Bloomington names new director of arts and entertainment

Posted on October 4, 2022
Anthony Nelson, a business management graduate of Lincoln College, will start in his new post Oct. 10. (Photo courtesy City of Bloomington)

By Neil Doyle

BLOOMINGTON – A current city employee will be the next executive director of Bloomington’s two marquee entertainment venues.

Anthony Nelson has been selected for the job and will oversee the Bloomington Center for the Performing Arts and the arena in downtown Bloomington, according to a city news release Monday.

“We are going to bring great entertainment to the City that offers diverse events and acts,” Nelson said. “The team will focus on getting the Arena and the BCPA back on the map as top performing arts destinations in central Illinois.”

A city spokesperson told our news partner 25 News Nelson will be paid an annual salary of $110,000.

For more than seven years Nelson has worked for the city, serving as the business manager for the Miller Park Zoo for six of those years. For the past year he has worked as the business manager for the Parks, Recreation and Cultural Arts Department.

“We had a strong pool of candidates with a couple heavy hitters that have been there and done that,” said Bloomington City Manager Tim Gleason. “We kept coming back to Anthony as the obvious choice. His loyalty, passion & dedication to the community truly shone through. You can train a person up or into a position, but you can’t buy all the traits Anthony brings to the position. I’m excited about what comes next.”

Nelson, a business management graduate of Lincoln College, will start in his new post Oct. 10.

Neil Doyle can be reached at [email protected]

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