Douglas C. Evans
Douglas C. Evans is the President and CEO of the Palm Beach Chamber of Commerce and Chief Executive Officer of Premiere Global Partners with over 30 years of experience in the nonprofit, cultural, and arts sectors. He is a nationally recognized executive specializing in institutional advancement, strategic partnerships, and organizational transformation, having raised hundreds of millions of dollars throughout his career to support cultural and educational initiatives. Doug is also an award-winning theatrical producer and the founding president of a classical music radio network that reached over 350,000 listeners weekly.
Since December 2022, Doug has served as President and CEO of the Palm Beach Chamber of Commerce, where he is leading the organization during one of the most dynamic times in Palm Beach history, with $30 billion in resources coming to the area in the past two years alone. His vision includes creating a “mosaic of opportunities and solutions” for the diverse influx of people and businesses relocating to Palm Beach.
As the voice for business in the community, Doug brings his extensive experience in fundraising, strategic planning, and partnership building to advance the Chamber’s mission. Concurrently, he has maintained his role as Chief Executive Officer of Premiere Global Partners since 2007, demonstrating his capacity to successfully manage multiple high-level positions. Read Evolution: Palm Beach Chamber of Commerce President/CEO Doug Evans.
Doug’s most recent executive role before joining the Chamber was as Chief Philanthropy Officer at The Guy Harvey Foundation, where he led fundraising efforts for the ocean conservation organization. Prior to that, he served as Chief Development, Marketing, and Communications Officer for the Pérez Art Museum Miami from June 2018 to October 2019, overseeing an institution with annual revenue of $17 millionand leading an advancement and marketing team of 19 professionals. His responsibilities included all contributed revenue, earned revenue support, including special events, as well as governance and nominations.
From 2014 to 2018, Doug served as Chief Executive Officer of the YMA Fashion Scholarship Fund, an international organization founded in 1937 that provides scholarships, internships, and mentoring to college students. During his tenure, the organization awarded approximately $1 million in scholarships annually and placed nearly 100 interns in the fashion industry through the DKC/O&M Fashion Scholarship Fund. Under his leadership, the 2015 Geoffrey Beene National Scholarship Awards Dinner raised a record-breaking $3.4 million from a record-breaking crowd of 1,300 guests.
Read YMA Fashion Scholarship Fund Names Douglas C. Evans Executive Director.
A significant achievement in Doug’s career was founding Classical South Florida Public Radio in 2007, where he served as President until December 2012. The network broadcasts on 89.7FM in the Palm Beaches and 88.7FM in Naples, Marco Island, and Ft. Myers, reaching over 350,000 people each week from the Palm Beaches to the Keys. Listen to WSMR Classical Homepage | WUSF.
As an entrepreneur in the international entertainment sector, Doug served as Chief Operating Officer of Nederlander Worldwide Entertainment and President of Broadway China Ventures from 2005 to 2006. During this time, he was responsible for establishing offices in Beijing and Shanghai, as well as creating a network of 25 theaters nationwide in mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macao.
Earlier in his career, Doug spent a decade as the Chief Executive Officer of the Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts in Hartford, Connecticut, from 1990 to 2000, where he transformed it into one of the top touring producers and presenters in the United States, raising more than $100 million during his tenure.
Doug earned his Certificate in Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School in 2003, where he conducted in-depth studies on the effect of public policy on the nonprofit sector. He studied Classical Music and Music Education at Purdue University Fort Wayne. He also earned a Certificate in Human Resources and Customer Service from Disney University in 1995 and completed extensive media training in Non-Profit/Public/Organizational Management at Tanaka and Company Media and Public Relations in New York City from 1993 to 1995.
Throughout his career, Doug has worked with numerous stars, including Martha Stewart, Jessica Simpson, Willard Scott, Barbara Cook, Carol Lawrence, Nell Carter, Ann Miller, Keith Lockhart, Juliet Prowse, John Raitt, Shirley MacLaine, and Paula Zahn.
Doug has held numerous other significant positions throughout his career, including Executive Director of the Connecticut Commission on Culture and Tourism from 2002 to 2003, Chief Executive Officer of the Stamford Center for the Arts from 2003 to 2005, and Managing and Producing Director of The Old Globe in San Diego from 2000 to 2002.
He served as a volunteer President of The Society for the Preservation of the Great American Songbook from 2012 to 2017 and has been the Founding Chairman of The World Affairs Council of Palm Beach since January 2012. As a prolific producer and presenter of over 100 Broadway musicals and plays, Doug has also achieved success as an award-winning writer and producer of the Off-Broadway production Spring at the Willowbrook Inn since July 2012.
Among his many honors, Doug received The Renaissance Award from The Greater Hartford Chamber of Commerce in May 1998 for his contributions to the economic and cultural growth of the Greater Hartford region.
Doug is fluent in German and maintains an active presence in the community through various board memberships and volunteer positions. As he explained his leadership philosophy: “It’s all about being in the moment and telling yourself, ‘How hard can it be?’ In every situation in my career when presented with an opportunity, not a challenge or problem, I approach it with that statement and attitude.”
Doug currently resides in Palm Beach, Florida, where he remains an influential figure in the business, cultural, and philanthropic communities. His dynamic public speaking abilities and genuine passion for creating opportunities for the next generation have made him a sought-after leader in both the nonprofit and for-profit sectors.
Visit his LinkedIn profile and Concordia profile.