Gary Steuer

Chief Cultural Officer, Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy, City of Philadelphia

Gary P. Steuer began serving on October 1st, 2008 as Chief Cultural Officer for the City of Philadelphia, directing the newly created Office of Arts Culture and the Creative Economy, appointed by Mayor Michael Nutter. Prior to that he served as Vice President for Private Sector Affairs at Americans for the Arts, the national service organization for local arts agencies. He also had the additional title of Executive Director of the Arts & Business Council of Americans for the Arts. He was responsible for leading efforts to stimulate more private sector support for the arts, including promoting partnership between the arts and business, as well as overseeing services to the national network of Arts & Business Councils, Business Committee for the Arts affiliates and United Arts Funds. He also managed strategic partnerships with such organizations as The Conference Board, Council on Foundations, Independent Sector and Grantmakers in the Arts. He served as president and CEO of the Arts & Business Council from 1996 to 2005, when the Council merged its operations with Americans for the Arts. From 1993 to 1996, Gary was director of New York programs for the Council. Under his leadership the Council’s budget grew by more than 400 percent and included the creation of such programs as the National Arts Marketing Project, with a total of over $5 million in support from American Express to date; the Met Life Foundation National Arts Forums; and the New York State Cultural Tourism Initiative.

Earlier in his career he was Executive Director of National Actors Theatre on Broadway, Director of the Capital Funding Initiative of the New York State Council on the Arts, Managing Director of the Vineyard Theatre, Director of Programs for the Alliance of Resident Theatres/New York, an aide to a United States Congressman, and a commercial theatre producer. Gary has written, lectured, and taught extensively on arts management and policy issues. He has served on many boards of directors, and funding and advisory panels for local, statewide, and national organizations.