CLEVELAND: Karamu House has named Tony Sias as its new president and chief executive officer. Sias will succeed interim executive director Patricia Egan.

“We are delighted to have Tony lead Karamu into its [next] 100 years,” said Karamu board president David M. Reynolds in a statement. “He is a top talent in the arts and education field, and he truly underscores the renaissance Karamu House is experiencing.”

Sias will be leaving his post as the director of arts education for the Cleveland Metropolitan School District to assume the role. He has also served as the artistic director of Cleveland School of the Arts. For the past decade, Sias has helmed the All-City Musical, an annual co-production with Great Lakes Theater bringing 50 students from 20 schools together for a full-production in Playhouse Square. Sias has directed multiple productions and performed at Karamu House.

Leading Karamu “means having an opportunity to rebuild trust with the community in Cleveland and nationally,” said Sias in a statement. “It means becoming the citadel of African-American cultural arts in this country.”