President and CEO
Fox Cities Performing Arts Center | Appleton
Maria Van Laanen has led the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center since 2014. The downtown Appleton performance venue hosts more than 350 events annually, generating roughly $17.9 million in economic activity each season. The space includes a 2,100-seat opera-style theater, a 350-seat black box-style theater and a 75-person private function space. Van Laanen is a Tony voting member of The Broadway League, where she is a member of their board of governors and various committees.
Education: Bachelor’s, University of Wisconsin-Green Bay
Advice for first-time leaders: “People say it all the time: Make sure that you always surround yourself with people smarter than you, and don’t be afraid to listen to them. And always remain humble and curious. There’s always more to learn.”
Favorite part of the workday: “My favorite, favorite thing is the moment when you can feel the audience – who comes in as a collection of individuals – switch into a collective, sharing an experience. I love experiencing that, when that flip happens.”
The future of your industry: “I think the most powerful thing about the industry and what we do with live performing arts is our ability to transcend the things that separate us and find the things that connect us.”
Definition of success: “For me, it is having that deep-seated inner joy, and part of that comes from knowing that every day you’re doing your best and that you are going through life with integrity, and you’re allowed to do that.”
2022 Wisconsin 275 Profile
Hospitality | Entertainment
President and CEO
Fox Cities Performing Arts Center | Appleton
Maria Van Laanen became one of the first employees at the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center when she was hired as its director of marketing in 2001 – a year before the $45 million venue opened its doors to the public.
Since 2014, she has served as president and chief executive officer of the downtown Appleton performing arts center. During her tenure, she has been a part of more than 7,000 events at the center, ushering in 37 Broadway Wisconsin premiers. She’s also overseen the growth of its programming for area students, including the Frank C. Shattuck P.A.T.H.S. Program and Center Stage High School Musical Theater Program, and the launch of The Broadway League’s Family First Nights and Kennedy Center Partners in Education Program. She also helped the center reach its $30 million Keystone Fund fundraising goal.
Hosting roughly 400 events annually, the center includes a 2,100-seat opera-style theater, a 350-seat black box style theater and a 75-person private function space.
Van Laanen is a Tony voting member of The Broadway League, where she is a member of the board of governors, and a member of the National High School Musical Theater Advisory Board and the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion and Government Relations committees. She also serves on the YMCA of the Fox Cities board and is a member of Imagine Fox Cities’ Belonging Group.
Education: Bachelor’s, University of Wisconsin-Green Bay
