Hunter named executive director of Live Arts
After a six-month search, the board of directors of Live Arts named Anne Hunter as executive director, effective February 3, 2020. Interim ED Barbara Kessler will step down in mid-February but continue to serve on the board.
Half way through its 29th season, Live Arts is the largest performing arts organization in Charlottesville, Virginia. The theater is powered by nearly 1,000 volunteers, a dozen employees and 19 devoted board members. Beyond staging seven mainstage productions each year, Live Arts hosts year-round workshops and youth camps, a Playwrights’ Lab, and an ambitious tech support program for the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland.
“Hunter brings extensive experience in nonprofit management with a passion for community building and engagement,” said Cameron Mowat, board president of Live Arts. “We are proud to welcome her to our community as we celebrate 30 years of forging community and theater.“
“I am thrilled to be joining an organization with such a deep commitment to forging connections in the community. It will be my great honor to work with the board, staff and remarkable group of volunteers to carry the light of theater throughout Charlottesville and beyond,” Hunter said in accepting the position.
About Anne Hunter
Hunter is a nonprofit strategist with two decades of experience in the sector. Before relocating to Charlottesville in late 2019, she led HunterSage for Nonprofits, a national strategy group committed to building thriving, more equitable communities. Over the years, Anne and her colleagues helped more than 100 nonprofit organizations to advance their missions by more deeply engaging the communities they serve. Her firm specialized in arts, education and community development.
Hunter holds an MBA from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, where she taught in the Center for Nonprofit Management for 15 years. She earned a BA from Albion College in Michigan and was honored to serve three terms on its board of trustees. She is a founding member of ArtsLab, a nationally recognized capacity-building program for mid-sized arts organizations.
A life-long community advocate, Anne has held board leadership roles at a dozen nonprofits. She currently serves on the boards of IX Art Park, which showcases the work of local and emerging artists; Page Education Foundation, which provides college scholarships to students of color; and COMPAS, which brings creative expression to under-resourced communities.
Live Arts is supported in part by grants from The Virginia Commission for the Arts and The National Endowment for the Arts.