Biography

Shane Fernando has been serving in the public and arts administration fields for over twenty years; one major focus of his work has been developing programs and opportunities to engage students in his organizations’ work, leading to the major tenet of CFCC’s Wilson Center mission – “to serve as a laboratory for student learning.”

Fernando oversees the CFCC Foundation and institutional development, administering one of the state’s largest community college scholarship endowments. He also serves as executive & artistic director of the Wilson Center, eastern North Carolina’s largest and most technologically advanced performing arts center, and Broadway national touring house. In 2019, the North American Performing Arts Managers & Agents recognized him as Presenter of the Year.

He previously served at UNC Wilmington as Director of Campus Life Arts and Programs and taught as an adjunct faculty member in the UNCW Department of Communication Studies. Fernando earned a communication studies degree and a master’s degree in public administration from UNC Wilmington. As senior class president, he conceived and spearheaded the concept and fundraising for the UNCW Millennium Clock Tower, which still is the largest student-organized gift project in the nation. After graduation, he moved to Washington, DC, to work in the U.S. Senate. He currently serves as a trustee for Thalian Hall Center for the Performing Arts. He is also the programming consultant for the Hall, overseeing the booking of the Main Attractions Series.

Fernando serves as president of the North Carolina Presenters Consortium and serves on the advisory board for the Masters of Public Administration program at UNC Wilmington; he is also a board member for the Coastal Horizons Center, Arts North Carolina, as well as the Arts Council of Wilmington and New Hanover County. He is also a member of the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA).

Fernando also serves as a trustee for Dance/USA. He served for four years as an advisor to the National Dance Project by the New England Foundation for the Arts; he is also a cohort member of the South Arts Dance Touring Initiative, advocating for the dance genre across the American South. His work at the Wilson Center supports the creation and development of new work, including techs for national Broadway tours and dance companies, most recently the workshopping of BD Wong’s new musical “Mr. Holland’s Opus”.

He has been recognized for three years as one of the “WilmingtonBiz 100″, representing the region’s top power players impacting Southeastern North Carolina, as well as “Most Intriguing People of 2014” by the Greater Wilmington Business Journal, “One of the 12 to Watch in 2015” by the Wilmington StarNews, and was recognized as the “Best Director of a Musical” for the Wilmington Theatre Awards in 2015. He has been a director, property master, and actor in over 150 Wilmington theatre productions. Shane is also a backyard beekeeper.

Education

• Bachelor of Arts (B.A.), Communication Studies, University of North Carolina Wilmington
• Master of Public Administration (M.P.A.), University of North Carolina Wilmington

Awards and Publications

• Presenter of the Year, North American Performing Arts Managers and Agents, 2019
• WilmingtonBiz 100 Top Power Player, Wilmington Greater Business Journal, 2019
• UNC Wilmington, MPA Program, Alumnus of the Year, 2016
• Best Director of a Musical, Wilmington Theatre Awards, 2015