­Patricia K. “Patty” Beggs joined Cincinnati Opera in 1984 as Director of Marketing following a successful corporate career. Her c­reative marketing campaigns helped effect the Opera’s remarkable turnaround in attendance in the late 80s and 90s, becoming a leading industry standard for new approaches in audience development. Sh­e was promoted to assistant managing director (a newly created position) in 1991 and her track record of success made her the ideal candidate to usher in a new era as Managing Director in 1997. In November 2004, upon the company’s adoption of a revised organizational structure, she was named General Director and CEO. ­

Reporting to the President of the Opera Association and the Board of Trustees, Patty manages a professional staff of 27, and provides staff leadership to a Board of 98, an Executive Committee of 22, and 16 permanent committees of Cincinnati Opera. Fiscal responsibility has been the hallmark of Patty’s administration and she has effectively continued the Opera’s longstanding tradition of ending each year with a balanced budget. Patty administers the company’s annual operating budget of $6.0 million (FY 07) and an endowment of $16 million. When she became Managing Director, the company’s budget was approximately $2.6 million. Under her strategic leadership in partnership with her artistic counterpart, Nicholas Muni, the company doubled the size of the operating budget, added performances, and dramatically increased the quality of its artistic product. She appointed Evans Mirageas as The Harry T. Wilks Artistic Director in September 2005.

Patty also led the company’s combined capital/endowment Festival Campaign to fund the Opera’s long-range plans. Announced on opening night of the 2004 Summer Festival, the Festival Campaign has exceeded its $12 million goal. One of the pillars of the Festival Campaign was the renovation of the north wing of Music Hall to create the Corbett Opera Center (completed in October 2005). Patty was instrumental in the conception, planning, and development of this project, which transformed an underutilized area of Music Hall to create space for the ongoing permanent residence of the Opera, the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, and the May Festival. Importantly, the project ensures the future of Music Hall as a cultural and economic anchor in Cincinnati’s historic Over-the-Rhine neighborhood.

Patty currently serves as a member of the Music Hall Working Group, which represents all the resident arts tenants as well as the Society for the Preservation of Music Hall and the Cincinnati Arts Association (which manages the Hall on behalf of the City of Cincinnati , owner of the building). The purpose of the Working Group is to ensure Music Hall’s continued role as a world-class venue that delivers a higher standard of patron amenities and services and supports the artistic excellence of its tenants. The Working Group is currently engaged in a planning study to evaluate the feasibility of much-needed renovations and enhancements to Music Hall, as well as working with 3CDC to support plans for a new 630-space garage. More information about the Music Hall Working Group and updates on other important economic development projects in the Opera's neighborhood Over-the-Rhine.

Ms. Beggs serves on the board of OPERA America, the national service organization for the opera industry, where she has been Treasurer for four years. Recognized frequently as a distinguished leader, she was named a 2006 YWCA Career Woman of Achievement, Woman of the Year by The Cincinnati Enquirer in 1999, and a Woman of Distinction by the Great Rivers Girl Scouts in 1992. She has an extensive record of community service and has volunteered on numerous boards including Downtown Cincinnati Inc., The Society for the Preservation of Music Hall, the Greater Cincinnati Arts and Education Center, Over-the-Rhine Chamber of Commerce, the Great Rivers Girl Scout Council, the Cincinnati Speech & Hearing Association, Enjoy the Arts/START, Downtown Council, the Greater Cincinnati Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Arts Services Committee of the Fine Arts Fund, and many others. She is also a proud member of the Cincinnati MacDowell Society.