TCA charts a new course
THE TAOS CENTER FOR THE ARTS (TCA) has announced a change in leadership slated for 2022. Colette LaBouff, current executive director since July 2018, will leave her position at TCA in mid-April, having accepted a position as executive director at the The Beverly Rogers, Carol C. Harter Black Mountain Institute (BMI) in the College of Liberal Arts at University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV).
The TCA Board of Directors, in consultation with staff, have developed a transitional plan. In this transition and effective immediately, Chelsea Reidy will become associate director. In this capacity and through mid-April, LaBouff will work with Reidy in the areas specific to the executive director’s role. Upon LaBouff’s departure, Reidy will become executive director and LaBouff will serve as consultant to TCA to assure an effective transition. Other aspects of this transition include increased opportunities for growth of TCA’s core staff and the continued guidance of the board to assure financial stability during the shift.
Chelsea Reidy was interim theater manager (2018-2019) and then filled that position (2019-2020) until her role was expanded through TCA’s reorganization in the pandemic and she became theater and programs manager in 2020. Working with the executive director, Reidy has been the project director for two National Endowment for the Humanities grants, developed Open Screen, Music In & Around, TCA Radio Hour, established a curatorial film committee, and developed and implemented all drive-in programs including film, live performance and concerts.
She has supervised both theater and administrative part time staff in a leadership capacity. Reidy is actively engaged in the community as a collaborator and her work-philosophy is focused on community partnerships; she has worked with the Paseo Project (participating with them in a year-long Diversity, Equity and Inclusion training) and produced and directed theater in Taos. Reidy is originally from Guam, studied at the U.S. Naval Academy and graduated from the University of Guam in 2009 with a BA in Interdisciplinary Studies in Arts and Sciences with a focus on science, technology and the environment. She has lived in Taos since 2016.
Chelsea Reidy says, “During my time at TCA I’ve been lucky to work with colleagues who support continual learning and growth in professional roles. I’ve personally been enriched by the many programs that TCA supports; film, theater, dance, opera, multimedia presentations. I look forward to working more closely with the board of directors to continue to see TCA through the pandemic and to develop programs that connect TCA to the local and regional community.”
Colette LaBouff, TCA executive director, says of the plan, “For the last two years in particular, TCA has been working as a team that collaborates and cross-trains. For this very reason, TCA is positioned for great progress in fulfilling its mission with the staff we have now. Through the pandemic, we have thought constantly about how succession in a small organization is needed and we have made paths toward that so that people would have an opportunity to grow. I am confident that the board’s plan allows for more positive growth and the continuation of programs rooted in including more of Taos always.”
Trisha Fong, TCA board president says, “The TCA Board of Directors are grateful for the leadership provided by Colette LaBouff during her tenure. She has worked to focus on developing programs, partnerships and staff, keeping in mind how to include more of Taos, always. We are thrilled to support Chelsea Reidy in this new role and we are confident that she will continue the creative and thoughtful work TCA has accomplished.”
For more information about Taos Center for the Arts, contact Colette LaBouff at colette@tcataos.org.