BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – New leadership roles were recently announced amongst some of IU Auditorium and Indiana University long-tenured events and venue management staff. Maria Talbert, Mike Santa, Brandon Cavaness, and Doug Booher have all been elevated to new roles within Indiana University.

  

Maria Talbert, CVE, has been elevated to Executive Director of IU Auditorium after having served the venue for 20 years, first as Events Manager and then as Managing Director. She has been on staff at Indiana University since 1999, starting as Director of Marketing and Publicity for the IU Jacobs School of Music. Talbert also is a member of IAVM and APAP, and currently serves as the Region 2 Director for IAVM as well as the chair of the Scholarship Committee. Throughout her career, she has worked to enhance community connection and engagement on campus, in Bloomington, and through the region, supporting the role artists and venues play in creating positive change in communities.  

  

Mike Santa, CVP, has been named Executive Director of University Events after spending eight years as General Manager of IU Event Services. Santa now oversees all Indiana University ceremonies, commencements, and high-profile events. Graduating from IU in 2013 with a master’s degree in athletic administration, Santa has been on staff since that time. Over the years, he has held roles including Graduate Manager of IU’s men’s basketball team and Director of Ceremonial Events for the university. Santa is dedicated to providing excellent service to the students and patrons of IU events and has a deep passion for all things Hoosiers. 

  

Brandon Cavaness now serves as Director of Event Systems for University Events, IU Auditorium, Events Services, and IU Conferences. He is the lead liaison for the longstanding relationship between IU and Ticketmaster and unifies event systems over all four units into more effective and efficient platforms. Cavaness has been at IU since graduating from the university in 2010 and has a deep passion for the Bloomington community and the intersection of technology and live entertainment.

 

Doug Booher, CVE, has been appointed as Assistant Vice President of Events and Conferences at IU. In this expanded role, Booher leads multiple units on campus and throughout the university system including Event Services, University Events, IU Conferences, and IU Auditorium. In his role for these units, he offers leadership, creative and operational expertise for all professional arts and entertainment, athletic, executive, advancement, ceremonial, and conference events and venues on IU’s campuses. Together, these units serve well over one million guests each year. Furthermore, he serves on IAVM’s Board of Regents and is a former chair of IAVM’s Board of Directors. Booher has presented extensively in areas of expert guest service and event management throughout his career and serves as an adjunct lecturer in IU’s O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs.