Paul J. Schofer was announced Tuesday as the new leader of the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. Since March 2012, Schofer has served as the Kauffman Center's vice president of operations and chief financial officer.
Schofer will replace outgoing president and CEO Jane Chu, who's leaving to take on a new post as chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts.
"In the past two years, Paul helped strengthen both the financial and the artistic foundation of the Kauffman Center," said Chu in a press release. "His varied background, strong financial sense, and passion for the performing arts make him the ideal choice to take the Kauffman Center to the next level."
A native of Missouri, Schofer's background is in business and finance. He earned bachelor's and master's degrees in business administration from the University of Missouri-Columbia.
Before arriving at the Kauffman Center, Schofer was the senior vice president and chief financial officer at Learfield Communications. From 2004 to 2007, he served as CFO for the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation with oversight of its more than $2 billion in assets.
The Kauffman Center's board of directors voted to name Schofer to the leadership position. In the release, board chairman Julia Irene Kauffman said, "Paul is the right choice to build on the success of the Kauffman Center’s presentation of outstanding performances, strong financial management and deep community engagement."
