New managing director to step in at Foothills
Bill Youngs is ready to spread the good word about the Foothills Performing Arts and Civic Center in Oneonta.
Youngs, 57, will start as Foothills managing director Aug. 4.
“I’m excited because it’s such a great facility,” Youngs said Wednesday.
The Foothills Board of Directors confirmed his appointment Monday after a search to find someone to succeed Huemac Garcia, who retired at the end of last year.
Carol Blazina, Foothills board president, said the board was pleased to welcome Youngs to the Foothills team. About 70 applications were received for the opening, she said. Youngs, a local community member with a good business and warm personality, was the best candidate, she said.
Foothills Performing Arts and Civic Center on Market Street in downtown Oneonta presents a varied selection of entertainment, plays and performances by musicians and bands. The facility rents space for weddings, meetings and business and civic functions.
Youngs will join an office manager and facilities manager at Foothills, said Blazina, who has been volunteering as acting manager for the past seven months.
According to the job description, Foothills was looking for a managing director to provide proactive, community-oriented and visionary leadership that will allow the center to serve community’s needs.
The managing director will be responsible for daily operations and fundraising at Foothills. Duties also include care of the facility and marketing and public relations, plus involvement in producing relevant events at the center.
Youngs said he had decided to sell his business, Priority Eyewear Inc., an importer and distributor of frames, before he knew about the opportunity at Foothills. During an interview Wednesday at the business’s 32 Chestnut St. offices, Youngs said he has sold the firm to business associates and it will remain in Oneonta with its staff.
