Megan Kline Crockett Named Head of the Carpenter Center at Long Beach State University
Image
Megan Kline Crockett Named Head of the Carpenter Center at Long Beach State University
Long Beach State University and its College of the Arts announced the appointment of Megan Kline Crockett as executive director at the Richard and Karen Carpenter Performing Arts Center. Kline Crockett was selected after a national search for the best candidate to expand the success of the campus’ largest performing arts venue. She has been serving as interim executive director at the Carpenter Center since September 2016. Kline Crockett “has the qualities of great leadership,” said Cyrus Parker-Jeannette, dean of the College of the Arts. “She is courageous while remaining humble, cares deeply about individuals while also understanding an organization as a whole, and she is highly committed to engaging the community and the campus through the power of the arts,” Parker-Jeannette said.
Her lifelong appreciation and involvement in the arts has given her a broad yet discerning approach to programming and managing the Carpenter Center. Under her leadership, the Carpenter Center has expanded its partnerships with university departments and programs, including a new Arts for Life series focused on lectures by leading area visual artists presented in cooperation with the School of Art. Next season will include an expanded presence and support for the Cole Conservatory Symphony Orchestra on the Carpenter Center stage. She is also emphasizing inclusion in the programming by expanding the multicultural and global offerings as a part of the upcoming seasons. Before taking over the leadership role at the Carpenter Center, Ms. Crockett served for two years as the managing director for CSULB’s California Repertory Company in the department of theatre arts. She began her professional career in New York City, where she worked at International Creative Management and as the administrative director of a high-profile art gallery. In 2007, she returned to her native California with her husband, Bryan, who was recruited to head the sculpture program at Long Beach State University.
