Sunset Center executive director Peter Lesnik will leave his management role at the beginning of the year as the center’s board of trustees implements a new strategy under a new managing director.

In a statement issued Dec. 8, center officials said while the theater continues to be a sustainable operation, opportunities exist to develop revenues and use of the facility beyond performances.

Lesnik, who joined the center in 2008, will remain as a consultant and be responsible for seeking out and arranging shows, says SCC board chair Jim Price.

“This allows him to work independently and he will be developing other clients,” Price says.

Lesnik could not be immediately reached for comment.

Price says the board has identified a candidate to take over the managing director position, but declined to say if the candidate was from outside the area.

The City of Carmel owns the Sunset Center and contracts its management to the non-profit Sunset Cultural Center, Inc.