Patrick J. Nugent Joins DPAA as President & CEO
Please Join Us in Welcoming Patrick J. Nugent as President and CEO of DPAA
Patrick J. Nugent Joins DPAA as President & CEO
The Dayton Performing Arts Alliance (DPAA) announces the appointment of Patrick J. Nugent as President and CEO beginning August 2, 2021.
An experienced performing arts leader, Nugent will assume the leadership of the DPAA from interim CEO Patricia McDonald, who has led the organization since February 2020 through the COVID-19 pandemic. The DPAA thanks Pat for her expert guidance and leadership during a challenging time for the performing arts.
Nugent is a business-minded nonprofit leader with a lifelong passion for the performing arts. He brings to the DPAA an expertise in establishing vision, strategic planning, artistic innovation, fiscal discipline, and responsible growth. He is deeply committed to public advocacy, representation, and community involvement.
"The DPAA Board of Trustees is thrilled to welcome Patrick Nugent to the Dayton Performing Arts Alliance. We have every confidence that he will bring critical insight, dynamic leadership, and artistic passion to the DPAA,” said Vernon Fernandes, Board Chair of the DPAA. “Patrick’s proven success as a leader within two previous performing arts organizations will be a tremendous asset to our organization. His commitment to diversity, inclusion, and community aligns perfectly with DPAA’s mission to transform lives through the power of music and dance.”
Nugent joins the DPAA from Lyric Opera of Chicago, where he was Vice President of Development. He built the infrastructure for a 10-year $650 million comprehensive campaign, organized a $10 million emergency fundraising campaign during the coronavirus pandemic, initiated the opera company’s first-ever advocacy strategy, and built up its major gifts program.
Prior to his experience with Lyric, Nugent served as Executive Director of the Annapolis Symphony Orchestra, where he established the vision and successfully implemented a plan for financial stabilization, sustainability, and expansion. He also worked previously with the Beech Acres Parenting Center and Cincinnati Museum Center in Cincinnati, Ohio, spent five years working in Kenya, and served six years as a professor at Earlham College in Richmond, Indiana. His wife, Mary Kay Rehard, also an avid patron of the arts, is a clinical social worker and trauma psychotherapist in Dayton.
“I am grateful and excited to collaborate with three remarkable artistic directors, three excellent ensembles, expansive education programs, and a focused and committed board,” said Nugent. “I believe Dayton can become a national beacon as a community that supports wide and deep access to the performing arts for everyone in our community, regardless of cultural background or economic resources.”
This position as President and CEO of the DPAA marks a return to southwestern Ohio for Nugent. He received his undergraduate degree in Classics and Theology from Xavier University in Cincinnati and went on to earn his Ph.D. in the History of Christianity with a minor in Islam from the University of Chicago. Nugent is an amateur classical pianist, a “ham” radio operator, and an avid sailor and kayaker.
Links & Tags
Dayton Performing Arts Alliance.
