Paul Leider Appointed Chief Financial Officer at Washington Performing Arts

(Washington, D.C.) — Washington Performing Arts announced the appointment of Paul Leider as its Chief Financial Officer. Leider started in the role on October 23, 2023, joining the management team to lead the financial and administrative operations of the organization.

As CFO, Leider will develop business operations, ensure organizational sustainability, and oversee liquidity management for Washington Performing Arts. He will also direct the areas of information technology and human resource management, as well as provide support for strategic planning to advance Washington Performing Arts’s mission.

“I’m thrilled to welcome Paul to our team at such a dynamic moment of planning and post-pandemic activity for Washington Performing Arts,” President and CEO Jenny Bilfield said. “He brings a wide range of experience across various sectors including tech, business, higher education, and mission-based organizations that I know will be of great value in the time ahead. It is also a bit of a reunion. Our paths intersected when we both worked at Stanford University and I always appreciated that he brought a sense of purpose, diligence, and care to each role he held. The team and I look forward to his partnership in the time ahead.”

Prior to joining Washington Performing Arts, Leider moved to the D.C.-Baltimore region from the San Francisco Bay Area to pursue entrepreneurial opportunities in web and application development and technology consulting. Leider co-founded Market Fuel, SolveFit, and joined The Virtual Window as chief operations officer and project manager. As a consultant, his previous clients included large corporations, small businesses, startups, nonprofits, and government organizations Booz Allen Hamilton, Pure Barre, Philadelphia Housing Authority, 24 Hour Fitness, and The 33rd Team.

“I am delighted to be joining this amazing team and organization that has been such an important part of the D.C. landscape for so many years,” Leider said. “I am very grateful for the opportunity to reconnect with Jenny and help Washington Performing Arts further its mission and keep the performing arts thriving and accessible to all in the community.”

Previously, as Director of Finance for Stanford University’s Office of Public Affairs, Leider provided long-term leadership and immediate management guidance over the department’s business functions, including financial analysis, forecasting, and budget planning, as well as oversight of human resources, IT, and facilities. In his first several years at Stanford, he served as Director of Business and Finance for the performing arts series at the university, Stanford Lively Arts (now Stanford Live) and oversaw the installation of Tessitura at the Stanford University Ticket Office.

Leider holds a B.S. in Industrial Management from Carnegie Mellon University and an MBA from the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley. He lives in Ellicott City, MD, with his family.

ABOUT WASHINGTON PERFORMING ARTS

One of the most established and honored performing arts institutions in America, Washington Performing Arts has engaged for more than half a century with artists, audiences, students, and civic life. The city is truly our stage: for decades, in venues ranging from concert halls and clubs to public parks, we have presented a tremendous range of artists and art forms, from the most distinguished symphony orchestras to both renowned and emerging artists in classical music, jazz, international genres, and more. We also have an ever-expanding artistic and educational presence on the internet, envisioning ongoing opportunities for online connection and community.

Washington Performing Arts deeply values its partnerships with local organizations and other arts institutions. Through events online and in myriad performance venues and neighborhoods, we engage international visiting artists in community programs and introduce local artists to wider audiences. We place a premium on establishing artists as a continuing presence in the lives of both young people and adults through residencies and education programs.

Our achievements have been recognized with a National Medal of Arts and with three Mayor’s Arts Awards from the DC Government. We have now embarked upon our second half-century, ever inspired by the motto of our founder, Patrick Hayes: “Everybody in, nobody out.”