LA JOLLA, CALIF.: Debby Buchholz has been promoted to managing director of La Jolla Playhouse. She has served as the company’s general manager since 2002, and will begin the new post on May 1, succeeding Michael S. Rosenberg.

Buchholz will work closely with artistic director Christopher Ashley on the organization’s strategic planning, financial management, marketing, development, production management, and labor relations.

“Debby Buchholz’s integrity, professionalism, and visionary leadership in the field are unmatched,” said board chair Lynelle Lynch in a statement. “Her deep institutional knowledge, along with her passionate support for our artistic mission, make her the ideal partner for artistic director Christopher Ashley. The board looks forward to celebrating this new leadership team that will continue to strengthen La Jolla Playhouse’s place at the forefront of the American theatre landscape.”

During her time at La Jolla Playhouse, Buchholz has overseen business operations, human resources, board governance, and artist and production contract negotiations. She also serves as the vice president of the League of Resident Theaters (LORT) and is a member of the organization’s Executive Committee. Previously, she served as counsel to the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington, D.C. She was also a faculty member of the Smithsonian Institution’s program on Legal Problems of Museum Administration. Prior to the Kennedy Center, she served as a corporate attorney in New York City and Washington, D.C. In 2009, she received a San Diego Women Who Mean Business Award from the San Diego Business Journal. Buchholz is a graduate of University of California, San Diego and Harvard Law School.