Kent State University at Tuscarawas is pleased to announce the appointment of David B. Mitchell as the general manager of the Performing Arts Center. He will begin his duties Dec. 7. He comes to Kent State Tuscarawas from Louisville, Kentucky, where he was the branch manager of event services for Universal Services of America in Louisville, Kentucky, which provides access control personnel and event management solutions to sports, entertainment and business expositions across the world.
Mitchell also has 14 years of experience as operations manager for Broadway Across America, in Louisville, Kentucky. His responsibilities included the developing and managing the season budget; coordinating and supervising customer service initiatives; and coordinating overall production efforts.
“I am very excited that David Mitchell will be joining our administrative team to lead our Performing Arts Center,” said Dr. Brad Bielski, dean and chief administrative officer of Kent State Tuscarawas. “His extensive theatre and entertainment expertise, especially his touring Broadway Show background, will have a positive impact on our future programming and schedule development.”
As general manager, Mitchell will be responsible for planning and maintaining the center’s budget, and he will work with agents to create annual entertainment schedules. Mitchell will also oversee the center’s employees, special events, presentations, performances and facility rentals. His responsibilities also include developing and sustaining community partnerships.
“In addition to meeting with campus representatives during the interview process, each candidate met with a community panel,” stated Bielski. “These community members appreciated the opportunity to meet all the candidates and have input on the selection process. They were extremely enthusiastic about David Mitchell and his excellent qualifications.”
According to Mitchell, “I am honored and excited to join Kent State University at Tuscarawas and work with a world-class staff in a world-class venue. My goal as general manager is to build upon the Performing Arts Center’s existing success by continuing community outreach, ensuring accessible and affordable programming, as well as developing lasting partnerships within the community.”
Mitchell plans on expanding existing educational partnerships. “I recognize the arts as one of the most meaningful and emotionally provoking experiences in our world today,” said Mitchell. “Because I believe it is necessary to cultivate and develop the audiences of tomorrow, I place high value on education in the arts and hope to become a great partner for local school systems.”
An Ohio native, Mitchell is a graduate of Lake High School in Uniontown. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Ohio Northern University and a Master of Business Administration from Indiana University.
Mitchell and his wife, Shannon, will be moving to the area with their two children.
The Performing Arts Center at Kent State Tuscarawas opened in 2010 and features an 1,100 seat theatre. This premiere venue presents world-class performances in music, theatre, dance and comedy. Kent State Tuscarawas is located at 330 University Dr. N.E. in New Philadelphia, Ohio. For more information about Kent State Tuscarawas and the Performing Arts Center, visit www.kent.edu/tusc.