Victoria Theatre Association Names Ty Sutton New President, CEO

Photo courtesy of Victoria Theatre Association – Ty Sutton

Dayton, Ohio’s Victoria Theatre Association has announced Ty Sutton as the new president and CEO of the organization, effective Aug. 13.

Sutton replaces Ken Neufeld, who is retiring. The new CEO has more than 20 years of venue management experience, and was most recently the executive director of the Butler Arts Center at Indianapolis’s Butler University for the last three years. He was the general manager of Wagner Noël Performing Arts Center in Midland, Texas, and The Lincoln Center in Fort Collins, Colo.

“My philosophy has always been that the arts bring people together,” said Sutton, who was selected after a six-month international search. “I am very impressed with the level of commitment and financial support the Dayton community has given the Dayton arts scene, especially in embracing Victoria Theatre Association’s world-class facilities and arts programming. With the addition of the new Arts Annex, I believe our venues can accommodate any type of performance and allow us to grow the diversity of our shows while broadening our audiences. I am eager to lead an organization with such an outstanding record of success. Continuing to grow our offerings and making a positive impact in peoples lives will be at the top of my priority list. Dayton will be a great place for my family to call home.”

The announcement came from VTA Board of Trustees chairperson Martha Shaker July 11.

“I am confident Ty will not only embrace VTA’s rich history and impact on our community, but also the task of moving forward with the foundation laid by Ken Neufeld,” Shaker said in a statement. “Ty is a strong fit, not only to the organization but to our community. I believe he is poised to grow VTA even more.”

A nonprofit, the VTA functions as a promoter in the Dayton market and managers the Victoria Theatre, the Benjamin & Marian Schuster Performing Arts Center, and The Metropolitan Arts Center.

Sutton is taking part in IAVM’s VenueConnect conference as part of a panel called “Making The Deal: Landing The Best Shows For Your Venue … And (Hopefully) Making Money Along The Way!”.