IN Series, the innovative opera theater based in Washington, DC, has announced the appointment of David Mack as the organization’s first Executive Director. A seasoned arts executive, producer, and strategic consultant, Mack brings more than 15 years of leadership experience in performing arts organizations that challenge convention and expand artistic boundaries. Most recently, Mack has worked for companies like The Industry, the acclaimed Los Angeles independent opera company founded by Yuval Sharon, and as Executive Director of Artist Magnet Justice Alliance in Oakland, California.
Mack will begin as Executive Director at IN Series on December 1, 2025, just prior to the world premiere performances of the company’s next production The Delta King’s Blues, composed by Damien Geter with libretto by Jarrod Lee. This landmark appointment marks a pivotal moment for IN Series as it continues to expand its reach and national profile under the artistic direction of Timothy Nelson.
“I’m excited to join the DC community as IN Series’ inaugural Executive Director as the company enters its adventurous next chapter,” said David Mack. “I’m eager to meet audiences across the Baltimore and Washington, DC area in order to help expand access to innovative opera — whether they’re longtime enthusiasts or discovering it for the first time. Thank you, Timothy, and the IN Series hiring committee for inviting me into your world with open arms and such generosity of spirit.”
“From the moment I met David, I was struck by the rare combination of vision, charisma, and creativity he brings to his work,” said Artistic Director Timothy Nelson. “He’s led some of the most vibrant and forward-thinking opera, dance, and theater organizations in the country, but what stands out most is his genuine belief in the power of art to build community. Welcoming him as our first Executive Director marks a bold and meaningful step in our growth as a DC and Baltimore institution, and in our continued emergence as a national voice for innovative opera.”
“It’s an exciting moment for IN Series as we welcome David Mack as our first-ever Executive Director,” said IN Series Board President Janet Farrell. “His partnership with Artistic Director Timothy Nelson marks a new chapter of artistic growth and innovation for our organization, one grounded in collaboration, creativity, and a shared vision for IN Series’ future.”
Mack joins IN Series following leadership roles with the African American Art & Culture Complex, Joe Goode Performance Group, and Invertigo Dance Theatre, as well as strategic consulting work with organizations such as LA Dance Project, Diavolo | Architecture in Motion, and Center Theatre Group. As General Manager of The Industry, Mack produced the groundbreaking site-specific opera Invisible Cities at Los Angeles’ Union Station in partnership with the LA County Metropolitan Transportation Authority — a critically acclaimed production featured in the Los Angeles Times.
His career has been marked by a commitment to collaboration, innovation, and equity in the arts. Mack has served on the boards of the LA Producer’s League and Western Arts Alliance and has been an advocate for artists through his work with the SF Arts Alliance and Greater Bay Area Arts Coalition. He co-founded several Oakland-based arts service and consulting organizations, including Theatre Magnet, Artist Magnet, and Artist Magnet Justice Alliance, and is currently a DeVos Institute of Arts & Nonprofit Management Global Executive Fellow.
About IN Series
IN Series is the standard-bearer for innovative opera theater in Washington DC. IN Series makes theater from music: transforming artists, audiences, and community by disrupting expectations, nourishing empathy, stimulating insight, and deepening the conversation. IN Series envisions a thriving global community in which opera is a fully integrated and essential part of collective conversation. In picturing the journey to this end, IN Series is a change-maker – a force that, with each groundbreaking production and outreach event, radically transforms perceptions of the “who,” “what,” “where,” and “why” of opera: who gets to make opera and for whom is it made; what is defined as an operatic experience; where operas take place; why we make opera; and why opera matters.
Founded by Carla Hübner in 1982 as a concert series of the former Mount Vernon College, “The In Series” became an independent nonprofit arts organization in 2000. Timothy Nelson assumed the artistic directorship in 2018, quickly establishing the newly rebranded “IN Series” as DC’s home for “Thought, debate, history, and innovation” in opera.
