Geoffrey Kershner
Director of MFA in Arts Leadership at Randolph College
- Role
- Associate Consultant at Ryan Ripperton And Associates
- Location
- Lynchburg, VA, US
- LinkedIn followers
- 500 followers
About Geoffrey Kershner
Geoffrey is the inaugural director of the low-residency MFA in Arts Leadership program at Randolph College. He served as the Chief Executive Officer of the Academy Center of the Arts for over a decade and was a founding member and Artistic Director of the Endstation Theatre Company. During his tenure as Artistic Director of Endstation, the company received the Virginians for the Arts\' Rising Star Award, and Kershner was honored with the City of Lynchburg\'s Vice Mayor\'s Award of Excellence. Under his leadership at the Academy, the organization increased need-based scholarships for arts programming by 124%, grew its overall operating budget by over 400% between 2015 and 2024, and successfully completed a multi-million dollar capital campaign for a historic theater restoration project, which reopened in 2018. In his final year running the Academy, as a graduate of Florida State University, the Academy was named to the 2026 Seminole 100 list. Geoffrey was a National Arts Strategies\' 20••••15 Chief Executive Fellow, currently serves as the Chair of Virginians for the Arts, is a board member of the Mid-Atlantic Arts Foundation, and leads the Radically Rural Conference\'s arts track. His work has earned local and regional recognition and he continues to influence the arts through his online resource, smalltownbigarts.com
Experience
Associate Consultant
Sep 2025 — Present · US
We help nonprofit executives and boards quiet the chaos, define clear strategy, and achieve sustained results.
Education
Florida State University
Master of Fine Arts (M.F.A.)
2003 — 2006
University of the Arts
Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A.)
1996 — 2000
Skills
- Stage Combat
- Creative Direction
- Performing Arts
- Event Planning
- Microsoft Office
- Acting
- Teaching
- Theatre
- Event Management
- Editing
- Comedy
- Fundraising
- Musical Theatre
- Teaching Acting
- Theatrical Production
- Directing
- Drama
- Public Speaking
- Social Media
- Stage Management
- Community Outreach
- Arts Administration
- Festivals
- Nonprofits
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