San Francisco Symphony
Assink joined the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra's (SPCO) artistic operations department in 1981. Six years later in 1987 he became the SPCO manager. In 1990, Assink became the general manager of the San Francisco Symphony, returning to the SPCO as president in 1994. In 1999, Assink became the executive director of the San Francisco Symphony, a position he held until 2017.