Alumni Spotlight: Charles Beavers

Charles Beavers (M.M.I.A.M. ’17) is this week’s featured alum in our new Alumni Spotlight series for the This Week at Meadows e-newsletter. Each week, a different Meadows alum will be highlighted for their accomplishments post-graduation.

Though Charles Beavers earned his undergraduate degree in theater, it was his time in Meadows’ International Arts Management master’s program (M.M.I.A.M.) that helped him find his unique professional calling. The tools he learned from the graduate program, which is housed in the Division of Arts Management & Arts Entrepreneurship, helped prepare him for the challenges one could encounter in this career path.

“The M.M.I.A.M. program at Meadows broadened my management skills, providing me with the confidence necessary to take on the many challenges I have faced as an arts administrator,” Beavers explains, who currently works as the Major Gifts Officer at Texas Ballet Theater (TBT). “The quality of education Meadows provides and the way the professors facilitate the synthetization of seemingly different topics prepared me to take on these challenges.”

While Beavers spent three years as executive director at Theatre Three earlier in his career – during which he converted their financial management software, maintained the organization through the pandemic, and negotiated a $2M renovation of their facilities – his career is currently centered around fundraising and development.

In his role as Major Gifts Officer for TBT, it is his responsibility to understand the needs of the organization as a whole and align it with the causes their donors care about the most. This can range from schools and professional training programs to community outreach endeavors and the top-tier productions TBT produces across North Texas. The opportunity to make a positive impact on the performing arts world is something that is underscored in every aspect of his job.

“It is an esteemed privilege to work alongside DFW’s philanthropic community,” says Beavers. “And it is truly fulfilling to align the passions of artists and their supporters for the betterment of the community.”

Learn more about the Division of Arts Management & Arts Entrepreneurship here.