PETOSKEY – The Great Lakes Center for the Arts stated today that Kassia Perpich will join its leadership team as the Associate Director in 2023.
She will report directly to Matthew Kacergis who will serve as Executive Director, a position he’s held on an interim basis for much of 2022. Ms. Perpich has worked at the Petoskey-Harbor Springs Area Community Foundation since 2016 and is currently the Director of Community Philanthropy. She is also the founder and owner of Vine Ride LLC, Petoskey’s first-ever wine tour company specializing in small group tours of the Petoskey Wine Region.
Before relocating to Northern Michigan, she held positions with Farm Aid in Boston, the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago, and the White House Office of Management & Budget.
“Kassia joined the board in 2021 after serving on our Programming and Education committees. She immediately impressed us all with her knowledge of the Northern Michigan philanthropic landscape,” said Board Chair Kathleen Oswald. “She’s deeply committed to the Center’s mission and will play a leading role in ensuring that our programming continues to serve all who call our region home.”
“While bittersweet, we celebrate this leadership opportunity for Kassia and are grateful that we will continue to cross paths,” said David Jones (DJ), Executive Director of the Community Foundation. “From Kassia’s work here, we are certain that she will quickly become a valued team member at the Center. We wish Kassia the very best in this new and exciting endeavor!”
“After an exciting 5th anniversary season and the recent completion of the Center’s $28.5 million capital campaign, it’s a true joy for me to join the staff in this pivotal moment. I look forward to building on these successes and positioning the Center for even greater impact in the future.”
Mr. Kacergis is an Associate Consultant with the DeVos Institute of Arts Management at the University of Maryland and has been a member of the Center’s programming team since 2019.
Michael M. Kaiser,Chairman of the DeVos Institute and President Emeritus of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Arts, will continue to serve as the Center’s Artistic Director and Strategic Consulting Partner.
Centrally located in Northern Michigan, the Great Lakes Center for the Arts includes a beautifully crafted, intimate 525-seat theater housing a large stage with state-of-the-art features that meet the demands of internationally acclaimed artists and companies.
The mission of the Great Lakes Center for the Arts is to inspire, entertain, educate, and serve all in Northern Michigan year-round by presenting exceptional experiences across the full spectrum of the performing arts and offering impactful educational opportunities.
Over the next five years, the Center seeks to be recognized as a leading Midwest performing arts presenter and provider of broadened cultural opportunities. The Capital Campaign for the construction of the Center was completed in January 2022.
