Name: Jack F. Becker
Title: President/CEO
Education:
M.B.A. 2005 University of Michigan
Ph.D. Art History 2002 University of Delaware
Major Field: American Painting, Sculpture, Architecture
Minor Field: American Decorative Arts
Dissertation: A Taste for Landscape: Studies in American Tonalism.
M.A. Art History 1993 University of Delaware
B.A. Art History 1986 Carleton College
Main business goals for the coming three years:
1) Strengthen Cheekwood’s identity as a cultural destination in the community, region, and nationally.
2) Be a leader for the arts and gardens in the community.
3) Increase financial stability. As a leader of a non profit I am always looking for ways to find more money. We must grow our annual contributions to include depreciation and double the size of the endowment.
What would people be surprised to learn about your industry?
That a place like Cheekwood has something for everyone, no matter what your age. Because of the diversity of our resources there really is something new to discover all the time, both outdoors and indoors. We’re only eight miles from downtown Nashville and yet you see nothing but green space all around you. People are sometimes surprised to realize that Cheekwood is a nonprofit and needs community support!
Essential business philosophy: Do what needs to get done
Best way to keep competitive edge: Take risks
Yardstick of success: The smile on a visitor’s face
Most respected competitor: Institutions with endowments that cover over 50% of all operating costs.
Word that best describes you: Passionate
Goal yet to be achieved: Securing multi million dollar gift for Cheekwood and making sure that Cheekwood is a household name in middle Tennessee and beyond.
Best decision: Moving to Nashville
Toughest decision: Leaving curatorial role with hands-on involvement with art and scholarship for the CEO position responsible for every aspect of Cheekwood.
Like best about job: Building relationships with diverse constituents
Like least about job: Only 24 hours in the day
Professional pet peeve: Long winded meetings
Most important lesson learned: Hire people smarter than you
Who is your mentor and why? My high school history teacher who had a passion for history, the arts, and community involvement. He inspired a small group of us to challenge the school board’s decision-making process. As a result of our efforts, the entire community became engaged. People began attending the meetings, resulting in record attendance, and the local print and television media more actively reported on the status of education in the community.
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