Executive Director / President / CEO
Work history available at: linkedin.com/in/metelko/
Connecting Arts organizations with larger audiences through quality programming, strategic planning, and insightful management
Professional Summary
Experienced senior executive with extensive leadership in museums, theme parks, and the performing arts. Passionate about building community partnerships and innovative programming that appeals to diverse audiences. Committed to building great teams and healthy institutions.
About Me
I build things and have the ability to adapt strategies and change directions while moving forward. I love creating what others say cannot be done. My experience in the performing and visual arts, and also with broader entertainment projects helps me to transform organizations by reaching new audiences and expanding existing ones.
More About Me
As the Executive Director of the Mid-America Air Museum, I doubled guest attendance while increasing earned revenue by over sixty-five percent. During that same time, I doubled my annual operating budget through grants, gifts, and in-kind donations.
Before that, I was the president and founder of AST Exhibits, a full-service museum exhibit design and fabrication company. During my time with AST Exhibits, I led creative teams that included executive directors, curators, boards, and municipalities to find their story, develop plans to tell that story and then make those plans happen.
I have led many teams of diverse, talented individuals. These experiences helped me develop as an artist, but more importantly, taught me how to create in a highly collaborative environment. I learned not only how to design engaging experiences for an audience, but also how to work with other creative individuals to make those experiences a reality.