WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (JULY 5, 2016) – The Winston-Salem Symphony is pleased to announce the appointment of Kent Wallace-Meggs as Chief Philanthropy Officer (CPO). The CPO is responsible for securing revenues required to support institutional operating requirements and is an integral member of the Symphony’s executive leadership team, working closely with the Board of Directors and supervising fundraising staff.
“We are very excited to welcome Kent to our team,” said E. Merritt Vale, President and CEO of the Symphony. “His extensive experience in fundraising and marketing is a tremendous asset to our organization as we launch our 70th Anniversary Season and as we continue to focus on a number of transformational strategic initiatives and fundraising efforts.”
After graduating from the College of Charleston School of Business Administration with a B.S. degree, Wallace-Meggs has spent the majority of his career working in Los Angeles, California. Following his work in the corporate world, he entered the non-profit arena as a marketing and communications manager for the Los Angeles Chapter of the American Red Cross, followed by the American Lung Association of Los Angeles County and Beyond Shelter. Wallace-Meggs then became Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Global Green USA. While there, he produced Global Green USA’s 10th anniversary fundraising galas in Los Angeles and New York City, honoring Russian President Mikhail Gorbachev and Green Cross International.
Wallace-Meggs was then retained as part of an executive “turnaround” team in a newly created position of Chief Development Officer for Bienvenidos, an organization that provides a wide range of social services for children and their families. In that role, he implemented a sustainable fundraising program and guided development of revenue generating social enterprise ventures, increasing resource development threefold. Most recently, Wallace-Meggs served as Executive Director of the Virginia Avenue Project where he was engaged by the Board of Directors to evaluate the entire organization and plan for its future due to the founder’s retirement. The Virginia Avenue Project provides free after- and in-school programs using the arts, in conjunction with long-term, one-on-one mentoring, to give children the skills to think creatively, critically, and courageously about life goals and choices.
Wallace-Meggs assumed his new position as CPO effective Friday, July 1, 2016. He can be reached at kwallace-meggs@wssymphony.org or by calling (336) 725-1035, ext. 215.
About the Winston-Salem Symphony
The Winston-Salem Symphony, one of the Southeast’s most highly regarded regional orchestras, begins its 70th anniversary performance season in September 2016. Under the baton of Music Director Robert Moody, the season includes a special 70th anniversary opening gala concert featuring internationally acclaimed pianist André Watts, Classics and Kicked-Back Classics series, Plugged-In Pops series, Discovery Concerts for Kids, annual performances of Handel’s Messiah, a concert featuring Winston-Salem Symphony and Youth Symphony musicians, holiday concerts, three youth orchestra ensembles, and a multitude of educational and community engagement programs. The Symphony is supported by Season Presenting Sponsor, Bell, Davis & Pitt, P.A. and generous funding from the Arts Council of Winston-Salem/Forsyth County, the North Carolina Arts Council, and other dedicated sponsors. For more information, visit WSsymphony.org.
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