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Rocky Mount, N.C.—North Carolina Wesleyan College’s Dunn Center for the Performing Arts will have a new executive director, beginning August 1.

Sheila Powell Martin, of Rocky Mount, will fill the position held by Donald J. Briscar since June 2003. Briscar has announced plans to leave Wesleyan at the end of July. He plans to remain in Rocky Mount to continue his involvement in the community and pursue a number of independent projects, including working to develop new trade shows, events, concerts, and festivals now missing from this area. He is a member of the board of directors of the International Entertainment Buyers Association and will continue to be involved in the development of their annual convention. Briscar recently contracted with the Southern Arts Federation to develop and facilitate a workshop titled "Booking Country, Comedy and Christian Acts in Performing Arts Centers."

In announcing Martin’s appointment, Wesleyan President Ian Newbould said, "We are fortunate to have in our community a person who has had a great deal of experience in both convention management and community outreach. Sheila Martin is known to many in Rocky Mount, and I believe she will be an asset to the College and to the community. I am delighted that she will be in charge of carrying forward the Dunn Center’s tradition of providing outstanding cultural and entertainment offerings for all of Eastern North Carolina."

Martin served as director of the Portsmouth Convention and Visitors Bureau for two years before moving to Rocky Mount with her husband, Jim Martin, who joined the Poyner & Spruill law firm in January.

She was director of Portsmouth’s Citizen and Community Outreach for five years and prior to that served Portsmouth as city clerk, public information officer, and in several capacities in the mayor’s office, focusing on the administration of public events. She left her position with the City of Portsmouth last November, after serving 32 years in local government.

Martin has been recognized for her extensive civic activities in the Portsmouth area, which include being named Rotarian of the Year, City Employee of the Year, and Clerk of the Year for the Commonwealth of Virginia. She has received the Hampton Roads Achievement Award and additional honors from Lifenet Foundation, Girls Inc. Center for Youth, and the South Hampton Roads Coalition on Aging.

Her civic service has been extensive and has included work with Lifenet Foundation, the Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce, various arts festivals, the American Red Cross, the Salvation Army, the United Way, and the Portsmouth Rotary Club.

Her educational background includes work at Tidewater Community College, Old Dominion University, the International Institute of Municipal Clerks, and the Dale Carnegie Institute.

Martin is no stranger to North Carolina Wesleyan, since her son and daughter both are Wesleyan graduates. Jim Pittman, class of 1992, is vice president of Premier Warehousing Services, Inc. in Rocky Mount. Jan Robillard, class of 2004, is employed as an account executive at The Nottingham Company.

The Dunn Center for the Performing Arts is a facility of North Carolina Wesleyan College that serves the College’s theater program and other needs of the College. In addition, the Dunn Center offers the community a series of cultural activities and world-class entertainment each year. The 48,060-square-foot structure includes a 1,200 seat auditorium, a 136-seat recital hall, meeting areas of different sizes, two art galleries, a full working stage, and an acting classroom and workshop space. Various areas of the facility are available for uses such as corporate meetings; private gatherings including weddings, reunions, and parties; art exhibits; trade shows; pageants; and public and private school events.

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