The executive director of the Flynn Center is stepping down after a year and a half in the role.
The Burlington performing arts center is set to begin a nationwide search for a new chief as current executive director Anna Marie Gewirtz departs.
Gewirtz is leaving the job in order to reduce strain on her family, which has been splitting its time between three states. Her last day will be Jan. 24.
The Flynn’s board of directors plans to appoint interim leadership in the coming weeks, and then begin a national search for a permanent replacement.
“We’ve had good leadership and really great staff here,” board chair Staige Davis said. “In finding the next leader, hopefully we can find someone who is able to stay longer than Anna Marie was, unfortunately.”
Gewirtz plans to stay on through the spring in a consulting role, while looking for new jobs closer to family. Davis said she would probably be consulting primarily on fundraising projects.
“She did a great job at development, a great job at raising money. She came to the Flynn a few days after we had a flood, and there she was in her boots,” Davis said.
Davis said Gewirtz brought a “different level of sophistication” to the Flynn than they’d ever had before.
“I’m really proud of what we accomplished as a team to further the Flynn’s mission and our impact in the community,” Gewirtz said.
In Gewirtz’s time at the organization, the Flynn started doing mobile ticketing and scanning, brought food and drinks into the theater, and got an installation at the Burlington airport.
It also had its busiest month in history in October. In its most recent season, the theater put on more shows than almost any other year, and saw a record number of ticket sales.
Gewirtz said the Flynn is constantly growing its education and community outreach programs, and has artistic programs that are “among the best in the nation.”
“It’s really an incredible organization, and it just continues to thrive,” she said.
Gewirtz said she and her husband had been splitting time between New Jersey, Massachusetts and Vermont for their respective jobs, which she said was putting too much strain on her young children.
“We’re just taking some time to refocus on our family and figure out what next steps look like,” Gewirtz said.
She said she doesn’t know what her next career step will be, but she said she remains committed to staying in the arts.
The next director of the Flynn, she said, will need a passion for the arts, good business savvy, and an ability to work with everyone from constituents to donors to arts partners and staff and volunteers.
“The Flynn’s reach is so wide and so deep, you need to be eager to take in a lot of information and input from the community to help push the organization forward,” Gewirtz said.
Davis said the search process to find Gewirtz took about six months, and they’re hoping the next one goes faster. At the end of the day, he said, he hopes they find the right fit for the job.
“The same skill set that Anna Marie has is the skill set we’re looking for,” he said.
Correction: This article initially misspelled Anna Marie Gewirtz’s last name as Gerwitz.
