Organization

Golden Gate Performing Arts Inc., dba San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus (SFGMC), based in San Francisco, California, draws singers from across the greater Bay Area. Founded in 1978 by Jon Reed Sims, SFGMC was the world’s first openly gay men’s chorus. From its earliest days, the organization has stood at the intersection of music, community, and activism, using artistic excellence as a catalyst for social change. SFGMC made its first public appearance on the steps of San Francisco City Hall shortly after the assassinations of Supervisor Harvey Milk and Mayor George Moscone. That powerful moment galvanized a movement and helped inspire the formation of LGBTQ+ choruses nationwide and around the world. Today, SFGMC’s mission is to lead by creating extraordinary music and experiences that build community, inspire activism, and foster compassion locally, nationally, and internationally. Over the decades, SFGMC has grown significantly in size, visibility, and impact, establishing itself as both a cultural institution and a trusted voice within the LGBTQ+ community.

In 2019, SFGMC acquired a historic Art Deco building in San Francisco’s Mission District, originally constructed in 1931. Now known as the Pansy L. Chan and Terrence D. Chan National Queer Arts Center (The Chan), the facility represents a defining moment in the organization’s evolution: a permanent home for artistic creation, community gathering, and national thought leadership. Renovations began in 2022 to transform the 23,270-square-foot building into a fully realized queer arts center. The Chan now houses a 350-seat Grand Hall, multiple rehearsal and performance spaces, conference and gallery areas, and SFGMC’s administrative offices. It serves as both an artistic hub and a symbol of SFGMC’s legacy: positioning the organization to convene artists, audiences, and ideas at a national level. For larger-scale productions, SFGMC performs in major regional venues including Davies Symphony Hall, the Golden Gate Theatre, the Curran Theatre, the Orpheum Theatre, Cal Performances’ Zellerbach Theatre, Green Music Center’s Weill Hall, and the Castro Theatre.

SFGMC anchors each season with high-impact mainstage performances that celebrate queer artistry, expand representation, and foster collective joy and resilience. Annual programming typically includes a Holiday Spectacular, a spring concert at venues such as Davies Symphony Hall, a Pride concert, and a range of smaller ensemble and cabaret performances. The 2025–2026 season, titled SHINE, exemplifies this approach with a vibrant mix of events celebrating queer joy and resilience. Highlights include a Totally ’80s tribute concert, DOLLY!, a Dolly Parton-inspired Pride celebration, a Queer Lunar New Year program, the 25th anniversary of Sing for the Cure, and the return of Tony-nominated composer Andrew Lippa & Friends. Expanded cabaret and community programming at The Chan will further animate the season.

Community outreach and education remain central to SFGMC’s mission. Through programs such as Reaching Youth Through Music (RHYTHM), touring performances, school visits, and partnerships, the chorus connects with underserved communities, particularly LGBTQ+ youth, using music as a powerful catalyst for healing, affirmation, and inclusion. SFGMC also regularly commissions and performs new works that center queer narratives and address issues including HIV/AIDS, equity, and social justice.

SFGMC is entering a pivotal period as it prepares for its historic 50th anniversary in 2028. The 2025–2028 Strategic Plan focuses on sustainability, clarity of mission, and intentional growth: centering the expanded use of The Chan while strengthening artistic programming, fundraising, marketing, thought leadership, and organizational capacity.

SFGMC has a 23-member board of directors led by Chair Tom Paulino, and Christopher Verdugo currently serves as Chief Executive Officer. Verdugo will step down from the position on June 30, 2026, after 10 years in the role. SFGMC employs eight full-time employees, including two direct reports for the CEO (Director of Operations and Production and Director of Development), plus eight part-time event-based employees. Jacob Stensberg serves as Artistic Director. For the fiscal year ending August 31, 2026, SFGMC anticipates total revenues of approximately $4.6 million, with 48% from individual giving and corporations; 22% from performance revenue; 10% from event contributions; 10% from foundations and grants; and 8.5% from other earned income, including membership and rentals. The Conductor’s Society, which includes subscription donors, currently has 618 members and contributes over $180,000 annually.

