Arroyo Grande resident and longtime Five Cities community leader will guide the nonprofit theater through a national search for its next executive director
The Board of Directors of the Clark Center for the Performing Arts has appointed Ken Dalebout as interim executive director. Dalebout will lead the Clark Center’s staff and day-to-day operations while the board conducts a national search for the organization’s next permanent executive director.
Dalebout is an Arroyo Grande resident and an active member of the Five Cities business community. He spent much of his career in leadership roles at Dignity Health and has served on the boards of community nonprofits for the past 15 years, including the 5Cities Homeless Coalition and the South County Chambers of Commerce. He also serves as associate dean at A.T. Still University in San Luis Obispo, a position he will hold alongside his interim role at the Clark Center.
“Ken knows this community, and this community knows Ken,” said Jamie Maraviglia, president of the Clark Center Board of Directors. “He brings steady leadership and a deep respect for what the Clark Center means to the people of the Central Coast. With Ken at the helm, our staff, our volunteers, and our audiences can count on a full season while we find the right person to lead us for the long term.”
Dalebout succeeds Dave Pier, who recently left the organization. The board thanks Pier for his service to the Clark Center and wishes him well.
“The Clark Center is a cornerstone of culture for the Five Cities,” Dalebout said. “I’m honored to be involved and to help the center to address the needs of the many organizations that depend on it. I look forward to working with an amazing board to find the next executive director. The team here is talented and committed, and the season ahead is a strong one.”
The 2026-27 season is underway in Forbes Hall. This Friday, Sept. 25, five finalists take the stage for the final round of the 50th San Francisco Stand-Up Comedy Competition, and on Saturday, Oct. 17, “An Afternoon of Songs and Stories with Roger McGuinn” brings the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee and founder of the Byrds to Arroyo Grande. Tickets and the full calendar are available at clarkcenter.org or through the box office at 805-489-9444.
About the Clark Center for the Performing Arts
Since opening in 2002, the Clark Center for the Performing Arts has brought touring artists, tribute concerts, comedy, dance, and community productions to Arroyo Grande and the Central Coast. Its two theatres, the 617-seat Forbes Hall and the 120-seat Studio Theatre, host more than 40,000 ticketed guests each year. A self-sustaining nonprofit supported by patrons, donors, and sponsors, the Clark Center has awarded more than $300,000 in scholarships and grants to young performing artists and teachers in the Lucia Mar Unified School District. Learn more at www.clarkcenter.org.
