Rebecca Ende Lichtenberg is the Shakespeare Theatre Company’s (STC) next executive director as announced by STC’s Board of Directors Chair, Anita Antenucci. A long-time arts leader in Washington, D.C., Ms. Ende Lichtenberg will join STC on February 19, 2024 and lead the award-winning classic theatre alongside Artistic Director Simon Godwin as it continues to grow its artistic influence across the U.S. and internationally. Ms. Ende Lichtenberg will report to the theatre’s board of directors. She comes to STC from D.C.’s Studio Theatre where she has served as executive director after joining the company as managing director in 2018. During her time at Studio, she steered the institution through the pandemic and oversaw the Open Studio project, a $20M renovation. Previously, she served as the Managing Director of Theater J for eight seasons, during which time she led the theatre through an Artistic Director transition and was instrumental in growing income by 29 percent. Prior to that, she worked in arts marketing at Sitar Arts Center, Theater J, and Ford’s Theatre. She previously served as the President of the Board of Forum Theatre, the Chair of the Adjudication Committee for theatreWashington, and a Helen Hayes Judge. She holds an MA in Arts Administration from Columbia University, a Certificate in Budgeting and Finance from Georgetown University, and is a graduate of Harvard Business School’s Strategic Perspectives in Non-Profit Management program.

INTERIM EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

SUSIE MEDAK

Susie Medak is an Executive Coach with a particular passion for leadership, partnership, and governance. Susie most recently served as the Interim Managing Director of McCarter Theatre Center and as a Lecturer for UC Berkeley’s Executive Leadership Institute and Executive Coaching Institute. Susie served as Berkeley Repertory Theatre’s managing director from 1990-2022, leading the administration and operations of the Theatre. She served as president of the League of Resident Theatres (LORT) and treasurer of Theatre Communications Group (TCG), organizations that represent the interests of nonprofit theatres across the nation. Susie chaired panels for the Massachusetts Arts Council and has also served on program panels for Arts Midwest, the Joyce Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Arts. Closer to home, Susie served on the board of the Downtown Berkeley Association (DBA). She is the founding chair of the Berkeley Arts in Education Steering Committee for Berkeley Unified School District and the Berkeley Cultural Trust. Susie served on the faculty of Yale School of Drama from 2003-2021 and is a member of the International Women’s Forum and the Mont Blanc Ladies’ Literary Guild and Trekking Society. She was awarded the 2012 Benjamin Ide Wheeler Medal by the Berkeley Community Fund and the 2017 Visionary Leadership Award by TCG. During her time at Berkeley Rep, Susie was instrumental in the construction of the Roda Theatre, the Nevo Education Center, the renovation of the Peet’s Theatre, the acquisition of the Harrison Street campus, and the construction of a 45-unit artist housing building named The Medak Center after her. She also worked with three consecutive mayors to help create Berkeley’s Downtown Arts District.