Arts Council names longtime marketing exec as new CEO

The Arts Council of Indianapolis on Tuesday announced that it has hired longtime not-for-profit marketing executive Julie Goodman as president and CEO.

Julie Goodman

Goodman will take the job March 4, replacing Dave Lawrence, who stepped down in August to take the job of president and CEO of the Cultural Council of Palm Beach County in Lake Worth, Florida. Lawrence had been with the council for 19 years, including the past nine as president and CEO.

Goodman, 49, most recently served as senior vice president of marketing communications for Strada Education Network, an Indianapolis-based not-for-profit that she joined in 2017. The Carmel High School graduate previously spent more than 25 years in not-for-profit-related public relations and marketing jobs in Cincinnati.

“The board of directors looks forward to working with Julie as we begin this new chapter for ACI,” Arts Council Board Chairman Ted Givens said in written remarks. “Her expertise in communications, marketing, community engagement, and fundraising is crucial to promoting our deep commitment to diversity, inclusion, and equity as we pursue our mission of nurturing a culture where artists and arts organizations thrive. We are excited to introduce Julie to our community partners and the artists and arts organizations we serve in the coming weeks.”

Among several jobs in Cincinnati, Goodman more than eight years with eyewear company Luxottica North America, where she managed corporate communications and led global communications and fundraising for its OneSight foundation.

She spent nearly five years as director of public relations for the Cincinnati Opera and a year as vice president of marketing and communications for Downtown Cincinnati Inc.

After graduating from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, with a major in communications and a minor in music, Goodman started her career with an eight-year stint at Dan Pinger Public Relations in Cincinnati, where she rose to executive vice president and consumer practice group leader.

In Cincinnati, she was involved in the arts through staff and board leadership roles with ArtWorks (responsible for the city’s public art program), MUSE Women’s Choir, Madcap Puppets, the Chamber Music Society and Linton Music Series. She also served as an arts organization liaison and representative for the region’s arts agency, ArtsWave.

The Arts Council of Indianapolis serves as an advocate for community arts funding, and it owns and operates the Indianapolis Artsgarden at Circle Centre mall and Gallery 924 at 924 N. Pennsylvania St.

“I am honored to join ACI’s board of directors, staff and partners in this important work,” Goodman said in written remarks. “Their commitment to ensuring that Indianapolis has a cultural community where artists and arts organizations thrive is critical to our region’s current and continued success.”