To our Centrum family – employees, volunteers, donors, artists, and the community:
We are excited to share that Centrum, now beginning our 53rd year, is preparing for several exciting transitions in 2026.
Centrum’s Fort Worden home is secured
The last several years have been challenging for Fort Worden State Park, at times calling into question Centrum’s ability to continue its world-class creative arts programming in Port Townsend. We are delighted to share these questions have now been settled. Under the leadership of Centrum Executive Director Robert Birman and Washington State Parks officials, we have signed a long-term lease that secures Fort Worden as our home for decades to come. A key agreement is that Centrum will raise funds and lead renovations of buildings we use for our programming, and a portion of these investments will offset our future rent payments. This approach greatly benefits State Parks and the people of Washington, as well as Centrum, generations of creative artists, our community, and all who love and use Fort Worden.
Big new projects, new leadership
Raising funds and managing repairs of more than a dozen historic buildings represents a significant new obligation for Centrum. We are therefore realigning our human resources and investing in additional leadership to handle the broader array of responsibilities:
- Later this year Robert Birman, who has skillfully led the organization for 14 years, will transition into a newly-created role focused on long-term capital fundraising and guiding multi-million-dollar projects at Fort Worden on behalf of Centrum, including future renovations to the Wheeler Theater and McCurdy Pavilion. Rob approached the board several months ago expressing his eagerness for this transition once the leases were secured and, with his knowledge of Centrum, Fort Worden and the greater Port Townsend community, we can think of no one better for this role.
- Centrum will begin a nationwide search for a new Executive Director to lead Centrum and to drive fulfillment of strategic goals around our creative arts programming, our employees and volunteers, and reaching new audiences.
“Serving as Executive Director of Centrum has been deeply rewarding,” said Birman, “especially with the opportunity to work with artists of all ages and scores of creative and talented staff and volunteers. I’ve always believed in the public/private partnership opportunities at Fort Worden and want to build upon our successes and devote more of my time to the long-term needs of our capital projects and campus facilities, enabling new talent and ideas to influence the future of Centrum’s programming and operations.”
“We are so fortunate that Rob will be at the helm while a national search is underway,” said Board President Walter Parsons, “and even more fortunate that he will remain with the organization in his capital projects role after that.”
“This is a win-win for State Parks and Washington state,” said Chris Holm, Fort Worden Campus Business Manager for Washington State Parks. “It retains Centrum as the anchor tenant of Fort Worden and helps us continue to make improvements to these well-loved and historical buildings that tell an important part of our state’s history – many of them date back to the early 1900s. Centrum has been a great partner for decades and the organization is an important part of the Port Townsend and Jefferson County community.”
The board and staff are excited about these upcoming changes that will strengthen programs in our newly secured buildings fulfilling Centrum’s vision to create a world where anyone from anywhere can nurture their creativity in an environment that is supportive, challenging and uplifting—building a world of greater connection and inclusion through the arts.
“Serving as Executive Director of Centrum has been deeply rewarding,” said Birman, “especially in the opportunity to work with artists of all ages and scores of creative and talented staff and volunteers. I’ve always believed in the public/private partnership opportunities at Fort Worden State Park and want to build upon our successes and devote more of my time to the long-term needs of our capital projects and campus facilities, enabling new talent and ideas to influence the future of Centrum’s programming and operations. Our combined success will mean that Centrum—and its programming—will be here 50 to 100 years from now.”
Under Birman’s tenure the organization has grown from an annual budget of $2.6 million in 2013 to $5.1 million this year. The value of its endowment fund has risen more than 900% over that same period, to just over $1.1 million, and the organization began actively raising restricted funds for its capital projects beginning in 2022 under its previous agreements with the Fort Worden PDA.
We hope you will celebrate these milestones with us, and we want to publicly thank Rob for not only his past leadership but his next roles in onboarding a new Centrum Executive Director and improving the historic and much-loved buildings at Fort Worden.
We will continue to share our progress in the months ahead. Your support of Centrum is deeply appreciated!
Walter Parsons, President
Board of Directors