By Sharon Aron Baron
The Broward Center for the Performing Arts has announced that President and CEO Kelley Shanley has been honored with The George Abbott Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Arts from the Carbonell Awards, South Florida’s theater and arts honors.
The 44th annual award ceremony took place virtually on the Broward Center’s YouTube channel.
A longtime Coral Springs resident, Shanley said it was an amazing honor to receive the recognition.
“I am proud to share it with my dedicated team who is passionate about building community through the arts,” he said, adding there is a strong underlying desire for us to be together again – to experience live performance and sit together in shared space, gaining the energy that comes from that connection between artist and audience – and among audience members.
The George Abbott Award recognizes an individual or team that has contributed significantly to the artistic and cultural development of the region. Named after the legendary Broadway producer, The George Abbott Award is voted upon by former recipients, members of the Carbonell board of directors, and a cross-section of media, arts, and local cultural leaders.
During Shanley’s tenure at the Broward Center, he has led two successful capital campaigns, ensuring a bright future for the performing arts in the region.
In 2014, the $60 million Encore! capital campaign renovated, renewed, and revitalized the Broward Center. In addition, Shanley introduced a robust affiliated venues management program, bringing the infrastructure of the Broward Center to support the cultural advancement of the region and now is overseeing a $30 million renovation of the iconic Parker Playhouse.
Shanley’s vision led to the dynamic growth of the Broward Center’s award-winning education programs, serving more than 3.2 million students to date. Through the affiliated venues management program he initiated, the Center manages, in addition to the Parker, the Aventura Arts & Cultural Center, and Rose & Alfred Miniaci Performing Arts Center on the campus of Nova Southeastern University.
Kelley Shanley
He also provides oversight of the Riverwalk Arts & Entertainment District, a destination marketing organization that delivers cultural tourism to downtown Fort Lauderdale.
Shanley has been recognized with top leadership awards from the South Florida Business Journal and Leadership Broward Foundation and was named the 2018 Downtowner of the Year by the Greater Fort Lauderdale Chamber of Commerce and was the Riverwalk Tribute honoree in 2015. He holds an MBA from the University of Florida.
“The inherent human desire to gather and share experiences is in our DNA,” said Shanley. “The Broward Center, and all of our theaters, will be the bright lights at the end of this tunnel.”
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