Kory P. Kelly named vice chancellor for strategic communications at UNCSA

Kory P. Kelly has been named the new vice chancellor for strategic communications at UNCSA, effective Feb. 12, 2024, Chancellor Brian Cole has announced. 

Kelly brings experience from a wide-ranging career spanning nearly 25 years as a theater professional and arts administrator, with positions at various regional theaters across the nation, most recently as chief marketing and communications officer at the Tony Award-winning regional theater Pasadena Playhouse in Los Angeles County. His professional endeavors have centered on strategic brand development, revenue optimization, public relations, content creation, and the art of storytelling. 

Kory P. Kelly

“We are very fortunate to have Kory joining the UNCSA leadership team in the pivotal position of vice chancellor for strategic communications,” said Chancellor Cole. “He not only brings extensive experience in brand development and marketing, but he is adept at setting a communications strategy for arts organizations and at making key industry connections that are so important for UNCSA. I am confident that Kory can help take the reputation of our unique conservatory to new heights.”

“I am excited to align my years as a leader in the arts with this new role at UNCSA,” said Kelly. “I can only imagine how rewarding it must be to see new students starting their journey and to be a part of helping them make that decision to do so at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. I look forward to working with the deans, faculty and staff in contributing to shaping the next generation of arts practitioners and cultural participants.”

At Pasadena Playhouse, Kelly has collaborated with Producing Artistic Director Danny Feldman and the leadership team for the past six years. During this period, he played an important role in stabilizing and expanding the theater while securing its long-term viability. Through astute leveraging of the organization's programming and core values, Kelly successfully heightened the national profile of the Playhouse, augmenting earned revenue and fortifying the patron base. Notably, he professionalized the patron services team, ensuring a seamless and high-quality experience that paralleled the excellence of the onstage productions. In 2023, marking nearly a century since its establishment, Pasadena Playhouse received the prestigious Regional Theater Tony Award, a testament to the collective efforts of the dedicated staff.

Preceding his tenure at Pasadena Playhouse, Kelly held similar leadership positions at esteemed performing arts organizations including Center Theatre Group (Los Angeles), Actors Theatre of Louisville (Kentucky), Writers Theatre (Chicago), and Hubbard Street Dance Chicago. Throughout his career, he has consistently served as a catalyst for positive change within organizations, focusing on team building, close collaboration with leadership, mission promotion, brand integration, customer experience enhancement, community building, and the implementation of strategic audience development plans.

A graduate of the University of Illinois, Chicago, with dual degrees in marketing and management, Kelly currently resides in Los Angeles and will relocate to Winston-Salem with his husband, Kevin, and their two rescue dogs, Rupert and Rocco.

Kelly will work as part of UNCSA’s executive leadership team, reporting to the chancellor, to advance the reputation of UNCSA through brand awareness; recruitment and performance marketing; digital media; and public relations and communications.

Kelly succeeds Claire Machamer, who left UNCSA in May to become senior vice president of communications and marketing at Berklee in Boston. Director of Media Relations and Communications Katherine E. Johnson has served as interim vice chancellor.

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