Executive Director and CEO
John Haynes, Executive Director and CEO
John Haynes comes to Bellevue with vast experience in managing performing arts centers around the country. Most recently he served as Founding Executive Director of the DeBartolo Center for the Performing Arts at the University of Notre Dame and concurrently as the University's Leighton Director for the Performing Arts, an endowed chair. He secured more than $25 million in naming rights and program underwriting as well as oversaw all aspects of the center, including establishing the vision and executing strategies to build and maintain strong campus, corporate, and community relations.
Prior to that, he served as President and Chief Executive Officer for the California Center for the Arts in Escondido. He was responsible for the $85 million regional arts center which comprised a 1,500-seat concert hall, 400-seat theatre, museum of contemporary art, conference center, arts education studios, and a public park. He managed a staff of 120 on the six building 12-acre facility.
He began his performing arts career as Executive Director at The Children's Theatre Company in Minneapolis, one of the country's largest and most celebrated theatres for young audiences. He was responsible for all aspects of operation, including marketing, fundraising, fiscal management, contracts, commissioning new work, and facilities.
Prior to his work with theatres, Haynes worked for more than a dozen years in media, including as Associate Director in the Feature Film department of CBS Television Network in New York, Associate Director of Late Night Programs and Writer-Producer of on-air promotions. He also was Program Development Executive for Viacom Enterprises and Vice President and General Manager at ArtMedia, Inc., a music publishing, merchandising rights, and television production company.
His community activities and professional affiliations list is extensive, including having served on the Boards of Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition, South Bend Civic Theatre, College of Business at California State University, California Center for the Arts Foundation, Minnesota Citizens for the Arts, San Diego North Economic Development Council, and the San Diego North Convention and Visitors Bureau. Haynes was appointed by the Mayor of Minneapolis to the "Avenue of the Arts," a major urban renewal project in 1998. He has lectured around the country on arts, business, organizational effectiveness, and leadership.
Since arriving at PACE, Haynes has expanded his community involvement to include positions on the Program Committee of the Bellevue Rotary, as the Secretary and Treasurer of the Western Alliance of Arts Administrators (WSAA), and with Prosperity Partnership, the Cultural Access Fund Steering Committee of Puget Sound Regional Council. He is also a longstanding member of the Association of Performing Arts Presenters (APAP) and the International Association of Assembly Managers (IAAM).