Editor's Note: Wallace announced her campaign for Park City Council as this issue was going to press. the interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.

I am totally lucky,” beams Betsy Wallace as she recounts her path to the helm of Park City Institute. While serendipity may have brought her to Utah twice within the past two decades—as CFO for American Skiing Company and CFO-turned-managing director of Sundance Institute—her lengthy CV shows a remarkable career of righting corporate ships and embracing nonprofit visions. Leaning into community, she’s served on the boards of nonprofits in California and Singapore and currently sits on five local boards. Here, Wallace talks about her goals for PCI and the role art plays in a ski town. 

Park City Magazine: How did you end up in Park City?
Betsy Wallace: In 2002, I was brought on as CFO for American Skiing Company. I missed the Olympics but stayed until we sold the company in 2009. I just happened to be at the right spot at the right time. American Skiing Company brought me here, and I loved every minute of it. 

Just two months after you retired from an eight-year stint at Sundance Institute, you’re taking on a new job—without pay. Why?
BW: When I stepped down from Sundance Institute, I really was planning to take time off. I had joined the Park City Institute board because Sundance was its largest vendor, and I wanted to make sure the Eccles Center was available for the [film] festival. Right as I was leaving Sundance, Park City Institute was starting the search for an executive director. So, I thought long and hard about it, and I said to my husband, “I love Park City, I love the arts and culture peppered around town, and I’d love to put my name in and see what they think.” When I went to the board, I explained that I didn’t expect favoritism, I just wanted the right person for the job—whether that was me or someone else. When Ari [Ioannides] called to say the board had voted and approved my new role, I was ecstatic from that moment. 

And no salary?
BW: No salary initially. I am lucky to be in a financial position not to take a salary for a while, which allows me to work with the solid, smart, creative team at Park City Institute and try to figure out how to get summer concerts back up and running. I want to do that before I draw a salary.

What are the goals you have for Park City Institute, and what challenges do you foresee as the nonprofit moves into a new season?
BW: The challenges are two-fold. One is to rebuild pillars of programming that support Park City’s residents and the tourists. Since COVID, we’ve had an influx/outflux of folks. So, how do we make sure that what we program rings home? The second is to make the Institute a financially stable organization for the long term. The goals work off those challenges. In terms of programming, we’re looking for dance, speakers, family performances, music, and catch-all acts that add something fun throughout the year. And we’re working hard on summer programming. We need to have a year-round presence—from community interest and financial perspectives.

Other than the lapsed Big Stars, Bright Nights concert series, what programming might make a comeback?
BW: Right now, we’re working with another nonprofit organization to create a partnership on a speaker series. I remember vividly when Teri Orr presented Edward Snowden, Monica Lewinsky, and Van Jones on The Eccles stage. I want to lean a little heavier into that programming. It will be interesting to see what resonates. 

What about student and community outreach programs?
BW: I want to make sure we have accessibility to the arts for folks throughout Park City. It’s invaluable. You never know what’s going to stick and how it will embrace your soul. 

Do you have a favorite aspect of the performing arts?
BW: The aftereffect. In other words, the discussion. Sundance instilled in me this sense of community bonding and learning from, in that case, a filmmaker’s voice. At Park City Institute, that voice is in music, it’s in dance… Everything is a narrative or physical piece of storytelling, and I love that aspect. 

What role can the arts play in a ski town?
BW: Art has a way of transcending location, enhancing the overall experience in Park City—not replacing anything. It allows for people to engage throughout the day. We had a stellar snow season this year, but it won’t always be so stellar. Snow conditions will flip-flop over time. That’s where arts and culture can add.

If you could book anyone to perform on The Eccles Center stage, who would it be?
BW: A speaker. Somebody like the president of Ukraine, a guy who was an actor-comedian and became a leader, not only leading a country, but leading a war. How somebody could stand up, take that role, and be remarkable in that role—however you may feel about it—is just stunning. I’d like to bring a leader like that to the stage. 

For more information about Park City Institute’s upcoming shows and events, visit parkcityinstitute.org 

Off-stage BW Tidbits

Hometown: 
San Marino, California

Spouse: 
Ed Godycki 

Go-to eatery before/after an Eccles show: 
Boneyard 

Hobbies/interests: 
Skiing, biking, hiking, traveling, and getting involved in the community 

Favorite band/performer: Parsons Dance 

Most inspiring person ever met:  Two people, Madeleine Albright 
and Van Jones