<\/p>\n
Get the Eat. Sip. Play. newsletter in your inbox<\/p>\n
Available now: Sign up here<\/a> for the best food, drink and entertainment coverage in Stanislaus County. <\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n The Gallo Center for the Arts<\/a> is losing its chief executive officer.<\/p>\n Chad Hilligus will step down in June after five years in his top role at the downtown Modesto performing arts venue, according to a press release.<\/p>\n \u201cIt has truly been an honor to lead this beloved institution,\u201d Hilligus said in the release. \u201cTogether, with an incredible team, we\u2019ve made remarkable strides in the last five years.\u201d<\/p>\n He\u2019s moving on to become executive and artistic director at the Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts at California State University Northridge<\/a> (The Soraya).<\/p>\n In the press release, he cited expanding the Gallo Center\u2019s arts education programs, free community engagement initiatives, a \u201cdeeper commitment\u201d to locally produced theater, and diverse and innovative programming during his tenure.<\/p>\n The center also has broadened the donor and patron reach to 15 counties and created a new multi-year strategic plan, he said.<\/p>\n Chief Operating Officer Al Poulus, who has been with the center since before it opened in 2007, will serve as interim CEO after June 10. The board of directors will conduct a national search for Hilligus\u2019 permanent replacement.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are grateful to Chad for his leadership and numerous contributions to the center and to the community,\u201d board chair Ginger Johnson said in the release. \u201cHe leaves the organization in fantastic shape, and we wish him nothing but the best in his next chapter.<\/p>\n Hilligus took over the reins of the Gallo Center in July 2021, replacing longtime CEO Lynn Dickerson. He arrived just two weeks prior to the venue\u2019s reopening following the COVID pandemic shutdown, the release noted.<\/p>\n He leaves as a CEO who also performed at the Gallo Center \u2014 when he\u2019d previously spent three years as the only non-Australian in the touring group The Ten Tenors, a 2021 story in The Bee noted<\/a>.<\/p>\n According to the release, Hilligus\u2019 tenure has seen the Gallo Center notch a record number of sold-out shows and repeatedly gaining national recognition from trade publication Pollstar as a Top 10 worldwide venue with less than 1,500 seats.<\/p>\n \u201cThe board is committed to maintaining the momentum that Chad has established,\u201d Johnson said.<\/p>\n The Gallo Center\u2019s new 2026-27 season is expected to be announced later this month, with tickets on sale to the public June 1.<\/p>\n The release teased one of the upcoming season\u2019s major performers: \u201cWicked\u201d and \u201cFrozen\u201d star Idina Menzel.<\/p>\n