Larry Wright has been appointed Managing Director of Bellevue Arts Museum, effective October 3, 2011. Previously he led the National Mentoring Partnership in Washington, DC. There, he was responsible for the strategic oversight of the organization which delivers services to more than 5,000 member organizations across the country. During his tenure, the organization doubled its support from corporations, restarted a $30 million federal grant, increased net assets and raised its national profile with a series of events that included the President and First Lady as well as a number of cabinet members.
Before becoming CEO of the National Mentoring Partnership, Wright was the Executive Director of their regional affiliate, Washington State Mentors. During that time, the institution grew to become one of the most successful mentoring partnerships in the country. Wright helped quadruple the organization’s membership and increase its budget ten-fold. With Wright as Executive Director, the organization doubled state funding through legislative advocacy and secured a multi-million dollar grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
Prior to his work at Washington State Mentors, Wright worked at CBS Radio in Seattle and as the Marketing Director for the College Success Foundation. He received his Ph.D. in Communications from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and has taught at Seattle University. His academic research centered on the capacity of non-profit organizations to bring about meaningful change at the community level. He received his BA and MA from Washington State University. Committed to community service, he has served as an elected official on his local county council and as a commissioner on the Washington State Commission on Homelessness.