Ep 95: Secrets Revealed: How Large Organizations Can Nurture and Empower Rising Leaders and Unready Organizations with Kwofe Coleman

Today's guest expert shares insights on how large organizations can nurture and empower rising leaders and unready organizations.

Kwofe Coleman is President & CEO of the Municipal Theatre Association of St. Louis (The Muny). After beginning his Muny career in 1998 as an usher, he has advanced through the administrative ranks at The Muny, including staff accountant, house manager, digital communications manager, director of marketing and communications, managing director, and became president of the nation’s oldest and largest outdoor musical theatre since 2021.

As President & CEO, Kwofe leads the historic theatre into its 105th season of producing live musical theatre on a grand scale. He maintains overall accountability, responsibility and authority for the management of the business and affairs of The Muny in accordance with its mission. Through this role he continues to embrace and articulate the artistic and institutional vision, develop progressive income streams and new strategic initiatives to deepen the organization’s community engagement, educational and outreach efforts. Kwofe was instrumental in navigating the theatre through the pandemic. He also played a key role in The Muny’s successful $100 million Second Century Capital Campaign.

Kwofe is the board president of the National Alliance for Musical Theatre (NAMT) and is an active contributor to the St. Louis community, serving on the Commerce Bank Advisory Board, St. Louis University High School Board of Trustees, Cor Jesu Academy Advisory Council, and as a founding board member of Atlas School. He also serves on the Board of Directors for the Saint Louis Club and supports various social service organizations.

In 2020 Kwofe was recognized by The St. Louis Business Journal in its “40 Under 40” class. He was a Fellowship Advisor for the DeVos Institute of Arts Management at the University of Maryland (2018) and a recipient of The St. Louis American’s Salute to Young Leaders Award (2015). In addition to his Muny work, Kwofe consults for various concerts, artist development, management and production projects, including executive producer for 2020’s A New Holiday, a short musical film created by LIFE Creative Group and broadcast on local PBS networks.

MAIN TAKEAWAYS:

• Alex worked at a women’s shelter in his early 20s, which he said was emotionally taxing at times. Kwofe was a death penalty investigator for the Southern Center for Human Rights and built relationships with each person he worked with to understand their unique situation. Kwofe said the work had great value to him and any discomfort he felt didn’t trump the client's reality. Doing the best job possible for the client required an emotional investment for the client to have trust in his work.  
• You can do everything right in a job and do your absolute best and there’s no change. You have to figure out how to advance over the issue. 
• Kwofe started from the bottom, but he’s now here, at the top. At 16 years old, he worked at the Muny as an usher and advanced through the administrative ranks at The Muny, including staff accountant, house manager, digital communications manager, director of marketing and communications, and managing director, and became president of the nation’s oldest and largest outdoor musical theatre since 2021. Kwofe said he stayed because it was a great opportunity and a community-based and important art institute in St. Louis.
• People are more aware of who they are individually and comfortable with who they are. The stories and plays at the Muny aren’t rewritten but show a wonderful world of diversity. 
• To prepare the leadership that comes up after you, train those who look and don’t look like you. Invest in the next generation. (ie have internship and education programs for college and high school students) and show them the art form and opportunities available to them. 
• When we get to positions of leadership, people are watching so do it the right way. Invest in others. Serve the community. Uphold your responsibilities to give back. 
• When you say, “The Youtube” It ages you. Lol!
• The biggest life lesson from theater for Alex was “The audience doesn’t know when you make a mistake. Don’t stop. Just keep going.”  
• Kwofe said his biggest life lesson from the theater is, “Nothing happens in a vacuum. You can’t accomplish anything by yourself. When you build a network or team and trust them to be experts in their area, it gets so much easier to do everything. You can accomplish so much together.”
• If you reference ER vs Gray's Anatomy…it also ages you. Lol!
• Art improves people. It gives them a balance. Opportunities to amplify unique talents require us to look outside of our lanes and learn from others. Find those things that expose you to something new.