The Board of Directors at the St. Petersburg Arts Alliance is delighted to announce the unanimous approval of Terry Marks as our new Chief Executive Officer beginning March 18. “While we will miss our Founder and Executive Director, John Collins, we are excited to continue the great work of SPAA under Terry’s leadership. Her background in the arts, business and nonprofit sector is a perfect fit to enhance and increase our impact for the community,” stated Mary Anna Murphy, Board Chair.
Terry grew up in NYC, with a deep and abiding love for visual and performing arts. Her first career was as an educator, and she then worked on Wall Street with Fortune 500 companies, including the largest minority and woman-owned brokerage. Terry also was a publisher of a magazine for children, as well as owning her own 17-year consulting practice in Los Angeles, serving organizations with budgets from $2 million to over $250 million.
During her time in Los Angeles, she taught at the Center for Nonprofit Management for ten years and also at the University of Southern California, working to grow missions that included the arts, health, literacy, homelessness, seniors, the environment, and serving families affected by developmental disabilities, with a special focus on autism. She has a background in marketing and communications and has been a speaker at national conferences, as well as serving as a CEO of a national nonprofit.
Within the world of art and culture, Terry worked with the Santa Monica Museum of Art, known now as the Institute of Contemporary Art, the Pacific Symphony, Celebration Theater, Los Angeles Youth Orchestra, and she traveled with one of her clients, a ballet company in a cultural exchange to China.
Most recently Terry consulted for the Suncoast Black Arts Collaborative. “Visual and performing art is such an intimate form of expression and one of the most powerful means to communicate. I am honored to accept the newly created position of Chief Executive Officer. John’s influence as Founder and Executive Director will always be a shining light for me. I am looking forward to serving the compelling and innovative arts culture within St. Petersburg. My primary goal is to create a unifying alliance and grow our vibrant arts economy. Within the business sector, art has a significant role to play and a seat at the table to accelerate the overall growth of our city. In addition, I want to expand and support artists and art education, as St. Petersburg continues to rise as a diverse destination for arts and culture.”
Accompanying Terry in her move to St. Petersburg is her wife, Anastasia of 25 years, two rescue dogs (Tyler and Chloe) and a highly privileged rescue cat, named Brisket.
Should you wish to contact Terry, she can be reached at [email protected]
