HVSF MOVES ON WITH NEW LEADER  

Davis McCallum, artistic director, HVSF and Kendra Ekelund, incoming managing director, HVSF.  Photo courtesy of Kendra Ekelund.

In honor of its first successful season in Garrison, the Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival (HVSF) hosted a celebratory gala Oct. 16 to recognize long-standing supporters Sandy Galef, New York state Assemblywoman 95th A.D., and Richard Feldman, president and CEO, SHS Foundation. The evening also served as an introduction to the nonprofit”™s new leader Kendra Ekelund.

 “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”¦.” 

 Ekelund joins the Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival following her most recent post as general manager of the Jacob Burns Film Center (JBFC) in Pleasantville, New York. During her tenure, the JBFC welcomed more than 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 its 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. 

She will replace Interim Managing Director David J. Roberts, whose 20 years of expertise in performing arts helped guide HVSF through its time of transition. 

Founded in 1987, Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival is a critically acclaimed professional, nonprofit theater company. For more information, visit hvshakespeare.org or follow HVSF on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Twitter.