Sources: edited from sfgmc.org; propublica.org

Community

Situated on the ancestral lands of the Ramaytush Ohlone people, San Francisco is home to approximately 808,000 residents and is one of the world’s most distinctive, creative, and forward-thinking cities. The broader nine-county San Francisco Bay Area, home to roughly 7.8 million people, offers an exceptional quality of life shaped by natural beauty, cultural vibrancy, and a deep commitment to inclusion and innovation.

The region seamlessly blends urban energy with access to extraordinary landscapes. Residents enjoy world-class dining, renowned wine country just beyond the city, vibrant nightlife, and a rich array of cultural experiences. In a single weekend, one might explore a museum exhibition, attend a performance by the San Francisco Ballet or SFJAZZ, enjoy Michelin-starred cuisine, and spend time along the coast or in nearby wine regions. The Bay Area is also a global hub for innovation, home to leading technology and cleantech industries, and the nation’s largest concentration of research universities and institutions. Universities such as UC San Francisco, UC Berkeley, and Stanford fuel entrepreneurship, cross-sector collaboration, and creative problem-solving in an environment that attracts visionary leaders across disciplines.

Arts and culture are central to the region’s identity. The Bay Area is home to major cultural institutions, internationally recognized festivals such as Outside Lands and the San Francisco Jazz Festival, and a strong ecosystem of artists, arts organizations, and music education institutions. Community engagement in the arts is deeply valued, supported by robust K–12 arts education and a thriving adult amateur music-making community. Golden Gate Park, San Francisco’s largest public park, anchors the city’s cultural and recreational life, housing major museums, gardens, and gathering spaces. Together, these qualities make San Francisco and the Bay Area an inspiring place to live, work, and lead, particularly for those drawn to creativity, social impact, and community-centered leadership. 

Sources: bayareaequityatlas.org; visitcalifornia.com; goldengatepark.com; census.gov 

Position Summary

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) will oversee all operational aspects of SFGMC, ensuring an efficient, effective, and fiscally sound organization. The CEO will be charged with sustaining the operation through strong management and business accountability, while fostering creative and imaginative programming and education/outreach activities serving diverse audiences. The overall position responsibilities will include ensuring financial sustainability, community engagement, fundraising, strategic planning, capital planning, board relations, and staff management. The next Chief Executive Officer will have the opportunity to shape SFGMC’s next chapter: clarifying its role as a performing chorus, community connector, and national queer arts leader; stewarding The Chan as a vibrant and financially sustainable center; and leading the organization through its 50th anniversary and beyond. The CEO will be a visible ambassador, fundraiser, and collaborator, working closely with the Board, Artistic Director, staff, singers, and broader community to ensure SFGMC’s long-term impact and resilience.

Roles and Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership and Governance

• Develop, implement, and monitor multi-year strategic, fundraising, and marketing plans in conjunction with the Board and Artistic Director, based on rigorous data and needs assessments.
• Support the development of multiyear artistic and pedagogical planning for the main stage, Chan National Queer Arts Center, and education programs.
• Facilitate Board training and development, ensuring that members are aware of best practices in governance, risk management, and ambassadorship.
• Assess the feasibility of the Chan National Queer Arts Center, ensuring that the Center aligns service provision with community needs.
• Identify emerging shifts in activism, the arts, and philanthropy to ensure SFGMC leads the way in mission-aligned, strategic partnerships.
• Create and implement, in conjunction with external marketing and communications teams, plans increasing awareness and visibility of all SFGMC activities.
• Embrace other strategic leadership and governance responsibilities as needed.

Organizational Sustainability & Revenue Generation

• Oversee the budget and cash flow preparation, reporting, and monitoring, in collaboration with the Director of Operations & Production, Board Treasurer, and Board Chair, and provide the Board of Directors with regular and accurate reports.
• Act as lead on major gift acquisition, relationship building, stewardship, and retention, working with the Director of Development to utilize donor data systems to grow mid-level giving at SFGMC.
• Remain current on trends in philanthropy, institutional giving, and government support.
• Develop strategies to grow audiences across all SFGMC programs, ensuring that development and marketing strategies and activities align.
• Seek out new performance, community engagement, and revenue-generating rental and partnership opportunities for the Chan National Queer Arts Center in consultation with the staff.
• Embrace other organizational sustainability and revenue generation responsibilities as needed.

