New Chief for Scottsdale Cultural Council
FORMER PRESIDENT/CEO OF
WASHINGTON PERFORMING ARTS
SELECTED TO LEAD LOCAL ARTS
ORGANIZATION
Scottsdale Cultural Council has appointed Neale Perl as its new president and CEO. A senior executive with more than 25 years’ experience in arts administration and presenting, Perl is the president emeritus of D.C.-based Washington Performing Arts, where he served as president and CEO from 2002 to 2013. He begins his new position Aug. 11, succeeding Scottsdale Cultural Council Interim President and CEO Richard Hayslip, who will continue to serve the organization as a member of its board of trustees.
Perl was hired after an extensive national search, according to Ellen Andres-Schneider, chair of the organization’s board of trustees.
During his tenure at Washington Performing Arts (formerly Washington Performing Arts Society), Perl led one of the foremost performing arts presenters in the country, featuring both emerging and internationally acclaimed artists in classical, world and gospel music, jazz and dance in more than a dozen venues throughout the D.C. area, including the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. In addition to showcasing world-renowned performers, Perl also identified and nurtured gifted young artists, presenting more than 100 debut recitals. Many of these artists have since been recognized with MacArthur (“Genius Award”) Fellowships, Grammy Awards and other honors.
Under Perl’s leadership, the organization’s endowment increased by 60 percent, and a strong operating reserve was established. Washington Performing Arts also formed dynamic partnerships with more than 50 organizations, including Wynton Marsalis’ Jazz at Lincoln Center, which was engaged to help build a model program for arts education, impacting more than 80,000 students, parents, teachers and performers annually.
Washington Performing Arts received the 2012 National Medal of Arts – the country’s highest award for artistic achievement – from President Obama at a White House ceremony. It is one of only a handful of presenting arts organizations to have received that honor, which is normally given to prominent artists and arts supporters.
