Marcia White

Marcia White (born 1948) is the President and Executive Director of the Saratoga Performing Arts Center, a famous concert venue at Saratoga Spa State Park in Saratoga Springs, NY. She has been credited for revitalizing SPAC,[1] which attracts many notable performers to the "Spa City" in Upstate New York. Before her current venture, she was a top aide for with the New York State Senator Joe Bruno.

Education and early career

White is a graduate of Hudson Valley Community College and University at Albany. She also received a bachelor's degree from the College of Saint Rose in 2000, and currently serves on its board of directors. She was a registered nurse until getting involved with civic affairs, such as boards of directors of charities. While an aide to New York Senator Joe Bruno, White worked on health care issues and served as his press secretary.[2]

While working for Senator Bruno, White helped initiated the Generating Employment through New York Science (Gen-NY-sis, or Genysis) program.[3]

Executive Director of SPAC

White was appointed Executive Director of SPAC in January 2005 and started office in March of that year.[4] In August 2006, she secured $2.1 million in New York State funds to rehabilitate the venue.[5] Her twin goals were to raise money, but also to increase SPAC's public profile as a significant cultural and concert venue.[6] She was given credit by the local press for keeping the New York City Ballet and the Freihofer's Jazz Festival in business, both of which had declining attendance through 2005, at SPAC. [7]

Focusing on improving public relations, White created a new logo and web site for SPAC.[8] She was interviewed on the Albany, New York Time Warner television news affiliate when she announced those changes and the 2006 season at SPAC, whose roster included the New York City Ballet and the Philadelphia Orchestra.[9]

During her tenure as executive director, white served on a transition team for newly elected Governor Eliot Spitzer in late 2006.[10]

When SPAC re-opened in May 2007 after a significant reconstruction, White spoke of the Center's revitalization and the efforts that went into improving it.[11][12]

After the 2007 season at SPAC, the Albany Times Union lauded White's efforts thus far, but also called for further improvements to SPAC, especially with the New York City Ballet.[13] White responded to the comments in a letter to the editor a few weeks later, writing in part, that "SPAC's board and management are very aware of the current challenges facing SPAC and other classical venues in building new audiences for their programming...." [14]

White has announced she plans to retire as executive director at the end of the 2016 season.[1]

Recent work at SPAC

In 2008, White worked to keep the Philadelphia Orchestra at SPAC, often introducing performers such as pianist Yuja Wang and guests such as RPI president Shirley Ann Jackson.[15]

References

  1. 1 2 Karlin, Rick (February 19, 2016). "Marcia White to retire from SPAC after 2016". Times Union (Albany, NY). Retrieved July 15, 2016.
  2. ↑ Commission on Independent Colleges and Universities
  3. ↑ Supra
  4. ↑ Announcement of appointment
  5. ↑ NY State Parks press release
  6. ↑ Joel Stashenko, Raising money and its profile are on SPAC's Playbill for 2006, The Business Review (Albany), September 9, 2005, at The Business Review web site
  7. ↑ Supra
  8. ↑ Joel Stashenko, SPAC gets a new logo and an online makeover for its 2006 season, The Business Review (Albany), February 24, 2006, at
  9. ↑ Story of February 21, 2006 at Capital News 9 web site
  10. ↑ New York Politics Capitol Confidential : Albany Times Union : timesunion.com : Capitol confidential » Spitzer’s Transition Policy Advisors (Updated) Archived September 27, 2007, at the Wayback Machine.
  11. ↑ Jane Loudon, New York City Ballet steps on SPAC stage again, (review), The Post-Star (Glens Falls, New York) July 06, 2007, at
  12. ↑ Albany Times-Union, SPAC-tacular space: After overhaul, Saratoga Performing Arts Center is poised for 2007, Friday, May 25, 2007 at Downloaded July 28, 2007
  13. ↑ Paul Bray, SPAC must make the ballet season pop, Sunday, September 9, 2007, Albany Times Union . Retrieved September 21, 2007.
  14. ↑ White's letter to the Editor. Retrieved September 21, 2007.
  15. ↑ Peter Dobrin, "Shaping Up in Saratoga: The orchestra's three-week residency, Charles Dutoit at the helm, begins on a bright collaborative note." Philadelphia Inquirer, August 9, 2008, found at Philadelphia Inquirer website. Accessed August 28, 2008.

See also

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