Tania Castroverde Moskalenko (photo courtesy of The Center for the Performing Arts)

The Carmel Center for the Performing Arts has a new leader.

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Community leaders announced Friday that Tania Castroverde Moskalenko will take over as President and CEO in mid-August. Moskalenko is currently Executive Director of the Germantown Performing Arts Centre in Memphis, Tennessee. She's credited with steering that facility through the economic downturn and reviving it by with using a five-year strategic plan. Her plan included recruiting the board and programming numerous venues associated with the facility in addition to gathering community partnerships. Moskalenko streamlined Germantown which had been operating under a $500,000 deficit and created a $300,000 surplus.

She replaces interim CEO Frank Basile who'll go back into retirement. Basile says Moskalenko brings energy, love of the arts and entrepreneurial spirit to the job. Moskalenko says the new post is a great fit because she dreamed of creating a similar facility in Memphis. She has five kids including young twins and a background in theatre and dance. She holds a B.A from the University of Memphis.

Basile adds that thanks to $5.3 million this year, the Carmel center is back in the black and will close the fiscal year June 30th with a balanced budget. Carmel City Council President Rick Sharp says council is also mulling over an arts appropriation of $1.3 million for the new fiscal year. Sharp says about $800,000 of that will go toward the Carmel Center for the Performing Arts. Council takes up the issue at its next meeting Monday night.