Paul Organisak is the executive director of the Pittsburgh Dance Council & vice president of programming for The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust. Organisak previously worked for the Pittsburgh Dance Council from 1988 – 1991 as associate director and director of development. Organisak returned to his native Pittsburgh when he accepted the executive director position of the Pittsburgh Dance Council in 2001, leading the overall management and programming.  Effective January 2002, the Pittsburgh Dance Council merged with and became a division of The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust. In November 2004, Organisak assumed the additional role of vice president of Programming for the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust. In this capacity, he is responsible for all Trust programming activities, including the PNC Broadway Across America – Pittsburgh series, CD Live concerts, and the Cohen and Grigsby Trust Presents series.

Prior to his work with the Pittsburgh Dance Council, Organisak served as the executive director of Dance Umbrella in Boston, which was New England’s largest, year-round presenter of contemporary dance performance. Organisak also spent nine years as the executive director of the American College Dance Festival Association (ACDFA), the service organization for dance in higher education. He oversaw the organization and execution of regional college/university dance festivals, which featured a wide-range of master classes, lecture/demonstrations, and adjudicated performances. He also produced the biennial national college dance festivals at the Kennedy Center.

Organisak has served on a number of panels, including the PA Council on the Arts, Mid-Atlantic Arts Foundation, National College Choreography Initiative funding panel, the Goals 2000 Arts Education Planning Process and Partnership, and many others discussing arts management, dance presentation, funding, and dance in higher education. He currently serves as chair of the Presenting Council of Dance/USA. Paul holds a degree from the University of Michigan/Ann Arbor.

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