Cincinnati, OH—June 23, 2014:  ArtsWave’s Board of Trustees voted unanimously on Friday, June 20 to elect Alecia Kintner as CEO of ArtsWave, effective September 1.  Current CEO Mary McCullough-Hudson announced last summer that she will be retiring in August 2014. 

This is the final step in a succession plan that began with the hiring of Kintner as Chief Operating Officer in 2012. She was promoted to President in October 2013 when McCullough-Hudson announced her retirement.

“By planning ahead, we have had plenty of time to ensure a smooth transition. Alecia’s direction at ArtsWave helped to deliver this year’s record-breaking campaign of $12 million for arts organizations across the region,” said Karen Bowman, ArtsWave Board Chair. “We are confident that strong leadership will continue to be a key factor in creating community through the arts.”

“Since her arrival in Cincinnati, Alecia has proven to be an energetic and insightful strategist,” said Mary McCullough-Hudson, retiring ArtsWave CEO. “Her ability and approach in creating new partnerships and defining relevant programs and services fits perfectly with the expanded mission of ArtsWave to drive community impact through the arts.”

As the Deputy Director at the Greater Hartford Arts Council, Kintner oversaw core functions and staff involved with fundraising, grant-making, arts education, cultural promotions, and community programs.  In addition to directing the united arts campaign that ranked 10th in the country, Kintner helped synchronize local promotions of the region’s assets and leverage them to enhance corporate recruitment and retention programs. During her ten-year tenure, workplace giving to the united arts fund grew from $500,000 to $1.2M annually. In 2006, she received the Michael Newton award from Americans for the Arts for leadership in the united arts fund movement.

“It’s an honor to be taking the reins from Mary McCullough-Hudson, one of the most esteemed leaders in local arts fundraising,” said Kintner. “One of my first memories on the job in Hartford was being told to call Cincinnati, and Mary, to learn how citizen support for the arts could be galvanized in such a significant way.” 

A Los Angeles native, Kintner has lived and worked in arts and nonprofit administration in Moscow, New York City, and the Bay Islands of Honduras, as well as Hartford. As a development consultant on the island of Roatan, Honduras, she started a fundraising and communications program for healthcare provider Clinica Esperanza. Upon returning to Hartford, she became Vice President of Advancement at the Connecticut Science Center. It was from there that she began exploring a move to the Queen City.

“My life has taken me to some wonderful places,” said Kintner, “but Cincinnati immediately stood out for us because of its energy, a unique spirit of optimism and a drive to accomplish big things, and of course, its fantastic and varied arts organizations. We’re proud to be making this our home.”

Kintner now resides in Mariemont with her husband Michael and their seven-year-old twins.