Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival Announces Kendra Ekelund as Managing Director

Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival has announced that Kendra Ekelund will join HVSF as the new Managing Director of the company. Ekelund will assume the role on November 7, 2022.

"As we approach year-end, there is so much to celebrate for HVSF," said artistic director Davis McCallum. "Our first season in our new home has given us a renewed sense of excitement about HVSF's bright future, and now we have the thrill of welcoming Kendra, a seasoned leader and performing arts aficionado, as our new Managing Director. I know her passion and expertise will be indispensable to our success, and I am honored to partner with her as we continue to evolve as an organization."

Ekelund joins the Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival following her most recent post as general manager of the Jacob Burns Film Center (JBFC) in Pleasantville, NY, where she managed the organization's finances, capital projects, human resources, cinema operations, technology, and systems. During her tenure, the JBFC welcomed over 200,000 visitors annually and expanded its theater facility from three to five screens. She also improved the organization's financial sustainability, took a leadership role in strategic and master planning, and helped form and manage their Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility (DEIA) committee. A community-focused arts leader, Ekelund's nonprofit management work centers around inclusion, accessibility, antiracism, and financial sustainability, with a deep commitment to empowering and uplifting artists. She is a Lower Hudson Valley native, raised in Ossining, NY. She lives in Mohegan Lake with her husband Bryan and their son, Alexander.

"I am honored and overjoyed to be joining HVSF. As an audience member, I have been endlessly inspired by HVSF's classical yet timely productions in breathtaking natural settings, which bring us outside of ourselves and open our hearts to be connected to shared human experiences," said Ekelund. "It is an absolute privilege to partner with Davis McCallum to help build a strong foundation for HVSF to thrive in its new home. There's so much to look forward to in this new season of growth, and I can't wait to roll up my sleeves and get to work with their incredible community of staff, board members, artists, and supporters."

The search was conducted by the Tom O'Connor Consulting Group, a prominent executive placement firm in the arts sector. Ekelund will replace Interim Managing Director David J. Roberts, whose 20 years of expertise in performing arts helped guide HVSF through its time of transition following former Managing Director Katie Liberman's departure in August.

Robin Arditi, board chair of HVSF, said "After a national search attracting an impressive slate of qualified candidates, we have fantastic new leadership joining our team and a successful season to reflect on. We're thrilled to continue planning for our future in tandem with the incredible community here in Philipstown."

HVSF recently concluded the 2022 Season, the first at their new site in Garrison, NY. The 2022 HVSF season included William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, directed by Gaye Taylor Upchurch and Anne Washburn's Mr. Burns, a Post-Electric Play, featuring music by Michael Friedman and directed by Davis McCallum. HVSF also welcomed the touring production of Where We Belong, written and performed by Madeline Sayet and directed by Mei Ann Teo, produced with Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company in association with Folger Shakespeare Library.

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