(Radio Iowa) – Until this week, Jeff Chelesvig held the title of president and C-E-O of Des Moines Performing Arts — which includes the Des Moines Civic Center and the Temple Theater a few blocks away. Chelesvig also expanded the organization’s reach over the past decade with educational programs, camps and stage shows for a million school kids from around the state. Chelesvig (CHELLS-vihg)  says it all fits with the organization’s mission — to bring world class entertainment, education and cultural activities to the Midwest.

Retired Des Moines Performing Arts CEO Jeff Chelesvig on the “Iowa Press” set at Iowa PBS. (Iowa PBS photo)

“We feel like we have this jewel of a 2700-seat venue downtown. We have all the things you need with parking and restaurants and hotels nearby,” Chelesvig said. Chelesvig was born in Eagle Grove, but his family moved and he went to high school in Belmond. During his senior year, he was cast as “Henry Higgins” in a production of “My Fair Lady.” Chelsvig went to college in Minnesota for a couple of years before enrolling at Iowa State.

Chelesvig moved to jobs in Minnesota and Florida before returning to Iowa and the Des Moines Civic Center job in January of 1995.

When he arrived, the organization was basically renting the Civic Center to a booking agency that picked which shows would be staged in Des Moines. In 1997, Chelesvig started what has turned out to be a very profitable season ticket series, featuring eight Broadway shows. Nearly 25 years ago, the Civic Center began investing in shows debuting on Broadway. It’s a move that has made the Civic Center among the first stops when a Broadway hit starts touring the country.

The organization’s chief financial officer is interim C-E-O until Monica Holt takes over in January. She was an executive at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. for 16 years.