Educational Theatre Foundation Welcomes Two New Board Members

The Educational Theatre Foundation will welcome two new members to its national board of trustees for the 2022-2024 term, adding to the existing pool of prominent leaders from a diverse range of industries including entertainment, finance, hospitality, law, education, and nonprofit theatre, all with a common passion for theatre education.

Joining the board is Brisa Carleton, CEO of the Princess Grace Foundation, which provides millions of dollars in grants to performing artists to uphold Princess Grace [Kelly] of Monaco's global legacy. One of only 100 investors in the global smash hit, "Hamilton," Carleton is a two-time Tony Award-winning Broadway investor and "40 Under 40" award-winning entrepreneur featured in the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, and the Financial Times.

"I am honored to join the ranks of the Educational Theatre Foundation and work toward realizing our shared belief that every child in America deserves access to theatre education in school," said Carleton, emphasizing her passionate stance on arts philanthropy.

Prior to joining the Princess Grace Foundation, Carleton served as Director of Innovation for Broadway.com and Broadway Across America. She also serves on the board of the Denver Center for the Performing Arts and has served multiple terms as a theatre panelist for the National Endowment of the Arts. Carleton has a degree in music, an MBA in finance, and a certificate in Sports & Entertainment from Harvard Business School.

Also joining the board is Julie Cohen Theobald, who announced earlier this month that she is stepping down as the executive director of the Educational Theatre Association (EdTA), the parent organization of the Educational Theatre Foundation. After 10 years at the helm of the association, Theobald leaves to assume the role of executive director of the Court of Master Sommeliers, Americas.

"This work has always been more than a job for me. The mission of supporting theatre education is personal, stemming from my own experience in theatre as a child. Now it truly becomes part of my personal mission, as I shift from an employee to a volunteer," said Theobald, who will become an appointed trustee on the board. "As I reflect on the mission and the past decade's accomplishments, I am so proud of the birth of ETF."

Theobald was instrumental in developing the foundation during her tenure at EdTA, growing a network of charitable funders to support theatre programs in underserved schools and communities. Additionally, she doubled EdTA's operating budget and brought membership levels to an all-time high. Theobald holds an MBA from the University of Chicago in business economics and marketing, and a BA from Duke University in public policy. Prior to working at EdTA/ETF, she was a successful brand manager at Procter & Gamble, launching and growing brands like Febreze and Tide to unprecedented sales levels.

The EdTA board has launched a national search for its next executive director to lead day-to-day operations and fulfill the organization's vision and mission of shaping lives through theatre education.

Both Carleton and Theobald will serve three-year terms on the ETF board of trustees, beginning in January 2022.