omaha Performing Arts from 2003\u20142005 and joined ACT in 2005.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAccomplishments during his tenure include increasing the Tampa Bay center\u0027s operating budget to $27 million from $7 million and engineering the Washington Ballet\u0027s first sold-out season at the Kennedy Center prior to opening, as well as increasing the ballet\u0027s annual campaign by 25 percent through the centralization of development efforts.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAt ACT, Thompson was responsible for the overall operation and production of 14 shows annually, and led the conservatory staff and board committee through a recent strategic planning process.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0022I believe the performing arts and engineering are not as divergent as some might assume,\u0022 Thompson said. \u0022Both try to solve problems, and both reflect the needs of the society and time in which they exist.\u0022\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ENational search firm Management Consultants for the Arts Inc. worked with the Institute search committee, chaired by Division of Student Affairs Vice President William Schafer. While each of the final candidates was very strong, Schafer said, Thompson\u0027s experience, presentation and references placed him at the top of the field.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0022The search firm was looking for someone who could help create better connections across our campus,\u0022 Schafer said. \u0022Thompson is that person. He excels at working with a large, diverse community, he is skilled at marketing, he has a very strong background in budgeting and strategic planning, and he has received high marks as a supervisor from his former employees. We are excited about where he can take this program.\u0022\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThompson started in the director\u0027s position June 15.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0022I began my arts management career on a university campus, and throughout my experience I have found a unique connection between the arts and education,\u0022 Thompson said. \u0022Whether that connection introduces the arts to a novice or creates a dialogue with the more seasoned arts patron, this type of interaction is more fertile in an institution of higher learning.\u0022\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ELocated on the campus of Georgia Tech, the mission of the Ferst Center is to enhance the education of Tech students and to serve as a bridge to the greater Atlanta community by offering a showcase of some of the most highly acclaimed talent from around the world.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn addition to presenting a season of performances that includes music, dance, comedy and theatre, the Ferst Center offers arts education for all ages, presents visual arts exhibits in the Richards and Westbrook Galleries, and hosts campus and community events of all kinds throughout the year.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EGeorge Thompson, former conservatory general manager with the prestigious American Conservatory Theater (ACT) in San Francisco, has been named director of the Ferst Center for the Arts.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Thompson comes to Tech with 20 years of national experience"}],"uid":"27191","created_gmt":"2009-06-19 00:00:00","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:01:25","author":"Robert Nesmith","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2009-06-19T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2009-06-19T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"39669":{"id":"39669","type":"image","title":"Ferst Center for the Arts Director George Thompson","body":null,"created":"1449174110","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 20:21:50","changed":"1475894260","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:37:40","alt":"Ferst Center for the Arts Director George Thompson","file":{"fid":"189675","name":"txh24391.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/txh24391.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/txh24391.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":85666,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/txh24391.jpg?itok=H7mADvUK"}}},"media_ids":["39669"],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/www.ferstcenter.gatech.edu\/","title":"Ferst Center for the Arts"}],"groups":[{"id":"1183","name":"Home"}],"categories":[{"id":"42901","name":"Community"},{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"},{"id":"134","name":"Student and Faculty"}],"keywords":[{"id":"262","name":"Ferst"},{"id":"260","name":"Ferst Center"},{"id":"261","name":"Ferst Center for the Arts"},{"id":"263","name":"George Thompson"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EGeorgia Tech Media Relations\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ELaura Diamond\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:laura.diamond@comm.gatech.edu\u0022\u003Elaura.diamond@comm.gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E404-894-6016\u003Cbr \/\u003EJason Maderer\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:maderer@gatech.edu\u0022\u003Emaderer@gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E404-660-2926\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["matt.nagel@comm.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}