Des Moines Performing Arts (DMPA) announced Monday that Monica Holt, a nationally recognized arts leader and former senior vice president of artistic planning at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, will serve as its next president and chief executive officer.
Holt will step into the role in January 2026, following the retirement of longtime CEO Jeff Chelesvig, who will conclude his 30-year tenure later this month.
DMPA oversees the Des Moines Civic Center, the Temple Theater, the Stoner Theater and the outdoor Cowles Commons space. Holt joins the nonprofit after 16 years with The Kennedy Center, where she oversaw a budget of more than $110 million and programming for more than 2,000 events each year.
She helped lead major audience and revenue growth initiatives and "championed the essential role performing arts centers play in fostering community wellbeing," according to a news release.
Before that, she served as the center’s director of marketing, where she led audience engagement efforts for the Kennedy Center, Washington National Opera and National Symphony Orchestra.
Holt’s appointment comes at a time of transition for The Kennedy Center, which saw major leadership shifts earlier this year under the new board chair, President Donald Trump, following the firing of longtime president Deborah Rutter and the replacement of several board members.
In a farewell statement on LinkedIn a few months later, Holt wrote that she decided to leave the center after 16 years, telling her colleagues that “creativity flourishes best when community thrives alongside it.”
Chelesvig, who retires Nov. 21, leaves behind a legacy that helped transform Des Moines into a destination for top-tier theater. Under his leadership, DMPA launched the Willis Broadway Series and the High School Musical Theater Awards, and restored the Temple Theater.
Longtime Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Heidi Watkins will serve as interim president and CEO until Holt officially assumes the role in the new year.
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