California Shakespeare Theater Announces Appointment Of Rozella Kennedy As New Director Of Development

California Shakespeare Theater (Cal Shakes) Artistic Director Eric Ting and Interim Managing Director Tirzah Tyler announced today the arrival of Rozella Kennedy as the organization's new Director of Development. Kennedy comes to Cal Shakes with more than 25 years of vast management experience across many sectors, ranging from arts and cultural organizations to the ACLU.

Originally from New York, Kennedy began her career in media, working in editorial management roles at Paris Passion magazine, Mothering magazine, Oxygen.com, Time Inc., and other media institutions. She helped establish three nonprofit organizations in New Mexico, where she lived for 12 years: the NM Centennial Commemoration, Creative Santa Fe, and the nationally acclaimed Santa Fe New Music (SFNM). She co-founded SFNM and helped lead the organization to many accolades, including 100 performances, nine major commissions, 39 world premieres, five American premieres, and the 2010 Santa Fe Mayor's Award for Excellence in the Arts. An alumna of New York's Brearley School, she holds degrees from Tufts University and the Université de Paris, Sorbonne.

"We're thrilled that Rozie is joining the Cal Shakes family," commented Artistic Director Eric Ting. "I know that her depth of knowledge, creative spirit, and wide-ranging experience will bring a strong focus to our efforts to improve the long-term sustainability of Cal Shakes."

"I'm so excited to welcome Rozie to our leadership team," continued Tirzah Tyler, Interim Managing Director. "She believes-and we agree wholeheartedly-that philanthropy belongs to everyone, no matter the level of giving. Rozie will be an integral driving force of the organization's financial goals as we welcome more people into Cal Shakes' circle of cultural placemaking and stewardship."

"It's an honor and a delight to join this stellar team at Cal Shakes," says Rozie. "This is a truly devoted and creative group, and our focus on storytelling as a means of building shared understanding and giving voice to members of the community, both the traditional theater-going public and new audiences, is something I have worked around early in my career. To return to this kind of mission feels like a beautiful homecoming."

California Shakespeare Theater (Cal Shakes) will begin its 45th season in May with Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Eric Ting and Interim Managing Director Tirzah Tyler, the company has become a nationally-recognized leader in drawing on the power of authentic, inclusive storytelling to create more vibrant communities. Serving more than 43,000 people annually, Cal Shakes invites people from all walks of life to make deeply-felt connections with our shared humanity through its work onstage, in schools, and with people in non-traditional settings throughout the Bay Area who have little or no access to theater. For more information, visit www.calshakes.org.