James Petsche

As executive assistant, James (Jim) Petsche directly supports the executive director and works with the executive management team to help advance strategic priorities. Jim works closely with the Wexner Center Foundation Board of Trustees and the entire Wexner Center for the Arts staff and manages the office of the executive director. Jim applies deep institutional knowledge and a multidisciplinary arts perspective to various initiatives. He embodies the center’s values, evident in the care he gives to the center’s guests and patrons, associates, visiting artists, community members, and across The Ohio State University campus.
 
Jim started with the Wexner Center’s Advancement Department in 1999 as a grant proposal writer and member of the corporate giving team. In 2005, Jim’s peers recognized him with the Mark Tappen Award for outstanding service, reflecting the spirit and ideals of the center. 
 
Jim started his career in journalism. A newspaper reporter and editor, he wrote hundreds of human-interest stories. Jim’s writing earned him an Associated Press award for community service reporting. He has a lifelong interest in the issues that affect others and supports the center’s commitment to civic discourse, freedom of expression, and robust dialogue.
 
Active in the arts, Jim directs and acts in community theater productions and has served as president and vice president of Curtain Players in Westerville/Galena, Ohio. Curtain Players recognized Jim’s outstanding contributions with its highest honor, the Richard Near Award.