The Board of Directors of Performing Arts Center Eastside recently appointed Lora Unger as the Center’s new Executive Director. She began her position on May 1st, 2023.
“We are thrilled to welcome Lora to PACE as our new Executive Director,” said Board Chair Eric Stelter. “We were all impressed by Lora’s unique combination of high-level executive, artistic and fundraising experience with her entrepreneurial approach as a performing arts programmer and community builder. Her innovative spirit, strategic focus and commitment to Bellevue will prove invaluable as we join with the community in building a new cultural center that will profoundly contribute to the future of Bellevue and the entire Eastside.”
Unger had previously been serving as CEO of the Pasadena Symphony Association since 2014. During her tenure, she transformed the PSA into of the most artistically successful and institutionally relevant cultural organizations in Southern California reaching audiences of over 50,000 annually. PSA experienced exponential growth and increased its relevance under her leadership. Unger established popular performance residencies in four prominent Southern California venues and led the design and construction of a dynamic 5,000 seat outdoor performance venue at the Los Angeles Arboretum and Botanical Gardens.
According to the press release, the PACE board praised Unger for her remarkable accomplishments as CEO of the Pasadena Symphony. Hatch added, “Now she brings her deep experience in fundraising, institution and community building, financial management and programming, along with her exceptional people skills to her role as PACE’s Executive Director. We couldn’t be more pleased.”
Unger also served as the General Manager of the Jacksonville Symphony, where she was responsible for its classical, popular, opera, musical theater, and family programming. She also oversaw the successful facility renovation of Modesto’s historic State Theater where she presented independent film, concerts and community events as well as a robust program of facility rentals.
“I am thrilled to be joining PACE as its new Executive Director,” Lora Unger said of her appointment. “I felt an immediate connection to the mission of PACE, to the members of the Board and to the spirit of Bellevue. I see enormous opportunities for PACE as a world class performing arts center in the heart of Bellevue, to contribute invaluably to the future of the community through its cultural, educational and engagement programs.”
Unger continued, “I’m also confident in the role it will play as a catalyst for economic growth and connecting communities. The Board has done truly significant work over the past two years to prepare the organization to play these important new roles for the Eastside’s many communities. The time has arrived to bring this dream of a performing arts center to Bellevue. I’m honored and delighted to be joining PACE at this watershed moment in its history and to make Bellevue my new home.”
PACE features a group of engaged community leaders, responding to the Eastside’s population growth, emergence of industry-leading technology companies and its international community. They had a bold vision of a world class 2,000+ seat multi-purpose performing arts center that would serve as a dynamic cultural heart for the Eastside’s communities. The Board is guiding PACE towards its achievement of this goal.
This new cultural and community Center that will present the world’s finest in the performing arts alongside the flagship performing art groups of the Pacific Northwest, while also playing an active role as an educational and civic resource addressing the evolving needs of this rapidly growing region.
