For months, The Madame Walker Theatre Center has sat on historic Indiana Avenue without an executive director. In April 2014, Kathleen Spears was named president and CEO to fill a position that had not been staffed on a permanent basis since December 2011, but less than two years later, the position was vacant once again.
Recently, the board named Anita Harden interim executive director of the center, in the midst of developing a comprehensive strategic plan. The plan will “provide a long-term strategic path for the Madame Walker Theatre Center that ensures the Walker legacy on Indiana Avenue continues as a strong link in the economic growth and cultural life of the area,” as stated in a release.
The Indianapolis Recorder Newspaper spoke with Harden about her new position, how she is adjusting and her opinion on community members who say The Walker will be soon taken over by IUPUI.
Indianapolis Recorder Newspaper: Why did you seek this position?
Harden: I actually did not seek the position; I got a call from one of the board members. The position has been vacant for a few months, and in the process of all of that happening, the decision was made to create a comprehensive strategic plan for the center to really decide the best direction for us to go in to serve the community (and) Madam Walker’s legacy and to be as efficient as possible. Johnson, Grossnickle and Associates Inc. was hired, and community leaders and board members were invited to help with this effort, which is multiphase and will take several months. Their feeling was, let’s not hire an executive director permanently until we decide what our direction and future will be.
What type of skills do you feel you possess to hold this type of position?
I was contacted because I have a business called Interim Executives LLC, and I provide that service to not-for-profit organizations, and the board was aware of that, and many knew me and experienced some of my work.
I’ve had my business for a few years, and prior to that I was at Community Health Network, where I retired as the east president for five years. My skill set for operation of large and small organizations comes from those experiences. When you look at leadership and you look at organizations, there is a lot of overlap. My biggest adjustment came from moving from a large mega system like Community Health to a small freestanding, independent agency. I have a lot of respect for the executive directors out here leading not-for-profit organizations, as they have many hats to wear and have to have a variety of skills to keep the organization running. Before coming to the Walker, I had three smaller organizations under my belt.
I constantly hear strengths about my leadership skills, from my personality to knowing what a leader should do.
You’ve been in this position since mid-February. What has your experience been like thus far?
I’ve been focusing on learning the organization itself — the donors, programs, documents, finances and others. I’ve been basically giving myself an orientation, and it’s been really interesting. I think as a community person prior, from the outside looking in, my view is very different than it was previously. I have a lot more respect and admiration for it, as in the service they are providing and what they’re doing for the community. The staff here is fabulous; they have helped me with anything I need, and we watch each other’s backs to make sure none of our customers are dropping through the cracks.
Do you feel any pressure being in this role?
I think the pressure of every not-for-profit I’ve worked with is bringing in the resources to continue operating and the community services. We have to continue to develop relationships. We have a very giving community in Indianapolis; however, it appears some of our donors are getting a little tired, because they get a lot of requests from a lot of people, and you want to avoid donor fatigue. The biggest challenge for me is bringing in resources.
When Indiana Avenue was “The Avenue,” it was the place to be — the place to get the best popcorn, watch movies and bring about that sense of community. How do you plan to develop your programs to bring it back to what is used to be?
That’s the $64,000 question. That’s the question the strategic planning committee is grappling with, so I don’t have an answer for you, and I wish I did. Since the plan isn’t completed yet, I’m not sure what would be the best way to do that. Part of what is good about this organization is we have a lot of loyal users of our programs, and we don’t want to let them down. We have to listen to what they want as well. A lot of the folks we focus on are youth, and they aren’t as in tune with what the Walker used to be. We’re trying to learn how to capture the younger audience. Jazz on the Avenue, one of our signature programs, is solid, but it attracts a middle-age to older crowd, which is great, because they truly understand the legacy. But we are looking for a 21st-century spin on what the past was like, and it’s quite difficult. We need to figure out what energizes them and what inspires them.
Looking at Indiana Avenue today, there aren’t many structures left from when it was “The Avenue,” and many people are afraid IUPUI will eventually take over those places still standing, such as The Walker. What do you say to those people who are afraid of this?
It’s a question I’ve thought about as well. We haven’t begun to discuss that in our strategic planning, but we need to, because it is a critical question. One of the things I would say to those folks is that The Walker is on the historical registry, so there are some protections there. The second thing I would advocate for, and this is a strategy the Walker board has already done, is getting key IUPUI people on our board to educate and help them realize the importance of The Walker to the community, and not just the Black community, because we have a national reputation. We get calls from all over the country for those who’d like to go on a tour. We want IUPUI to realize this is a national treasure. We need to find a way to work together and to make sure we meet the growing educational needs to IUPUI, but they also know our desire to hang on. From some of the people on the board from IUPUI, I think we have that loyalty, and they see the importance of the Walker. Because we both have reached out to see how we can work together, I don’t see us going away.
There have been numerous people in the executive director position within a short time span. With your time in the role, what are you looking to bring to the organization to truly make an impact?
My contract is for 12–18 months, so I’m not a permanent person or a revolving door. I’d like to make sure we are stable. If you change leaders frequently, there is always going to be an impact on the organization. In my time here, I don’t want to come in and change a bunch of things unless absolutely necessary, and by way of doing that, it’s a way of lending some stability so the employees feel there isn’t going to be a new program or process of the month. I want to make sure our T’s are crossed and our I’s are dotted, as far as finances and governmental processes. I want to build up some of our stakeholders as well, because that can only help the Walker no matter the direction we go in.
—–
Key leaders on the strategic planning committee:
- Yvonne Harrington, vice president, Key Bank
- Martha Lamkin, community volunteer, retired, Lumina Foundation
- Lloyd Lyons, community volunteer, retired, NBD Bank
- Tara Melton, principal, Melton Law Group
- Clay Miller, partner, Bamberger, Foreman, Oswald & Hahn LLP
- Jacqueline Morson, realtor, Keller Williams Realty
- Stephanie Nixon, ex officio, board chair, consultant
- Maria Quintana, senior policy advisor, Bose Public Affairs Group
- Pat Roe, senior program officer, USA Funds
- Joyce Rogers, chair, VP for development and external relations for DEMA, Indiana University Foundation
- Counsel: Ted Grossnickle, senior consultant and founder, Johnson, Grossnickle and Associates
- Tim Ardillo, consultant, Johnson, Grossnickle and Associates
