VALERIE RILES: The Arsht Center’s longest-serving staff member has been a member of the senior executive team for more than 20 years.PHOTO COURTESY OF THE ARSHT CENTER

MIAMI, Fla. – The Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of MiamiDade County has announced the promotion of Valerie Riles to executive vice president.

As a member of the Arsht Center’s senior executive team for more than 20 years, Riles has built deep connections with government officials and community leaders on behalf of the center.

As EVP, she will expand her role as leader of government and board relations to also serve as second in command to the President/CEO, including day-to-day management of the Arsht Center.

“Valerie has shown steadfast and trustworthy leadership during complex and challenging times – and she is trusted and respected by peers and colleagues, myself included,” said Arsht Center President and CEO Johann Zietsman.

“With her contributions in this new position, I am confident that the Arsht Center will continue to thrive in its mission to connect all people to the arts, to the Arsht and to each other through artistic excellence and inspiring educational experiences.”

Riles joined the Arsht Center in 2002, before its 2006 grand opening, and is the center’s longest-serving staff member. She has been responsible for securing the Arsht Center’s public sector funding and nurturing and maintaining the Center’s relationship with several government bodies, including federal and state governments, and the center’s most significant partner – Miami-Dade County.

She participated as a 2023 Fellow of the National BIPOC Executive Leadership in the Arts Program and, in January 2019, served as the interim president and CEO of the Arsht Center.

She has and will continue to be responsible for managing the Performing Arts Center Trust Board of Directors, a volunteer group of 55 South Florida community leaders who have a broad portfolio of responsibilities, including fiduciary, governance, policy setting and advancement initiatives.

“It has been an honor to contribute to the center’s role in Miami’s cultural transformation over the past 20 years and I am truly excited about the future of this dynamic organization,” Riles said.

“The opportunity I have had to grow professionally while at the center is a testament to the Arsht Center’s longstanding commitment to diversity and to developing talent from within the organization. I hope that my journey can light a path for other South Florida natives and women of color to pursue positions as senior leaders in the arts.”

A South Florida native, Riles is deeply involved in her community. She is currently a member of the Dade County (Fla.) Links, Inc., the International Women’s Forum, the National Black MBA Association and the Howard University Alumni Association.

In 2009, “South Florida Success Magazine” named Riles one of the 25 most distinguished black businesswomen in South Florida. In 2011, “Legacy Magazine” honored her as one of South Florida’s 50 most powerful black professionals.

In 2012 she was recognized by the Miami-Dade County Black Advisory Board with a Community Pillar Award, and in 2014 she was awarded MiamiDade County’s “In the Company of Women” award in the category of Arts & Entertainment.

Other honors include a 2017 Quiet Storm Award from the Women’s Power Caucus and a 2018 honoree in the Miami-Dade County Black History Month exhibit.