Bill Fletcher
The board of directors of the Paramount Center for the Arts has named Bill Fletcher as the historic theater and performing arts center’s chief executive officer.
“I am deeply honored and grateful to the board for this appointment. I am looking forward to working with the board and the talented staff to put the Paramount at the center of arts and culture in the region,” Fletcher said.
Early in his life, Fletcher worked and lived on a family dairy farm on the Scott and Russell County line in Nickelsville, Virginia, before his family moved to a small farm in Hawkins County, Tennessee. The East Tennessee State University grad was a reporter at the Johnson City Press and the Nashville Banner before founding the Nashville advertising agency Fletcher Ridge. Fletcher and his wife, Ruby, live in Bristol.
Matthew Riggins, M.D., president of the board, said Fletcher’s experience as vice president for development and alumni affairs at Cumberland University in Lebanon, Tennessee, as well as his background as a strategist, manager and development professional, were appealing to the board.
“Bill spent more than two months here studying the operations of the Paramount, including interviewing the staff and board members, before preparing a wide-ranging report on his findings. We believe he has the experience and vision to help guide the Paramount Center for the Arts into the future,” Riggins said.
Fletcher said his study of the Paramount helped reveal the beginnings of a strategy for the future.
“For non-profit arts organizations, this is a challenging environment. But the strength of the Paramount has always been in its connection to the people who call these mountains home. One of the highlights of my study was spending hours with Rex Ward as he played the Mighty Wurlitzer Organ and regaled me with stories of the history of the theater. We want to showcase that history while ensuring the theater continues to present the best in theater, music, art and culture into the future,” he said.
Fletcher added, “This feels like a homecoming to me. I have relatives all over the area. When my mother was a teenager, she worked at Roses Department Store on State Street in Bristol. She used to go on dates to the Paramount Theater. Being able to use my experience in service of such an important and historic institution is a dream come true for me.”
