CSPS launches national search for executive director

CEDAR RAPIDS - CSPS has launched a national search to hire a permanent executive director, CSPS board chairman Matthew Steele said in an email to supporters Monday.

Local search firm Skywalk Group will assist with the process to identify someone to lead the Cedar Rapids arts not-for-profit, said Steele, publisher of Little Village.

The email did not state a timeline for the search, but applications are open until 4 p.m. Dec. 11.

Taylor Bergen has filled the executive director role on an interim basis since the departure in 2019 of F. John Herbert, the co-founder of the 29-year-old organization. He resigned as the not-for-profit struggled with more than $100,000 in debt.

Bergen told The Gazette in August that the organization, which operates CSPS Hall, made a 'huge dent” in its debt before the coronavirus prompted closures, and at the time owed less than $20,000 to vendors.

The venue reopened in August after the pandemic had put performances and other events on hold for months.

Steele thanked Bergen for his service as interim executive director and for 'his commitment to a smooth transition when the permanent executive director joins the organization.”

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