Milwaukee's Marcus Performing Arts Center Names New President and CEO

Kevin Giglinto, who last served as Senior Vice President at Washington's John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, will step into the role

Kevin Giglinto has over 25 years of experience in leadership positions with performing arts organizations and will step into the post as the new President and CEO of the Marcus Performing Arts Center in July 2023.

He comes to Milwaukee from a post in Washington DC, where he was Senior Vice President at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. In this position, Giglinto played a role in The Kennedy Center’s first expansion, The REACH, which included gaining support and engagement in the $250 million fundraising campaign.

Prior to his time there, Giglinto held senior roles at the Chicago Symphony, where he made huge strides with the orchestra's subscription decline. This included generating three years of growth and raising subscription renewal rates to over 90 percent.

"I’ve seen Milwaukee evolve and recognize the instrumental role Marcus Performing Arts Center continues to play in the changing cultural landscape of the city," Giglinto said. "I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to lead the organization as its new President and CEO, alongside the established Board and strong leadership team."

"Kevin joins a strong, established leadership team to continue building on MPAC’s vision within the community," said Ray Wilson, the chair of the board at the Marcus Performing Arts Center. "He is a passionate, strategic leader whose experience connecting diverse audiences and building an organization’s brand prominence is an ideal fit for advancing the MPAC mission and strategic goals."

"Our search committee saw many talented leaders both locally and from across the country, but Kevin stood out as the best fit for the future of the Marcus Performing Arts Center based on his commitment to audience development and experience growing meaningful patron relationships," Wilson added.

"Kevin has been on the front end of innovation in the arts, and we’re excited for him to leverage his experience to continue raising the profile of MPAC and attracting high-quality arts and cultural programming to the city, state and region.”