Levitt At The Falls Announces CEO

Levitt at the Falls, the outdoor music venue opening in 2019 at Falls Park West, is proud to announce the hiring of Nancy Halverson as its first CEO.

"We are thrilled to have Nancy lead Levitt at the Falls and lead the preparations for our first concert season in 2019. She has the skills to build a solid nonprofit along with the experience to ensure that we have high quality programming. We will be in phenomenal hands with Nancy at the helm," says Jennifer Kirby, President of the Friends of Levitt Shell Sioux Falls Board of Directors.

Halverson, will be returning to Sioux Falls from Greenville, South Carolina where she is currently the President and CEO of The Children's Museum of the Upstate (TCMU), the 7th largest children's museum in the country.

Halverson, her husband Bruce and their son Coal first moved to Sioux Falls in 1999 when Bruce was named the President of Augustana College. Having grown up and attended Augustana, Bruce enjoyed introducing his family to the community. During their six-year tenure, Nancy welcomed over 6,000 guests annually into the President's residence on Augustana's campus including dignitaries like Queen Nor and Newt Gingrich. Nancy also taught Sunday School for First Lutheran Church and volunteered on boards of several civic organizations. She is also a member of the South Dakota Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Prior to their move to Sioux Falls, Nancy enjoyed a career as the Director of the South Mountain High School for the Performing Arts in Phoenix, Arizona, followed by six years as a professor of Theatre at the University of Illinois. She brought that same passion for the arts as the founder and Executive Director of The Children's Theatre Company of Sioux Falls (CTCSF). From 2001- 2008, CTCSF created and produced shows for adult actors to perform for family audiences and offered popular summer camps and acting classes for children. CTCSF was the first theatre company in South Dakota to receive ongoing programmatic support from the National Endowment for the Arts. The company is best remembered for its original production, EMPEROR, INCORPORATED which was featured on the mainstage of the Washington Pavilion, and DREAMS CARVED IN STONE, an original play about the life of Crazy Horse Sculpture, Korczak Ziolkowski; one of five plays chosen internationally to be featured in the New Visions New Voices symposium at the Kennedy Center for the Arts in Washington, DC. The show enjoyed its premier at the Black Hills Playhouse.

In 2008, the Halverson family relocated to Greenville, South Carolina. In addition to continuing her teaching career as an adjunct faculty member of both Clemson and Furman University, Nancy served as the President and CEO of The Children's Museum of the Upstate (TCMU). During her tenure, the museum has received numerous awards and accolades including an invitation in 2014 to become the first children's museum to be an affiliate of the Smithsonian. Most recently, TCMU opened the doors to its second location in Spartanburg, South Carolina.

Nancy's greatest achievement, however, is the role of mom to her eighteen year old son Coal, who will be attending DSU as a freshman in the fall.

Halverson will begin her new role on August 15.

Levitt at the Falls is also preparing for the first Levitt at the Falls free outdoor concert. That performance is set for Friday, August 3rd at the 8th& RR Center in Sioux Falls at 7 PM. The concert will be a one-of-a-kind musical collaboration between Southern raconteur Paul Thorn and his five-piece band and GRAMMY-winning gospel legends Blind Boys of Alabama.

This free concert is possible thanks to the generosity of the Levitt Foundation, the local Friends of Levitt Shell Sioux Falls, lead sponsor Lloyd Companies, and key sponsors First National Bank Sioux Falls and MetaBank. The support of Downtown Sioux Falls (DTSF) has also helped make this event a reality.

Construction of the City of Sioux Falls-owned Levitt Shell outdoor performance venue is currently underway and slated for completion in 2019 at Falls Park West. The performance by Paul Thornand Blind Boys of Alabama is part of a national tour traveling to seven Levitt sites throughout the country.

For more information on Levitt at the Falls, see www.levittsiouxfalls.org

For more information on the Levitt Foundation and this national tour, visit https://levitt.org/national_tour

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