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NEWS: Hennepin Arts’ New President and CEO is Coming Home

by Twin Cities Arts Reader -

The interior of the Pantages Theatre in Minneapolis – one of the historic theatres managed by Hennepin Arts.

The Hennepin Arts Board of Directors has announced the appointment of Kimberly Motes as President and Chief Executive Officer, following a national search. Motes, currently Executive Director of Chicago Shakespeare Theater, brings more than three decades of leadership driving artistic excellence, institutional growth and community impact, experience that will help Hennepin Arts expand the cultural and economic vitality it brings to downtown Minneapolis and people of all ages across the state. Her first day will be Monday, Nov. 30.

As President and CEO, Motes will lead Hennepin Arts’ programming, from Broadway to comedy and music to lecture series; education and workforce programs; and historic preservation and modernization investments, including the project underway at 900 Hennepin and the Orpheum Theatre, that draw audiences from across the state to a downtown district worth visiting again and again.

Its four historic theatres — Orpheum, State, Pantages and Dudley Riggs — host more than 470 ticketed events and welcome more than 600,000 visitors from all 87 Minnesota counties each year. One Broadway season alone delivers more than $68 million in downtown economic impact, and its education programs engage more than 8,000 students statewide.

Arts leader Kimberly Motes will return to Minnesota to take the reins as CEO and President of Hennepin Arts.

“We are so lucky that Kimberly’s deep roots in the Twin Cities performing arts community led her to Hennepin Arts at such a pivotal point for our organization,” said Daniel Tenenbaum, chair of the Hennepin Arts Board of Directors. “She is the ideal visionary leader to guide us as we make material investments toward an even more vibrant Hennepin Theatre District, an anchor to a dynamic and bustling downtown core. Kim is a connector who brings people together around shared objectives to accomplish ambitious goals.”

Since 2023, Motes has led Chicago Shakespeare Theater with Artistic Director Edward Hall, producing more than 35 plays and musicals, including 10 world and North American premieres and two Broadway transfers, and presenting companies from six countries as well as the Royal Shakespeare Company. In three years, ticket revenue increased 67%, total earned revenue rose 60% and contributed revenue grew 20%.

During 22 years in Minnesota, Motes held senior leadership roles at three of the state’s leading arts organizations – Children’s Theatre Company, Theater Latté Da, the Cowles Center for Dance and Performing Arts – as well as two of its leading universities: the University of St. Thomas and the College of Saint Benedict.

Motes is a graduate of the College of Saint Benedict in music and management. She began her career in Washington, DC at The Washington Ballet, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and Arena Stage. She has served on National Endowment for the Arts grant panels and facilitates a Theatre Communications Group forum for leaders of large producing theaters. That national perspective and Minnesota roots position her to lead Hennepin Arts’ next chapter of growth and impact, statewide and nationwide.

“I am thrilled to return home and honored to have the opportunity to lead Hennepin Arts,” Motes said. “I have long admired the organization’s vital role in strengthening the vibrancy of downtown Minneapolis and arts and culture across Minnesota. I look forward to working alongside this talented team to bring exceptional live arts and entertainment experiences, as well as statewide arts education programs, to a community I care about deeply.”

Andrea Mokros, past Hennepin Arts board chair, has served as Interim CEO since February 2026 and will continue to lead Hennepin Arts until Motes begins.

“Kimberly is an inspirational, results-driven leader who builds powerful, engaged teams through inclusive and strong cultures,” Mokros said. “She understands what Hennepin Arts means to everyone it serves: memorable experiences that bring audiences back, a civic and economic force that partners with our community, and iconic stages where artists want to stand.”

The national search for Hennepin Arts’ new leader was led by local firm Cohen Taylor.

 

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