Charlotte’s 2026 C-Suite Speaker Series Features Blumenthal CEO Tom Gabbard Feb 11
In partnership with the Belk College of Business, the College of Arts + Architecture is co-presenting a 2026 C-Suite Speaker Series event featuring CEO of Blumenthal Arts, Tom Gabbard.
Spring 2026 Speaker: Tom Gabbard
Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026
10:15 – 11 a.m.
Anne R. Belk Theater, Robinson Hall
Tom Gabbard has been CEO of @blumenthalarts since 2003. The Blumenthal’s 110 employees manage six theaters in Charlotte, hosting over 1,000 performances annually, as well as extensive education programs, immersive projects, and the Charlotte International Arts Festival.
During his tenure, the Blumenthal became a Top 10 market for touring Broadway shows in North America.
Tom is a Past President of the Independent Presenters Network (IPN), a consortium of 40 leading touring Broadway presenters in North America, Asia, and the U.K. Tony Awards as a co-producer/investor include for “Monty Python’s Spamalot,” “Thoroughly Modern Millie,” “La Cage aux Folles,” “RED,” “Pippin,” “Kinky Boots,” “The Color Purple Revival,” “Hello Dolly,” “Dear Evan Hansen,” “The Band’s Visit,” “Oklahoma!,” “Hadestown,” “A Strange Loop,” and “Lehman Trilogy.”
A member of the Board of Governors of the Broadway League, he serves on the Legislative Council and Finance and Intra-Industry Committees. He has been a voter for Broadway’s Tony Awards since 1997. In 2022, the League awarded Tom with Lifetime Tony Award Voter status. In 2012 the League awarded him the Samuel J. L’Hommedieu Award for Outstanding Achievement in Presenter Management.
The C-Suite Speaker Series brings business leaders to the UNC Charlotte campus to present to and interact with undergraduate and graduate students. Through their stories, successes, and lessons, speakers of the C-Suite Speaker Series provide a transformational experience for students. This series is organized several times a year by the @cltbelkcollege external relations team and the Niblock Student Center.