Christopher Newport University Announces William R. Biddle
as Ferguson Center for the Arts Executive DirectorNews Release - December 5, 2003
contact: Margaret O. Yancey
myancey@cnu.edu
757-594-7942
Christopher Newport University President Paul Trible announced today the appointment of William R. "Bill" Biddle as Executive Director of the Ferguson Center for the Arts.
"Bill has had a highly successful career leading major arts facilities and will bring considerable expertise to our campus." said Trible.
Biddle has more than 20 years experience working in the arts, presenting, producing, directing and/or designing more than 100 shows at both the university and professional level. Most recently, he served as Director of the 3,500-seat Miller Auditorium at Western Michigan University and as an adjunct professor in the MFA program in Performing Arts Administration. A leading university-based performing arts center, the Miller Auditorium has an operating budget exceeding $7 million and serves more than 1.1 million people.
" I have every confidence that Bill has the experience, background, ability and most importantly, the vision to make the Ferguson Center for the Arts a signature facility that quickly attracts national attention and prominence," said Newport News Mayor Joe Frank.
Originally from Salem, New Jersey, Biddle received his education in theatre from Rowan University in New Jersey and The University of Michigan, and is a graduate of the School for Public Assembly Facility Management and the Commercial Theatre Institute. He is a full member of the League of American Theatres and Producers, International Association of Performing Arts, International Association of Assembly Managers, Association of Performing Arts Presenters, Michigan Non-Profit Presenters and has served in various leadership capacities with several professional and community based organizations. Biddle has also served as a grant evaluator for state and regional arts organizations and is a consultant to many national performing arts organizations. He currently resides in Portage, Michigan with his wife Carmen, and sons Jacob (9), Caleb (6) and Nicholas (4) and will be relocating to Virginia in late January.
