Daniel B. Hogan, executive director at the Harvard Square nonprofit Passim, is stepping down in June. (Photo: Dan Tappan)

The board of directors at the Harvard Square music nonprofit Passim has begun a search for a new executive director after seven-year leader Daniel B. Hogan announced his retirement Thursday. He plans to step down from the position June 30, a Passim press release said.

“I’ve been involved with Passim for 11 wonderful years, the first four as a member of the board of directors and the last seven as executive director,” Hogan said. “It’s time for me to devote more time to my family, friends and other favorite interests. But I look forward to staying involved in a smaller way. My hope is that I have left Passim in excellent shape in order to begin the next phase of its growth.”

Passim staff said Hogan had been focused on the long-term sustainability of the Harvard Square mainstay, where roots as a nightclub date back to its opening as a jazz venue in 1958 under the name Club 47. It now includes the Club Passim folk music club, the Passim School of Music, grant-making Iguana Music Fund – this year 25 artists shared $45,924 in grants – and events-focused arm, Passim Presents, which puts on the annual BCMFest and campfire. festivals, among others. Passim now offers more than 400 shows each year.

“Over the past seven years, he has eliminated all debt, built a solid cash reserve, significantly broadened [Passim’s] donor base and established excellent relationships with virtually every constituency,” the organization said in a press release. “Today, the organization boasts a strong, talented staff and a board with depth, vision and dedication.”

The most recent advance under Hogan’s leadership: a liquor license and launch of The Kitchen at Passim. Bringing on chef Brandon Arms in March to replace the departed Veggie Planet restaurant, he opened the business to all-day activities instead of being focused solely on the evenings. Arms and Hogan said a seven-day Passim breakfast and weekend brunch were on the way, with morning music aimed at children, as well as free, live lunchtime music as a platform for up-and-coming artists, likely starting at one day a week.

“When Dan took the helm at Passim, it was immediately clear that we had found the right person at the right time,” said Jerry Potts, chairman of Passim’s board. “After seven years, he leaves a legacy that proves the organization can be successful financially while still achieving its artistic mission. Thanks in large part to Dan’s work, I’m incredibly optimistic about the future of Passim and we will move forward with a commitment to build on his work. ”

Matt Smith, managing director at Passim, said it had “been an honor to work with Dan over the past seven years … His passionate belief in the mission of the organization, combined with his leadership and business acumen, has put the organization on a path to long-term stability. His retirement leaves big shoes to fill, and I’ll forever be grateful for the work he has done.”

In a long letter to the Passim community dated back to April, Hogan explained his history at the organization:

I came to Passim as a patron in the mid-’60s while attending Harvard Law School. After moving to Concord in the ’80s to raise my children, I returned a little more than a decade ago and began taking guitar lessons from Janet Feld, one of Passim’s longest-serving instructors.

My youngest daughter Haley is responsible for my deeper involvement with Passim. I took her into Daedalus at 47 Mt. Auburn St. to show her where the original club was. The bartender knew nothing of the history but showed me a Club 47 flier made by Byron Linardos from the ’60s that someone had brought in several weeks before. It bothered me that they had this piece of history, so I returned to ask the owners, Laurence and Brendan Hopkins, if I could give it to Passim. The transfer took place at an event on the evening of the departure of the director of development.

Several of the board members present asked if I would be interested in joining the board. After a number of interviews, the board offered me a position. I was honored and agreed. One thing led to another and three years later I became executive director. That was 2008, Passim’s 50th year.

This post took significant amounts of material from a press release.