The PCYC Board of Directors has announced that Melissa Denton has been named the new Executive Director of PCYC, which includes the Capri Theater. She joins the beloved Northside institution, during the one-year anniversary of the grand re-opening of the Capri.
Denton brings a broad range of experience and expertise to the position, including an extensive background in theater and the arts, and 20 years of experience in all functional areas of nonprofit management.
Most recently, Denton served as the Executive Director and Program Director for The Unusual Suspects Theatre Company in Los Angeles, a nonprofit whose mission is “to mentor, educate, and enrich youth in under-resourced communities through the creation of collaborative, original theatre.” There, Denton co-founded the Arts for Healing and Justice Network with 14 arts-based nonprofit organizations. Together, members of this collaborative work with thousands of youth in the L.A. juvenile justice system to build resilience and wellness using creative arts practices. During her tenure at The Unusual Suspects she also created long-range strategies to achieve organizational growth and timely progress toward goals; maintained 20+ national, state, local and private partnerships; and increased revenue by 160 percent over five years to build the organization’s first-ever operating reserve.
Her professional roots as an actor and director are in Minneapolis where, fresh out of college, she interned as a reporter at KMOJ Radio and performed with Dudley Riggs Brave New Workshop. From the Twin Cities, she moved on to Los Angeles and New York, where she found her passion and expanded her vocational objectives to include arts education with a focus on youth.
Denton received her undergraduate in Mass Communications from South Dakota State University, her Arts Education Certificate from Marymount Manhattan College in New York, and her Master of Arts in Nonprofit Management from Antioch University in LA.
“We are so excited to bring Melissa on board, with her wealth of experience and her passion for empowering young people and communities,” said Karen Polzin, PCYC Board President. “She is a smart, generous, and creative soul who will serve PCYC very well. Our future looks bright!”
“I’m honored to be selected to join the inspiring staff, teachers, artists, alumni, board and community partners for PCYC’s next chapter,” said Denton. “I look forward to collaborating with all stakeholders to ensure arts and education are at the core of supporting the hopes, dreams, and opportunities for our youth and families, and generating connections that build community.”
About PCYC
PCYC is a community-based nonprofit with a rich 68-year history of delivering exceptional education, arts and youth programming to enrich the skills, prospects and spirit of North Minneapolis area children and adults, in partnership with families and communities.