Steven Skerritt-Davis joined MSAC’s staff in February 2017 as a Program Director and later served as Deputy Director for several years, overseeing the agency’s work with the County Arts Agencies of Maryland and Arts & Entertainment Districts and managing marketing and communications. He was appointed Executive Director in December 2021 and since then has led the agency’s strategy and vision, overseeing the implementation of program changes that have led to more equitable distribution of the state’s investments in the arts sector, the distribution of over $40 million of relief funds that helped Maryland arts organizations mitigate the worst effects of pandemic closures, and the creation of MSAC’s current strategic plan aimed at ensuring access to the arts for all Marylanders.
Steven grew up in Tulsa, Oklahoma and danced professionally with Tulsa Ballet, American Ballet Theater Studio Company, and Ballet West. After retiring from a ten-year career, he earned his bachelor's degree magna cum laude from Brown University, where he focused his studies on philanthropy and nonprofit management. Prior to joining MSAC, Steven worked as Program Coordinator for the National Dance Project at the New England Foundation for the Arts and as Director of External Relations for Lumberyard Contemporary Performing Arts, where he helped secure grants and partnerships that brought the organization to national prominence, and he helped conceive and initiate a creative placemaking effort in New York’s Hudson Valley.