Pepe Montero will become the permanent executive director (Image: Hugo House)

Capitol Hill literary arts center Hugo House announced a new leader this week. The 11th Ave nonprofit announced Pepe Montero has accepted the position of permanent executive director.

The appointment marks the culmination of what it says has been an eighteen-month recovery period for the Capitol Hill literary center, which narrowly avoided permanent closure in early 2024.

“The path to this announcement began during one of the most difficult chapters in Hugo House’s history,” the announcement reads. “We found ourselves with a mostly new board and a completely overwhelming question: who could we get to run the place?”

The transition from interim to permanent leadership comes after a challenging period for the arts organization. CHS reported here in early 2024 as its then-director resigned amid ongoing challenges.

Hugo House was founded in 1996 and had been well-positioned among Capitol Hill and the city’s strongest arts nonprofits. In 2018, it opened its new 9,600-square-foot writing center on the ground floor of the new mixed-use apartment building developed on the corner Hugo House has called home since the late 1990s.

But in March 2024, facing years of operational deficits, Hugo says the previous board considered dissolving the nonprofit. After consulting with founders and early donors, a largely new board was formed to save the institution. It was during this restructuring that that Hugo says Montero, then a board member, volunteered to step into the operational role.

Hugo said in the announcement that over the last year and a half, Montero’s leadership has been defined by fiscal stabilization and labor agreement success. Working alongside the center’s staff, Montero moved the organization from significant deficits to a balanced budget. Additionally, he successfully negotiated two collective bargaining agreements with the staff union, establishing sustainable working conditions.

According to the Hugo House board, the focus has been on making the organization “more equitable, accessible, responsive, and resilient.”

“Pepe has worked together with our dedicated, knowledgeable, and hardworking staff to keep Hugo House’s doors open,” the organization said in the announcement. “Under his direction, Hugo House has revamped financial systems and controlled expenses… ensuring more sustainable working conditions.”

Beyond financial triage, the center has revitalized its programming to better reflect community needs. This includes expanding in-person events and cementing partnerships with local arts organizations.

While the appointment signals stability, Hugo House says that the recovery process is ongoing and reliant on continued donor and volunteer engagement.

“The work isn’t done; this isn’t a mission-accomplished moment for the organization. But Hugo House is on its way back,” the announcement reads. “We’re grateful to all of you—everyone in our community who has made donations, volunteered, taken a class, or attended an event—and we need you more than ever.”

Hugo House is located at 1634 11th Ave. Learn more at hugohouse.org.

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