Experienced executive in operations, administration, and the arts
December 3, 2021 | Staten Island, NY – Snug Harbor Cultural Center & Botanical Garden is excited to welcome Jessica Baker Vodoor as the next President & CEO to lead the 83-acre site and historic cultural institution. Ms. Vodoor will begin in the role on January 10, 2022.
Ms. Vodoor specializes in leading unconventional arts and entertainment organizations to achieve world class results – institutionally, financially, and creatively. An executive with global experience and a proven career of challenging leadership assignments for international organizations, she is hailed as an inspirational leader with a management styled focused on empowering diverse and highly functional teams to reach creative success.
“I am honored to take on this tremendous opportunity to lead Snug Harbor into its future – building on the past successes of the talented staff, fantastic Board, and diverse community of organizations and artists breathing life and energy into the Snug Harbor campus every day. Now more than ever, spaces for community connection to the arts and our natural environment are essential to our daily lives. I am thrilled to take on the responsibility of ensuring Snug Harbor reaches its full potential and serves our community year-round with welcoming and dynamic programming and restorative, awe-inspiring environments” said Jessica Baker Vodoor.
“On behalf of the Board of Directors and the Search Committee, I am excited to welcome Jessica to Snug Harbor,” said Chairman Mark Lauria. “The Search Committee interviewed multiple candidates, but Jessica stood out from the very beginning. I want to thank Martha Neighbors for stepping up as Interim President & CEO, which gave the Board and Search Committee the time and space we needed to make the best hire.”
Most recently, Ms. Vodoor served for eight years in Times Square as the Vice President, Operations for the New 42nd Street where she directed the operations of the New 42 Studios and the Duke on 42nd Street, as well as leading the historic preservation and real estate adaptive re-use efforts for seven historic Broadway theater sites at the Crossroads of the World. During her tenure at New 42, she oversaw the re-invention of the New Victory Theater’s Public Spaces, provided owner representation and government relations coordination for the development of the Times Square Theater, the renovations of the Lyric Theater for Cirque du Soleil’s Paramour and the Broadway hit Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.
Prior to her time at New 42, Jessica spent two years in Macau, China as the General Manager of the Franco Dragone Entertainment Group during the construction, pre-operations and world premiere of The House of Dancing Water. Jessica also spent ten years in progressive roles with the Blue Man Group overseeing theatrical facilities and construction/operations projects in New York, Las Vegas, Chicago, Boston, Toronto and Orlando.
Along with her operations focused experiences, Ms. Vodoor is also an experienced theater producer. She served as Blue Man Group’s Creative Producer for LV3 in Las Vegas, the Executive Producer of the international tour of Collision Production’s Endure: A Run Women Show, and the Executive Producer and Board Chair for Synaesthetic Theater during multiple productions. Ms. Vodoor holds a Master’s degree in Public Administration from Baruch College and a Bachelor of Arts in Theater from the University of South Florida.
“I am delighted to welcome Jessica Baker Vodoor as the new leader of Snug Harbor,” said Martha Neighbors, Interim President & CEO. “I believe she has the right mix of operational experience, savvy fundraising and a can-do management style that will carry this wonderful organization forward. She will have the support and partnership of the entire staff and we can’t wait to get started!”
About Snug Harbor
Snug Harbor Cultural Center & Botanical Garden is an urban oasis where art, history and nature converge. We offer dynamic programming in the arts, horticulture and agriculture for diverse communities and all ages, on our historic 83-acre campus. We envision being a locally impactful, globally renowned destination, true to our values of artistic vibrancy and community, inclusion and discovery, stewardship and conservation.
Snug Harbor is the result of more than four decades of restoration and development to convert a 19th-century charitable rest home for sailors into a regional arts center, botanical gardens and public park. One of the largest ongoing adaptive reuse projects in America, Snug Harbor encompasses 26 historic structures, 14 botanical gardens, a 2.5-acre urban farm, wetlands, forests and park land on a free, open campus. Snug Harbor is a proud Smithsonian Affiliate organization. Learn more at snug-harbor.org.
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