Bonnie Guttman is stepping down as director of the Dance Palace after a seven-year tenure during which she helped the community arts center stabilize its finances, navigate the pandemic and refocus its mission. Steven Siegel, the former C.E.O. of the Coastal Health Alliance, will serve as interim director while the board searches for a permanent replacement. “Bonnie is interested in exploring some other career opportunities,” said Barbara Jay, the nonprofit’s board president. “Seven years is a pretty good run, don’t you think? She’s worked really hard for us and for the community, and we thank her for her dedication.” When she took over, Ms. Guttman became the fifth person to lead the community center in just 10 years. Since then, she has raised over $1.3 million in grants, overseen improvements to the buildings and coordinated a strategic assessment aimed at broadening the nonprofit’s appeal to a wider cross-section of the community. Like all nonprofits, especially arts organizations, the Dance Palace was hit hard by the pandemic. Ms. Guttman dedicated herself to putting classes and events online and upgraded the organization’s audio-visual capacity while doing so. Fundraising became particularly urgent during the pandemic, when public gatherings and performances were canceled, reducing income from ticket sales and in-person classes. Meanwhile, as pandemic-fueled inflation drove up prices, more people needed assistance to participate in programs. “The number of families that need scholarships to participate in our afterschool and summer camp programs has doubled, and the dollar amount they need has also doubled,” Ms. Guttman said. “But the Dance Palace has always been on strong footing, and it’s going to continue to be fine,” she said. She has not yet settled on her next move but said it seemed like the right time to explore new horizons. “I’ve really enjoyed being able to serve the community, and I’m going to miss everybody,” she said.