Chances are that in 1980 when Sally Ordway Irvine first challenged her St. Paul community to build a world-class performing arts center and then put up the initial donation to do so, she didn't imagine that one day that center would be led by a Black man. Forty-one years after issuing that challenge, 36 years of operation, and 11 CEOs later, Christopher Harrington has been named the 12th CEO of the St. Paul, Minnesota institution.
Harrington, who took the helm at The Ordway in November, arrives there from the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and is a well-regarded arts leader and advocate. Harrington is the epitome of what it looks like to 'learn the ropes' as someone who went from working in the box office to climbing all the way to the top spot.
Congratulations Christopher!
Read more about Christopher's appointment as reported in Mshale - The African Community Newspaper (Minneapolis).
