T-R PHOTO BY ROBERT MAHARRY — Nancy Vellinga Burke, a 1982 MHS graduate who has recently taken over as the director of operations at the Marshalltown Arts and Civic Center (MACC), poses for a photo in front of the statue that greets visitors along Center Street.

It’s been a long road to recovery and reopening for the Marshalltown Arts and Civic Center (MACC), previously known as the Fisher Community Center, but the future now looks bright with a reconstruction project nearing completion and a local native taking the reins as the facility’s first ever full-time director of operations.

Nancy Vellinga Burke grew up in Marshalltown and graduated from MHS in 1982, and she recently relocated back to her hometown from the Omaha area, where she most recently worked as a project manager for the Omaha Public Schools, to take on the position. She still made frequent visits to see her brother and her late mother, who passed away in 2019, but the time felt right to make a major change. With her background in art, visual communication, education and philanthropy, the MACC was a perfect fit.

“It came easy. It wasn’t hard at all,” Burke said. “I actually have quite a few friends from high school that still live here and family that live in Central Iowa… So yeah, it feels good to be home.”

Burke said she saw the job posting through the Marshalltown Area Chamber of Commerce and decided moving back “made a lot of sense.” Then, she sent in an application and waited.

MACC Board of Trustees President Karn Gregoire called Burke “the whole package” and specifically cited her project management skills as a key factor in the decision to hire her. It also didn’t hurt that she had a personal friendship with members of the Fisher family, the building’s longtime namesakes.

“She rose to the top with those skill sets and demonstrating what we needed for this position, but what she brought beyond that is something you cannot train for and you cannot educate for,” Gregoire said. “She brought a passion for this facility and for this community and to make sure the Fisher legacy was strong and lived on.”

At the beginning of May, Burke started her new job remotely from the Omaha area, and she officially became a full-timer right after Memorial Day weekend. According to Gregoire, bringing her onboard is part of a larger plan to position the center and its famous art collection for the future.

“You can build something magnificent, but if you don’t have a solid operational plan to sustain it, it’s all for naught,” Gregoire said. “And so part of that operational plan for long-term sustainability was to hire a full-time director to promote and build and move the facility forward.”

As she familiarizes herself with the position and reacclimates to living in Marshalltown, Burke has big goals for the MACC — chiefly, reminding residents of both the city and Marshall County that the facility is for them. She envisions all-ages programming and events including music and theatrical productions at the Martha Ellen Tye Playhouse (along with the option to rent out the center for private events like wedding receptions, business meetings and quinceaneras) , and of course, Bill Fisher’s art collection will always be prominently featured.

“The sky’s the limit, really,” Burke said. “I want there to be something for everyone.”

In addition to Burke, the MACC, which first opened in 1958 and is located at 709 S. Center St., is also set to provide office space for the Martha Ellen Tye Foundation, the Community Foundation of Marshall County, the Marshall County Arts and Culture Alliance and the Marshalltown Area United Way once it is reopened.

Both Gregoire and Burke are excited to see what the future holds, and they can’t wait to lead the way.

“The leadership (Burke) brings will catapult the Center’s success as we open Marshalltown’s first event center, the new Fisher Art Museum and the Martha Ellen Tye Playhouse,” Gregoire said.

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Contact Robert Maharry

at 641-753-6611 ext. 255 or

rmaharry@timesrepublican.com.