From September 10-21, three finalists for RACC’s Executive Director position (all from out of town) visited Portland. Each candidate spent two days meeting with the search committee, RACC staff, board members, and elected officials. In addition, each finalist participated in two 90-min community salons, allowing for in-depth conversations and discussions with approximately 20 community representatives. All three candidates requested confidentiality unless and until they are offered the position, so all community members who participated in the process were asked to sign confidentiality agreements. Commissioner Eudaly and Commissioner Fish met with each candidate individually as well.

Everyone who participated in the process was asked to complete a confidential survey assessing the strengths of each candidate, and participants who met all three candidates will also be given an opportunity to rank the candidates this week. All of this feedback will be factored into the search committee’s deliberations when they meet the week of October 1-5, and the search committee will present its recommendation to the RACC board shortly thereafter.

Throughout this process, we have been grateful for the many hours contributed by our search committee members; for the community’s strong interest in the position; for their participation in our extended process; and for the exciting conversations we’ve been having with our community and our candidates themselves.

We look forward to updating Portland City Council and the community when RACC presents its State of the Arts report on October 11 at Portland City Hall. In the meantime, we continue to welcome your comments and questions regarding the search. Please contact EDsearch@racc.org.