By Denise Richardson
Staff Writer
---- —
ONEONTA _ Foothills Performing Arts and Civic Center will be staging operations under an executive director starting next month.
Huemac Garcia, whose career has been with NYSEG and Catskill Area Hospice, will start at Foothills on July 11, a media release issued Tuesday said.
"Garcia will serve as Foothills' chief executive officer and will focus on expanding resources and programming as he has done so ably at Hospice," Dick Miller, interim president of the Foothills board and mayor of Oneonta, said in the release.
Garcia will join the Foothills staff of two full-time and two part-time employees.
"For me, it is a perfect fit, and I will have the opportunity to work with a great team," Garcia said in the release. "I love the Oneonta region, and Foothills is key to its future as we continue to nurture the performing arts."
Janet Hurley-Quackenbush, who has been providing broad management services for Foothills since January 2010, will continue as director of operations, Miller said, and she will "continue her tremendous record of assuring first-class experiences to those who use the facilities."
Foothills' budget is about $300,000 annually, plus about $100,000 annually in debt service, Miller said.
Garcia's appointment is a "huge" step toward meeting the needs of Foothills, Miller said.
He and Garcia agreed during separate telephone interviews that priorities for Foothills are to develop programming and fundraising.
Miller, who will continue in the post of interim board president he took in December, said Foothills needs a stronger management team to address an increasingly complicated array of issues.
"As in the case of any small organization, getting all the work done by a team of volunteers and managers is always a challenge," Miller said. "Garcia's appointment and the strengthening of the management team will allow the board to get out of day-to-day operations and into the business of building a broader financial base, recruiting volunteers and communicating the tremendous value of Foothills to the community."
Foothills also said Tuesday that Joseph Batchelder of Oneonta, director of capital construction at SUNY Delhi, was elected to its board June 13.
Garcia, who has worked at Catskill Area Hospice and Palliative Care for eight years, said he became director of strategic projects earlier this year. Previously, as director of development, he was responsible for fundraising and special events such as the Daffodil Festival and annual summer concert. This year's concert with Kenny Loggins will be at Brewery Ommegang on June 30.
Lola Rathbone, Catskill Area Hospice chief executive officer and president, said Garcia has been part of "an extraordinary leadership team" that will carry on.
"He's really helped us reach our goal and accomplishments," Rathbone said. "We'll miss him."
Garcia worked about 30 years for New York State Electric & Gas Corp. He also has served on the boards of the Oneonta County Chamber and the Pathfinder Village Foundation Board, the College Council of the State University College of Technology at Delhi and on the college's foundation board, among other community organizations.
Garcia said after he joined the Foothills board in April he started asking about "creative solutions" to further the "tremendous strides" the center has made under Miller and with partnerships such as Five Star Subaru and other supporters. "I look forward to making it a bigger success," Garcia said. Foothills, like performing arts organizations across the nation, is challenged by presenting quality entertainment at reasonable prices, he said.
At Foothills this summer, programming includes a series of staged readings, a fundraising concert by Judy Collins at 8 p.m. Aug. 12 and a performance by American Idol finalist Melinda Doolittle at 7:30 p.m. Aug. 24.
Foothills had a successful fundraising concert in March featuring singer/songwriter Gordon Lightfoot. The center continues to work on booking entertainment of the caliber of Lightfoot and Collins, Miller said, and performances by two such artists are pending for autumn dates.
In 2010, Foothills struggled with financial and leadership problems and faced an audit by the state Dormitory Authority.
Miller said he met with Dormitory Authority officials last week and he expects a positive outcome. The authority was withholding the last payment of a multimillion grant as it reviewed Foothills operations, and Miller said he expects the final payment of about $480,000 will be forthcoming.
The Dormitory Authority wasn't pressuring Foothills to hire an executive director, Miller said. The Foothills board had discussed finding an executive director but was concerned about the time need to review candidates and the risks of hiring "unknown," he said.
Garcia showed a strong interest in programming and generating resources since becoming a Foothills board member, Miller said, and recently he asked Garcia if he would be interested in joining the staff. Further conversations led to a job offer. "He is so right for this job," Miller said. "The board and I are just thrilled by this."
Miller declined to report Garcia's pay other than to say he will receive a "fair rate."
Garcia said he is "thrilled and excited" about the future of Foothills.
"Assuring that Foothills has the kind of program that will bring visitors to Oneonta and the resources to support its future growth will be rewarding," he said in the release.
