The Friends of the Domes board has named Christa Beall Diefenbach as its next executive director. Beall Diefenbach succeeds Sally Sullivan, who recently retired as the first executive director of the nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting Mitchell Park Horticultural Conservatory programs. “I am thrilled by the opportunity to lead an organization I admire deeply,” Beall
TheFriends of the Domes board has named Christa Beall Diefenbach as its next executive director.
Beall Diefenbach succeeds Sally Sullivan, who recently retired as the first executive director of the nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting Mitchell Park Horticultural Conservatory programs.
“I am thrilled by the opportunity to lead an organization I admire deeply,” Beall Diefenbach said. “I look forward to listening to and learning about the needs of the Friends of the Domes’ stakeholders to help increase the organization’s scale and impact.”
Most recently Beall Diefenbach was a strategic consultant with her own marketing firm, Diefenbach Communications Strategies, which focuses on nonprofit clients. Prior to that, Beall Diefenbach served as vice president of mission engagement for the Nonprofit Leadership Alliance in Kansas City, Missouri, where she oversaw strategy and execution of marketing, fundraising and new product development for the national nonprofit capacity-building organization.
The Friends of the Domes provides educational and membership programming, retail services, funds for facility enhancements and volunteer recruitment and management in support of the Domes. Revenues come from fundraising, membership dues and retail sales. The Friends’ support supplements Milwaukee County’s funding for the Domes.
“Christa is a visionary and collaborator who is ideally suited to lead the organization,” said Jeremy Guth, president of the Friends of the Domes board of directors and chair of the executive director search committee. “Her extraordinary success in the nonprofit industry, passion for the Friends’ mission, and focus on what matters in people’s lives made her the unanimous choice for the role. We are delighted to have Christa guide us through our strategic plan for the future.”
Beall Diefenbach joins the organization as leaders continue to mull plans for the Domes, which are in need of extensive repairs.
Current county board policy calls for extending the useful life of the Domes to the “maximum” length, but the county faces a short timeline to make decisions on what to do with them. A 2018 report from ConsultEcon estimated a five-year horizon for addressing deferred maintenance will end in 2024.
[caption id="attachment_426617" align="aligncenter" width="769"] The Mitchell Park Domes[/caption]
