Megan Wygant joined E. Claire Raley Studios for the Performing Arts (CLARA) as its founding executive director prior to its 2016 launch and has been proud to shepherd its growth from a $300K creative placemaking project to a $1.2M arts and education center. With a strong interest in integrating economic development with the support of innovative artistic programming, she has guided the organization’s strategic plans to build CLARA’s regional presence. CLARA represents an innovative partnership between seven performing arts and cultural organizations, the City of Sacramento, and the Sacramento City Unified School District. CLARA now invests in 10 local arts and cultural groups, implements arts education programs for more than 70,000 youth annually, offers professional development opportunities for artists and teachers, and provides a uniquely designed CLARA Curriculum for dance, music, and theatre for grades TK-6. Megan is excited to provide support and guidance to all of CLARA’s tenants and arts organizations.
Prior to CLARA, Megan served as the Assistant General Manager at Emerson Stage in Boston from 2013-2015, where her tenure was marked by significant improvements in ticket sales and operational efficiency. At the Tony Award-winning Berkeley Repertory Theatre from 2005-2012, she joined as Communications Manager and was promoted to Company Manager, where her role included arranging travel, housing, and other support for more than 100 visiting artists each year.
Megan has a BA from the University of Southern California in American Studies and English, and an MBA from Boston University with an emphasis in finance and nonprofit management. A member of Leadership Sacramento ’18, she has consulted for independent arts groups, and has served as a grant panelist for the California Arts Council and the Office of Arts and Culture for the City of Sacramento. She currently serves as Board secretary for Sacramento Alliance for Regional Arts and as a moderator for an international online community of 8,000+ executive directors sharing knowledge and resources, based on the writings of Vu Le. A lifelong competitive swimmer, Megan has participated in open-water swimming relays crossing Lake Tahoe, the Catalina Channel, and the English Channel.