Membership, Community, & External Relations

• Support membership needs, remain aware of shifting dynamics, provide transparent information, and engage members as ambassadors for SFGMC, working collaboratively with the Membership President.
• Act as principal brand ambassador for SFGMC and the Chan National Queer Arts Center, ensuring consistent application of brand values across the organization.
• Develop and implement plans, increasing awareness and visibility of all SFGMC activities in conjunction with external marketing and communications teams.
• Represent SFGMC locally, regionally, and nationally and ensure that SFGMC remains current on trends and developments in the arts, music education, community engagement, and LGBTQ+ advocacy.
• Act as principal government affairs liaison at all levels.
• Create a skills matrix with the Board Chair and Board Development Committee, on which to base recruitment, and identify gaps in knowledge, skills, and community representation.
• Embrace other membership, community, and external relations responsibilities as needed.

Team Leadership

• Recruit, train, nurture, and develop the team of staff and consultants, ensuring alignment with mission, vision, and values.
• Ensure that roles and responsibilities are clearly defined for team members.
• Lead collaboratively, engaging all colleagues in providing superb support to the members, artists, and volunteers.
• Participate in the DEI committee, ensuring that SFGMC remains at the forefront of best practice in this area.
• Ensure that human resource policies and procedures are applied consistently, and that all staff receive regular supervision and at least annual evaluation.
• Embrace other team leadership responsibilities as needed.

Traits and Characteristics

The Chief Executive Officer of the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus will be a mission-driven leader who balances artistic vision with organizational rigor. This individual will bring emotional intelligence and the ability to lead a complex, community-centered organization during a pivotal period of growth and reflection. The CEO leads with a deep commitment to SFGMC’s members and community, recognizing them as the organization’s foundation and greatest asset. Through inclusive, values-driven leadership, the CEO inspires trust, alignment, and shared ownership of the organization’s mission and future. This role calls for a leader who is both visionary and practical; someone with a passion for the arts, and the ability to balance external relationship-building and fundraising with internal operational excellence.

Other key competencies include the following:

• Strategic Focus and Leadership – The capability to honor and elevate the members, donors, audience, and community of SFGMC while motivating others with knowledge, enthusiasm, and direction.
• Diplomacy and Interpersonal Skills – The capacity to listen to multiple stakeholders carefully and respectfully, building rapport, communicating transparently, and relating well to an array of unique constituencies, both internally and externally.
• Time & Priority Management, and Goal Orientation – The clarity to prioritize, manage, monitor, and complete multiple complex tasks, mobilize wide-ranging resources, and deliver measurable outcomes within allotted time frames.
• Personal Accountability – The integrity to be answerable for personal and professional actions while readily modifying and adapting to change with resilience, flexibility, and humility.

Qualifications

Eight or more years of progressively responsible senior leadership and supervisory experience, as well as proven success in nonprofit management, education, creative industries, or a related field, are required. Financial and operational acumen with demonstrated accomplishments in capital, operating, and endowment fundraising is preferred. Experience with or a passion for the performing arts is ideal, and familiarity with choral music is a plus. As SFGMC is a facilities-based organization, preference will be placed on candidates with experience managing venues or a building in some capacity. A candidate who does not meet all the qualifications but possesses transferable or equivalent skills, experience, or education is encouraged to inquire or apply and to highlight those areas.

Compensation and Benefits

SFGMC provides a competitive and equitable compensation package with an estimated base salary in the range of $190,000 to $230,000. Benefits include employer-paid medical, dental and vision insurance for employees with a base plan premium that is 100% employer paid, with options for paid premium plans; flexible spending account (FSA) for medical, dental, vision, and over the counter expenses; a HSA account; basic and supplemental life and AD&D Insurance; worksite-paid life insurance; commuter benefits; an employee assistance program (EAP); a sabbatical after six years of service; unlimited paid time off and sick days; 14 annual paid holidays; a 403b plan with 3% employer match; and an option to request complimentary tickets to SFGMC performances.

Applications and Inquiries

To submit a cover letter and resume with a summary of demonstrable accomplishments (electronic submissions preferred), please visit https://artsconsulting.com/opensearches/san-francisco-gay-mens-chorus-seeks-chief-executive-officer/

San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus is a proud equal opportunity employer supporting workforce diversity; candidates representing a variety of backgrounds are encouraged to apply.

About San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus

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