Steppenwolf Names Kara Henry New Director of Marketing and Communications

Theatre Company welcomes Kara Henry as Director of Marketing and Communications. Henry most recently was an Executive Vice President at Leo Burnett Chicago, where her tenure included leadership on the KraftHeinz business as well as Kellogg's. Prior to Leo Burnett, Henry spent a significant stretch of her career with JWT in New York, London, Toronto and Hamburg, where she had global remits - including the launch and management of their Hamburg operation.

"We are thrilled to bring Kara on board to lead our Marketing and Communications departments. After a thorough search, we concluded that the perspective that Kara brings from her experiences at world-renowned advertising agencies, her corporate experience and her personal passion for theatre are the perfect combination of traits for this role. She brings a wealth of expertise in brand management, advertising and a personal mission to shift her focus to the world of non-profit theatre. We know that she will be a wonderful addition to Steppenwolf's team," shares Executive Director David Schmitz.

"As somebody who has always had great respect for the brands I have managed over the years, the responsibility to steward the health of Steppenwolf is particularly precious to me as I have a deep conviction that the work Steppenwolf produces and provokes for our community (both near and far) provides a tremendous benefit to our civil well-being. It is with an equal measure of confidence as well as sweaty palms humility that my experiences nurturing consumer connections to brands in the "private sector" will bring a new perspective to Steppenwolf - and help this exceptional theatre thrive and flourish with audiences in the seasons to come," comments Kara Henry.

As Director of Marketing and Communications, Kara Henry will oversee all aspects of Steppenwolf's audience development and retention, brand management, earned ticket sales and box office services. Reporting to the Executive Director, serving as a member of Steppenwolf's senior management team and working closely with both the Artistic Director, Ensemble and the Board of Trustees, the Director of Marketing and Communications leads a sophisticated and customer-centric team of 18 full-time and more than 20 part-time staff which creates and executes strategies and tactics to meet Steppenwolf's institutional goals.

Steppenwolf Theatre Company is the nation's premier ensemble theater. Formed by a collective of actors in 1976, the ensemble represents a remarkable cross-section of actors, directors and playwrights. Thrilling and powerful productions from Balm in Gilead to August: Osage County-and accolades that include the National Medal of Arts and 12 Tony Awards-have made the theater legendary. Steppenwolf produces hundreds of performances and events annually in its three spaces: the 515-seat Downstairs Theatre, the 299-seat Upstairs Theatre and the 80-seat 1700 Theatre. Artistic programming includes a seven-play season; a two-play Steppenwolf for Young Adults season; Visiting Company engagements; and LookOut, a multi-genre performances series. Education initiatives include the nationally recognized work of Steppenwolf for Young Adults, which engages 15,000 participants annually from Chicago's diverse communities; the esteemed School at Steppenwolf; and Professional Leadership Programs for arts administration training. While firmly grounded in the Chicago community, nearly 40 original Steppenwolf productions have enjoyed success both nationally and internationally, including Broadway, Off-Broadway, London, Sydney, Galway and Dublin. Anna D. Shapiro is the Artistic Director and David Schmitz is the Executive Director. Eric Lefkofsky is Chair of Steppenwolf's Board of Trustees. For additional information, visit steppenwolf.org, facebook.com/steppenwolftheatre,twitter.com/steppenwolfthtr and instagram.com/steppenwolfthtr.