PORT ANGELES — Dan Maguire, the veteran leader of Clallam and Jefferson counties’ YMCAs, has been chosen to run the Juan de Fuca Festival of the Arts.
Maguire, a musician himself, will take the helm of the Memorial Day weekend music and art extravaganza July 6, after he returns from the Kate Wolf Music Festival in Mendocino County, Calif.
He succeeds Anna Manildi, who is stepping down after 10 years as executive director of the Juan de Fuca Festival.
Excited about prospect
“I’m really excited about getting back in and working with these crazy musicians,” joked Maguire, who plays the guitar.
Seriously, though, “I see a change in the wind,” as the artistic community in Port Angeles community gathers strength.
“Juan de Fuca is part of that wave,” Maguire said.
“Everybody’s welcome to check in with us,” at the festival office. “We’re looking for ideas and energy.”
Last fall, Maguire retired from his post as CEO of the YMCA after 13 years spent developing new programs in both Jefferson County and at the Y’s Port Angeles center.
Maguire, who grew up in the Potrero Hill neighborhood of San Francisco, worked for the YMCA in California before moving to Port Townsend and then Port Angeles, and for Innovative Housing, another California nonprofit.
Top choice
Maguire was the top choice among five finalists, Manildi said Thursday, because of his extensive background in running nonprofit organizations.
Manildi, along with a selection committee made up of Juan de Fuca Festival board members and other local residents, advertised the executive director job around the region.
A mix of locals and hopefuls from outside the Peninsula applied; Maguire is decidedly local, having lived in Port Angeles for 14 years.
With the 2011 Juan de Fuca Festival about 11 months away, the new executive director will start at half time and then ramp up to full time Jan. 1, Manildi said.
Neither Manildi nor Maguire would disclose what Maguire’s annual salary will be.
Throughout fall and winter, the festival presents several other events, including the Fall Fest on Sept. 25 at the Elks Naval Lodge in Port Angeles.
The dance will feature the alt-country band Westerly and will be a little less formal than in previous years, Manildi said.
The Fall Fest, formerly called the Fall Ball, is a key fundraiser for the festival, which has a budget of $220,000 per year plus some $30,000 in in-kind donations of labor, advertising and other services.
Taking summer off
Manildi, 60, said she’s taking the summer off and is not retiring. She plans to start looking for new work in the fall.
“My last day is the 30th [of June], but I’ll be totally available” to Maguire, she promised.
Maguire said he’s happy to be following in the footsteps of Manildi and of Karen Hanan, who founded the festival some 18 years ago.
“I wasn’t really looking, but then this came on the scene,” he said.
He added that his longtime love of live music motivated him to apply.
Back around 1980, Maguire built the Upstage, the restaurant and concert venue in Port Townsend, and later joined the band Acoustic News for a couple of years.
As for taking the reins of Port Angeles’ celebration of music from across the world, he said: “I’m ready for a new adventure — hopefully my biggest adventure so far.”
To learn more about the nonprofit Juan de Fuca Festival, which also sponsors arts education events around Clallam County, visit www.JFFA.org or phone 360-457-5411.
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Sequim-Dungeness Valley Reporter Diane Urbani de la Paz can be reached at 360-681-2391 or at diane.urbani@peninsuladailynews.com.
