NEW YORK CITY: Lesley Hunter has been named HERE‘s first official managing director. In this newly created role, Hunter succeeds producing director Meredith Lynsey Schade and director of external affairs Breanna Thomas. Hunter will work alongside HERE founding artistic director Kristin Marting.

“We are very honored to have Lesley join the HERE community,” said Marting in a statement. “The creativity, warmth, and experience she brings will be an exciting addition to our team.”

Hunter is a musician, dancer, arts educator, arts manager, program creator, and project manager with more than 20 years of experience. Previously, she held positions with Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM), Arts Administrators of Color Network, Black Curators Dance performance, and Arts and Education Roundtable. She has also served as a music teacher and marching band director in Central Virginia, and as a dance and music instructor for numerous nonprofit organizations in New York City. Hunter holds an MBA in performing arts management from New York University.

HERE is an Off-Off-Broadway theatre founded in 1993 with a mission to build an inclusive community that nurtures artists of all backgrounds as they disrupt conventional expectations to create innovative performances in theatre, dance, music, puppetry, media, and visual art. As of 2020, the company’s budget was around $2.9 million.