Lily Cabatu Weiss in the lobby of the Moody Performance Hall in Dallas’ Arts District. [Photo: Andres Palos]

Veteran arts leader Lily Cabatu Weiss will be stepping down from her role as executive director of the Dallas Arts District organization on Jan. 30, after leading the downtown cultural district since 2016.

“Lily Weiss has led the Dallas Arts District through transformational change over the past nine years,” Dallas Arts District Board Chair Jill Magnuson said in a statement. “By rolling up her sleeves and deeply engaging the neighborhood’s many diverse interests, we’ve been able to weather crises, enjoy dynamic growth and position the district for success in the future.”

Weiss said that leading the largest cultural district in the nation has been a personal and professional capstone to a lifetime in the arts.

“To be able to spend so much time supporting and promoting our city’s artists, this district, its premier arts and cultural institutions, parks, commercial and retail interests, historic churches, residents, an award-winning high school and all of the neighborhood stakeholders—being this community’s champion has been a blessing and an honor,” said Weiss, a former dancer, former educator, and longtime arts advocate.

The Dallas Arts District attracts more than 3 million visitors a year and generates more than $340 million in economic impact just from its cultural offerings.

Achievements in the Dallas Arts scene and beyond

DAD said that during Weiss’ tenure, she elevated the district as a major cultural tourism destination. She was a key contributor to the 2018 Dallas Cultural Plan, and oversaw creation of the CONNECT Master Plan, its first planning document in almost 40 years, which included the expansion of the district.

Many of the critical infrastructure improvements just getting underway in the district—including sidewalk replacements and public art—are due to Weiss’s perseverance and hard work, DAD said.

Weiss also enhanced the district’s branding and created the Signature Block Party Series—free, family-friendly events featuring regional and international artists attracting over 50,000 visitors.

She also led the local arts community through the financial devastation of the COVID pandemic.

And in both 2024 and 2025, USA TODAY readers ranked the Dallas Arts District number one of the 10 Best Arts Districts in the United States.

Weiss has made an impact at state and global level, too

Weiss has played a major role in arts advocacy in Dallas, in the state, and globally, DAD said.

She serves on the Steering Committee for the Dallas Area Cultural Advocacy Coalition (DACAC), helping to secure and increase city funding for the arts and for arts bond programs.

At the state level, Weiss serves on the board of Texans for the Arts, advocating in Austin to boost funding for the state agency, Texas Commission on the Arts (TCA), especially Cultural District Grant funding. Also, Weiss successfully worked to increase the number of smaller resident organizations in the district to be eligible for these significant grants. (The Dallas Arts District is home to 19 non-profit organizations.)

Weiss has been an ambassador on the national and global scene, representing the district at meetings and programs around the world, including the Global Cultural District Network, of which the Dallas Arts District is a founding member.

Tenure at Booker T. Washington High School 

Weiss has worked in the district since 1978, five years before the neighborhood was designated as the Dallas Arts District in 1983. A former dancer, She was recruited to join the faculty of Booker T. Washington High School of the Performing and Visual Arts by the school’s first director, legendary producer Paul Baker. She eventually became chair of the school’s dance department and became the school’s artistic director.

After 38 years, she retired from teaching in 2016 to become the Dallas Arts District Executive Director.

Leadership and pride of place

Magnuson, DAD’s outgoing board chair, will step in as interim executive director on Jan. 30. AT&T Performing Arts Center President & CEO Warren Tranquada will lead as incoming chair of the Dallas Arts District Board. Tranquada took over on Nov. 1.

Tranquada said the organization will launch a search for Weiss’ replacement in early 2026.

At 118 acres in the northeast corner of downtown, the Dallas Arts District is the largest urban cultural district in America.

Since its creation in 1983, the district has become home to 19 premier cultural organizations as well as world-class museums, performance halls, parks, as well as an arts magnet high school, historic churches, hotels, restaurants, retail, corporations, and residential units.

This district has more buildings designed by Pritzker award-winning architects than any location in the world.

DAD is a coalition of artistic, educational, and commercial neighbors that work together to elevate the city’s creative and economic life that supports a vibrant, diverse, and sustainable Arts District through advocacy, programs and events, and sustainable design. The organization is supported by a combination of dues, grants, fees and public improvement district revenue.

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