Cara Fleck Plewinski Appointed Interim Executive Director of The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center
July 23, 2026
She will serve in the role until June 30, 2027.
Cara Fleck Plewinski will serve as the interim executive director of The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center (“The Clarice”) from August 10, 2026 until June 30, 2027. She was appointed by College of Arts and Humanities Dean Stephanie Shonekan, in consultation with leaders and staff of The Clarice, to fill this role as the current Executive Director Terry Dwyer prepares to step down from leadership in August.
Since 2024, Fleck Plewinski has been the senior director for general management and strategic initiatives at The Clarice where she has led transformative programmatic initiatives that position The Clarice as a hub for arts innovation and social impact. She also provides operational oversight for community engagement, development and guest experience, fostering collaboration and creativity while advancing The Clarice's efforts to build a thriving, inclusive workplace.
Her career spans leadership roles in marketing, communications, arts management and music performance. An alumna of the University of Maryland's School of Music, she has worked at UMD since 2010, with prior communications roles in the School of Music, Transportation Services and the Student Affairs vice president’s office before joining The Clarice. She has also served as artistic administrator for Gourmet Symphony, a D.C.-based nonprofit reimagining the classical music experience through creative pairings of music, food and drink. She is also a professional harpist with over 20 years of experience freelancing in the D.C. area. Fleck Plewinski holds a Master's in Arts Management from American University and is passionate about leveraging the arts to connect people and inspire meaningful change across communities.
She will work closely with guest experience staff, production teams, educators, faculty, administrators, student employees, staff, guest artists and artistic partners to build on Terry Dwyer’s legacy, which includes successfully securing a $5 million bequest from the Smith Family Foundation, and launching partnerships with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and Carnegie Hall’s youth ensembles.
The College of Arts and Humanities leadership is committed to seeing The Clarice continue to thrive as a center for creativity, collaboration and community engagement.
Photo by Taneen Momeni.