United Performing Arts Fund Names Annemarie Scobey-Polacheck as Next President & CEO
The United Performing Arts Fund (UPAF), the largest united fund in the country for the performing arts, announced today that Annemarie Scobey-Polacheck has been named the next President & CEO. Scobey-Polacheck will succeed Patrick Rath, who departed the organization in March.
Scobey-Polacheck most recently served as the director of corporate philanthropy for Johnson Controls where she led the organization’s annual philanthropic efforts and was the architect of the global Community College Partnership Program, the largest philanthropic initiative in the company’s history. Scobey-Polacheck also led employee giving, established meaningful partnerships with nonprofit organizations locally and nationally and advised the Johnson Controls Foundation president and board of directors on philanthropic priorities. Scobey-Polacheck’s work has been recognized by the Milwaukee Business Journal as a 2019 Woman of Influence and with a Milwaukee Award for Neighborhood Development Innovation. She has written extensively on parenting issues for local and national publications, and was named, with her husband, Bill Scobey-Polacheck, Wisconsin’s Adoptive Parents of the Year in 2018. She is the author of Discovering Motherhood: An Extraordinary Journey through Everyday Life.
“It was very clear in the search process that Annemarie was uniquely qualified to be the next leader of UPAF,” said Tim Mattke, UPAF search committee chair and chief executive officer of MGIC. “We are confident that her great commitment to Southeastern Wisconsin, her extensive experience in corporate philanthropy and her vision for the role of the arts in our community will be an exceptional fit for this next chapter of the United Performing Arts Fund.”
“I am honored to be joining UPAF at this time,” Scobey-Polacheck said. “Our community is vibrant and alive thanks to the amazing work of our performing arts groups—both large and small. I look forward to working collaboratively across the business, philanthropic and creative sectors to ensure continued support for the arts.”
Born and raised in Milwaukee, Scobey-Polacheck is a graduate of Marquette University and Dominican High School. She and her husband live in Glendale and have four young adult children.
Scobey-Polacheck will begin at UPAF at the start of the organization’s next fiscal year on Sept. 3.
About UPAF
The United Performing Arts Fund (UPAF) has been setting the stage since 1967 by providing critical investment in our region’s vibrant performing arts scene. UPAF’s mission is to secure community resources, promote the performing arts as a regional asset and improve the quality of life through responsible investment in and financial support of the performing arts in Southeastern Wisconsin. UPAF proudly bears a four-star rating with Charity Navigator, the highest distinction for nonprofits.
With generous community support, UPAF funds 14 Member organizations and numerous Affiliate groups that provide our community with the best of music, dance, song and theater. In addition to entertainment excellence, these organizations provide transformative educational programs for local children, ensure that individuals from marginalized neighborhoods have opportunities to participate in the arts and expand arts access for people with disabilities.
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