Interim Executive Director, Clayton Center for the Arts

Christy McDonald Slavick received her bachelor’s degree from Carson-Newman College in 2005, and after a month abroad in Prague, Czech Republic, as an English as a Second Language teacher moved to Washington, D.C. While working on her master’s in American Studies at The George Washington University, she served as program coordinator for the Shakespeare Theatre Company and its partnership with GWU’s Academy for Classical Acting, an MFA program for professional actors. Managing all elements of the program, she began her career in relationship-building by working with agencies in New York, Los Angeles and D.C., and coordinated performances at the Harman Center for the Arts in downtown Washington.

From 2010 to 2012, she served as the career information coordinator for the university’s Career Center, delivering career coaching to undergraduate, graduate and alumni regarding job search strategies, resume and other skills critical to career advancement. In 2012, she became a founding member of Lead Academy Elementary School, where he was licensed as a teacher and helped develop unit plans and daily teaching points aligned with Common Core Standards, among other duties.

In 2014, her own career led her to Maryville College, where she joined the staff as director of career resources in the MC Career Center. Through developing and fostering relationships with employers and organizations, she began her first forays into MC advocacy in the broader East Tennessee community, building job and internship opportunities with external partners for MC students and graduates. A year later, she was promoted to director of the Career Center, leading an office that supports an average of 700 one-to-one student appointments and hosts 250 employer engagement opportunities, 110 in-class workshops and assists students in producing more than 500 resumes, cover letters and essays annually.

Her fundraising efforts led to the development and build-out of a new space in MC’s Bartlett Hall, and in 2021, she advanced to the role of executive director of strategic initiatives at Maryville College. In that role, she worked directly with the president, Cabinet and Board of Directors to ensure relevance and alignment with the president’s identified areas of focus.

As part of her responsibilities, she also served as a representative of the president on and off campus, engaging with peers and joining committees including the Downtown Maryville Association (where she served as board chair), the Sky City Initiative’s entrepreneurial efforts, the Blount Chamber’s Workforce Development Committee and more. At MC, she’s taken active leadership and partnership roles in the Bicentennial Strategic Planning Commission, Staff Council, the Strategic Partnership Group and others. In July 2023, she was named as the interim executive director of the Clayton Center for the Arts, a $47.5 million fine arts center and performance space built as a cooperative venture with local, state and federal governments in 2010. In addition to overseeing day-to-day operations, her focus is on strengthening local and community relationships with the Clayton Center as well as improving the facility’s overall financial position.