Signature Theatre Announces Timothy J. McClimon as New Executive Director

Signature Theatre, the nationally influential Off-Broadway theater, has announced Timothy J. McClimon, currently the organization's Interim Executive Director, to the permanent role of Executive Director, in which he will continue to serve alongside Artistic Director Paige Evans, beginning July 1. The decision from the Signature Theatre Board of Trustees' Board ED Search Task Force, led by Nina Matis following a national search from Arts Consulting Group, arrives six months after McClimon stepped into the temporary position, stewarding Signature at a time of unparalleled uncertainty in the American theater and the world at large.

McClimon joins the Signature team carrying with him leadership experience at companies including Second Stage Theater-where he was Executive Director, as well as a board member for over 25 years-and American Express-where he was President of the American Express Foundation and Senior Vice President, Corporate Social Responsibility. Encompassing roles at the AT&T Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts, his accomplished and respected career provided him numerous vantage points of theater nonprofits (including, over the years, Signature itself)-their vitality, and the challenges they face-both from within, and from outside as a funder.

Bringing to bear his vast experience and expertise in fundraising, marketing and financial management, McClimon has already within months made significant contributions to the company. He and Evans are currently working on a major rebranding for the organization-including a relaunched website-that emphasizes Signature's unique, long-term relationship with playwrights through its residency programs. As the organization continues to consider this moment of reconnection and what theater can learn from it, McClimon has also worked on improvements to the building's lobby that will allow it to host dynamic, groundbreaking performances and other works through its SigSpace program-to be a hub of interaction, engagement, and curiosity.

Signature Theatre Board President Douglas E. Chittenden said, "As we sought to fill this position, we were so happy Tim emerged as the leading candidate: the work he has demonstrated at Signature during this transformative moment for theatre has been nothing short of inspiring. The decades of experience he has, with his multifaceted understanding of the nonprofit sector and his exemplary work in funding, will help Signature significantly in its support for theatre artists and their exceptional contributions to our culture."

Tim McClimon said, "Signature has a unique and important mission in the ecosystem of U.S. theatre. The playwrights Signature supports are national treasures-and deserve to be celebrated and produced in the best possible way in the best possible facility. The organization's commitment to creating a beautiful home for playwrights that lends itself to their work is what drew me to Signature as a funder, as an audience member, and now as Executive Director. It's an honor to continue my partnership with Paige and the Signature staff."

Signature Theatre Artistic Director Paige Evans said, "I'm thrilled Tim is joining us in a permanent capacity. He began this work with us at a time of great upheaval for our industry, and he has jumped in and is doing an incredible job with a steady hand and a wise approach to leadership. Tim has been a wonderful partner: From the very start, he felt like a member of the team, bringing with him so much momentum, and a spirit of rebuilding, on the heels of our return season to in-person programming."

McClimon took on the role amidst the company's celebrated return from COVID-19 shutdown, during Signature's acclaimed 2021-22 season, which featured productions from resident playwrights Anna Deavere Smith, Dominique Morisseau, and Samuel D. Hunter. The organization is currently readying for its 2022-23 season, whose lineup includes world premieres from Quiara Alegría Hudes, Sarah Ruhl, and Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, and an Off-Broadway premiere from Hunter. In 2023, the organization will also inaugurate LaunchPad, a new residency supporting early-career playwrights that expands the organization's singular mission of producing a body of work by each resident writer.

Timothy J. McClimon (Tim) is a strategic nonprofit and social responsibility executive who aligns organizational interests with stakeholder needs to optimize shared value creation. In leadership roles at American Express, AT&T, Second Stage Theater, and Signature Theatre, he has created programs and strategies that strengthened these institutions and enhanced their reputations around the world. McClimon is recognized for collaborating with boards of directors, CEOs, and executive teams in complex settings to drive innovative solutions to pressing organizational and social issues. Throughout his career, he has served in 50+ board and committee roles at 30+ nonprofit organizations at national and local levels.

McClimon is the new Executive Director of Signature Theatre Company, with responsibilities including fundraising, marketing, financial management, production and facilities management, and human resources.

From 2006 to 2021, McClimon was President of the American Express Foundation and Senior Vice President, Corporate Social Responsibility at the American Express Company. In this position, he led all the company's social responsibility, philanthropy, sustainability, and employee engagement programs globally.

From 2003 to 2006, McClimon was Executive Director at Second Stage Theater, one of the largest nonprofit theater companies in New York City. From 1996 to 2003, McClimon directed the programmatic, operational, financial, and legal aspects of AT&T's global philanthropy and corporate citizenship programs.

McClimon is an adjunct professor of Performing Arts Administration at New York University and previously taught at Johns Hopkins University and Brooklyn College.

McClimon earned a Juris Doctor from Georgetown University, a Master of Science in Counseling Psychology from St. Cloud University and a Bachelor of Arts in English at Luther College. He and his family live in New York City.

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