Sandy Springs Announces Appointment of Interim Executive Director for Sandy Springs Performing Arts Center at City Springs

SANDY SPRINGS, GA (December 1, 2022). Michael Pauken has been named Interim Executive Director of the Sandy Springs Performing Arts Center at City Springs. He will join the team in mid-December 2022.

Pauken has served as General Manager/Executive Director of the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts in Skokie, Illinois, since 2002. The North Shore Center is a 65,000 square foot, two theater complex containing a total of 1185 seats. The Center has two resident theater companies and partners with several other organizations. More than 400 events and performances are held at the Center in a typical year.

During his time at the Center, Pauken brought programming in-house and presented more than 475 international touring and Chicago-based artists including Al Jarreau, Art Garfunkel, Boz Scaggs, Clint Black, Ed Asner, Graham Nash, Herb Alpert & Lani Hall, and the Indigo Girls, to name only a few.

“We are eager to welcome Michael Pauken to the Sandy Springs Performing Arts Center at City Springs,” said Eden Freeman, Sandy Springs City Manager.  “The combination of his talent, experience, and contacts will enhance our programming and serve our community well.”

In 2015, Pauken led efforts to revitalize the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts Foundation, a separate legal entity charged with supporting Center programs and projects. Through annual fundraising events, private foundation grants, and sponsorships, more than $1 million has been raised in support of the Center.

When most Chicago area theatres closed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Pauken launched the Center’s first ever outdoor concert series and repeated the successful series in 2021, ultimately presenting more than 30 concerts over two summers.

Prior to working at the North Shore Center, Pauken managed numerous theatrical productions including the long-running Forever Plaid in Chicago, Milwaukee, and Seattle. Pauken also booked and managed the popular Sing-a-Long Sound of Music in Chicago and throughout the Midwest.

Pauken spent five years with the League of Chicago Theatres in various capacities including interim Executive Director and Director of Marketing and worked for Hubbard Street Dance Chicago as Director of Marketing.

In his native Columbus, Ohio, Pauken worked for the Columbus Area Chamber of Commerce and the Greater Columbus Arts Council. He booked outdoor music and dance performances for the annual Columbus Arts Festival for five years and produced seven musical productions under the Columbus Summer Stage organization, which he formed. Pauken was also the managing director of Gallery Players at the Jewish Community Center of Greater Columbus for two seasons. Pauken has overseen more than $4 million in capital improvement projects in the past 20 years.

For information about the City of Sandy Springs, please visit www.sandyspringsga.gov. For more information about City Springs, please visit City Springs.com