RiverRun executive director Rob Davis will retire on December 31, 2024. Davis has served as executive director since 2016. Mary Dossinger, who currently serves as RiverRun’s program manager, and Tiffany Jones, who serves as RiverRun’s development director, will serve as co-interim directors beginning January 1.

“On behalf of the entire RiverRun board of directors and the local film community, we owe Rob tremendous gratitude for his steady leadership and many accomplishments at RiverRun,” RiverRun board chair Denise Gunter said. “Rob oversaw RiverRun’s 25th anniversary celebration, the expansion of more year-round screenings, and the establishment of our Can Film Festival during the holiday season—not to mention providing wisdom and guidance during the pandemic a few years ago.”

Prior to joining RiverRun, Davis served as chief development officer for American Public Media Group in Florida. Earlier in his career, he was interim executive director of the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival and director of the DeSantis Center for Motion Picture Industry Studies for more than a decade. A noted author about the film industry, Davis is a graduate of Tennessee Technological University and Vanderbilt University.

“This has been an immensely personal journey for me, and I am incredibly proud of the work the team and I have done together and the relationships we have forged over the past eight years,” Davis said. “We have ensured that RiverRun remains a well-recognized arts organization associated with high-quality films, strategic thinking, collaboration, creativity, and a track record of critically acclaimed and commercially successful festivals and year-round programs.”

Davis is particularly proud of the following achievements at RiverRun under his leadership:

• Raised $4,555,103 from individuals, businesses, grants from 2016 through December 6, 2024.
• Saw box office revenue top $100,000 for the first time in the festival’s history.
• Saw record numbers of film submissions and largest single festival in 2024 featuring 197 films representing 77 countries.
• Expanded festival screenings to Greensboro and expanded year-round screenings to such locations as High Point, Yadkinville, Elkin, and Asheville.
• Created new series including RiverRun Retro, RiverRun Arts, and established the annual Can Film Festival in December to benefit the soup kitchen at Samaritan Ministries.
• Expanded partnerships locally and beyond with both arts organizations as well as community service organizations.
• Received such designations as “One of Ten Film Festivals Worth Traveling For” from “USA Today” and making the list of “Film Festivals Worth the Entry Fee” from “Filmmaker” magazine.
• Received a renewal of Academy Award Qualifying Status in Documentary Film and Animated Film from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
• Received two grants from the National Endowment for the Arts.
• Received Forsyth County funding for the first time in the festival’s history.
• Adopted new strategies to creatively and successfully manage the organization through the pandemic.