Mary Katz assumed the role of executive director of the Luther F. Carson Four Rivers Center on Oct. 1. She succeeds Brian Laczko in
this position and is the third director since the Carson Center opened in 2004. Laczko served as Executive Director since 2005 and retired effective Sept. 30.
Katz, a native of Paducah, began her involvement with the Carson Center in 2002, before the building opened, as a volunteer for the Building for the Arts Campaign. She later joined the Board of Directors in 2004. In 2008, Katz resigned from the Board to become the Director of Education and Community Outreach at the Carson Center. In this role, she grew the educational offerings in the Class Acts Series, which presents professional arts programming designed to complement and deepen classroom learning for students in preschool to high school. She also developed the US Bank Family Series, which offers diverse performances and workshops with artists from all over the world and the First Stages Series, which serves the youngest of Carson Center patrons with shows and experiences to engage them in the joy of live performing arts. In 2012, she brought Broadway Workshop to the Carson Center from New York City to provide students in the region
and beyond professional musical theater training taught by Broadway performers. Earlier this year, she formed the Carson Center Players group, and took two groups of children to New York City, for hands-on training, with one group getting the opportunity to perform at Lincoln Center.
“We certainly thought about, and had the capacity to do, a national search to fill the Executive Director position,” said Barry Smith, Chairman of the Board of Directors. “But Mary is so talented, and has brought such incredible energy and creativity to the Carson Center for so many years, we knew we had the perfect candidate right here. Her passion for performing arts, the Carson Center, and this community is a particular synergy that we could not find anywhere else.” “She truly understands the important role that the Carson Center plays in this community, and she sees and has always seen the Center as much more than just a building,” Smith said. “She has worked tirelessly to prepare herself for this position, and she is the perfect candidate to replace Brian Laczko.”
“In many ways, I really feel like I’ve spent my entire life preparing for this role,” Katz said. She holds a bachelor of science in economics from
Agnes Scott College, in Atlanta, where she worked in banking after graduation. She also holds a Master of Arts in Teaching degree from the University of Memphis as well as a Gifted and Talented teaching endorsement and has held many educational and leadership roles in community organizations. “I started out in business, but have also always had a passion for working with children and a deep love for the arts. Working in a nonprofit business environment with a focus on performing arts is the best of all worlds and just the natural progression for me.”
She is currently studying part-time toward obtaining a Master’s in Arts Administration and describes herself as a lifelong learner.
Going forward, Katz sees a number of challenges as well as opportunities for the Carson Center.
“Arts organizations continue to struggle for governmental support and tax dollars, and we are therefore increasingly reliant on contributed income from patrons and donors,” Katz said. “But the Carson Center is a phenomenal place and at a really solid position in her history.
“What we have been able to do in such a small market is a testament to the wonderful staff we have in place and the tremendous community and patron support that we enjoy. I feel incredibly honored to be entrusted with the leadership of this magical place, and we will continue to grow and do amazing things to enrich the lives of the entire region.”