The Music Center Names Susan Avila as New Senior Vice President of Advancement

 The Music Center announced that Susan Avila will join Los Angeles County’s premier performing arts center as its new senior vice president of Advancement. A third generation Angeleno, Avila comes to The Music Center with 30+ years’ experience with major arts and education institutions as a leader in fundraising, board development, strategic planning and organizational development. She will begin her new role in September 2023.

Most recently, Avila was with the California College of the Arts (CCA) in San Francisco where she served as vice president of advancement from 2000-2008 and then as senior vice president from 2008-2023. She was responsible for planning and leading CCA’s largest-ever comprehensive campaign, raising more than $121 million for facilities expansion, student scholarships and public programs. Prior to CCA, Avila served as director of development at San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, where she and her team worked in collaboration with senior leaders, curators, board committees and seven distinct donor councils to raise core funds for exhibitions, acquisitions and education programs.

“I am thrilled to welcome Susan to The Music Center’s Executive Team. She has an extraordinary record of achievement and understanding of initiatives that help advance the goals of organizations and ensure their financial health as they are embracing change,” said Rachel S. Moore, president and CEO of The Music Center. “Susan will build on and expand The Music Center’s work to increase access to the arts for all Angelenos, a vital component of The Music Center’s longstanding mission. With a dedicated and passionate Advancement team under her wing, I am confident Susan will help us strengthen and expand our relationships with our supporters, connect us with new funders and support the work we are doing to serve all the people of Los Angeles County.”

Additional posts held by Avila early in her career include associate vice president, development, at California College of Arts and Crafts (1994–1998); manager of government, foundation and corporate support at Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive (1990–1994); and fund development and market research associate at Harder+Kibbe Research (1988–1990).

“I have enjoyed a 30-year career engaging donors in the arts, and to do this exciting work, now in Los Angeles at The Music Center, offers a new depth of purpose,” said Avila. “As a native Angeleno, I hold Los Angeles, with its incredible diversity and vibrant cultural experiences, near and dear to my heart. I am ecstatic to return to my roots with the opportunity to help lead The Music Center into the next era and to introduce Los Angeles’ premier performing arts organization to a new generation of supporters.”
 

Avila holds a bachelor of arts degree in history from the University of California, Berkeley, and a master’s degree in non-profit administration from the University of San Francisco. She has served on accreditation committees for the Western Association of Schools and Colleges and is a recipient of the Smithsonian Institution Award for Museum Leadership and the Girl’s Inc. of Alameda County Woman of Distinction award.

Avila succeeds Valentine Gelman, who served as The Music Center’s Senior vice president of advancement from 2016-2023.

For more information about The Music Center, visit musiccenter.org