David T. Slatery Bio
David T. Slatery, Executive Director, Mass Cultural Council
David T. Slatery serves as the acting Executive Director of Mass Cultural Council, the Commonwealth’s independent state arts agency.
Appointed by the Agency’s governing Council in January 2026, he is responsible for providing executive leadership during the Agency’s search for a permanent Executive Director and works closely with the Council, senior leadership team, and staff to ensure continuity of Mass Cultural Council’s programs, services, grantmaking, and partnerships across the Commonwealth. This is Slatery’s second time serving as acting Executive Director; he previously led the Agency for seven months in 2020 during the transition following the retirement of former Executive Director Anita Walker.
Dave has served Mass Cultural Council as Deputy Executive Director since 2012, providing executive leadership, strategic counsel, and operational support to the Agency and its governing Council. He also serves as the Agency’s Chief Legal Officer.
A graduate of Allegheny College and the University of Chicago Law School, Dave began his career in business, finance, and real estate law. His connection to arts and culture administration developed through his work on affordable housing projects for artists while serving as General Counsel and Senior Executive Vice President of MassDevelopment, the Commonwealth’s economic development authority, from 1994 to 2005.
Throughout his career, Dave has held leadership positions in state government, practiced finance and real estate law, and served on the boards of community arts and civic organizations. These experiences have shaped his longstanding interest in the creative economy, arts-based redevelopment, and the role of arts and culture in strengthening communities and supporting economic vitality.
Earlier in his career, Dave was professionally associated with the law firms Bingham, Dana & Gould and Brann & Isaacson; the Massachusetts Port Authority; YouthBuild USA; Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts; the Lewiston-Auburn Arts Council in Maine; the Fort Point Cultural Coalition; and other public service and professional organizations.
Photo Credit: Cexar Media.