Long Wharf Theater has named Briona Jenkins as director of development and Eric Gershman as interim general manager. They began their duties on October 7. Long Wharf Theater also named six new members – Liana Garcia, Ruby Melton, Frances Padilla, Michael Twitty, Brendan Woo and Nancy Yao – to its board of directors. The new additions to the institution’s leadership and board of directors will enhance its success as it launches its historic 60th anniversary season.

Jenkins, who brings extensive experience in community activism and nonprofit development, takes on the development role at a pivotal time for the institution. As Long Wharf Theater strengthens its new production model, Jenkins will play a critical role in collaborating with management and the external affairs team to strengthen the organization’s community relationships and funding sources for sustained growth and creative rigor. Jenkins was selected as Chief Development Officer following an extensive ecosystem building and recruiting process supported by Creative developments.

Gershman will work alongside Creative Director Jacob G. Padrón on strategic initiatives, as well as short- and long-term goals that position the company for sustainability and continued creative excellence. Gershman will work to strengthen Long Wharf Theater’s new production model by activating its city and region’s venues, neighborhoods and public spaces to bring world-class theater to all.

“I am thrilled to welcome Briona Jenkins and Eric Gershman who are joining the company at a pivotal time of growth and possibility,” said Jacob G. Padrón, Artistic Director of Long Wharf Theater. “Briona brings the strategic experience needed to advance our work over the next 60 seasons, as well as a curiosity, commitment and passion for the power and promise of Long Wharf Theatre. I am excited to collaborate with Briona and Eric as Long Wharf Theater continues its work as a resident-owned theater company in Greater New Haven. I am confident that they will accomplish transformational work for the organization.

Originally from Hamden, Connecticut – and most recently working in the city of Austin, Texas – Jenkins has more than a decade of experience in the nonprofit sector, having previously served a number of organizations based in Austin while running her own nonprofit consulting business. The award-winning leader has served on seven nonprofit boards: Keep Austin Fed, Austin Black Pride, Lone Star Victims Advocacy Project, Austin Chapter Board of the New Leaders Council, The Equality Alliance, and Equality Texas and currently serves on the board of administration of Random Acts. She has spoken at the 2020 Women’s March rally in Austin, two annual Future Front Texas State of the Womb events, Texas State University Business Week, as part of a SXSWEdu virtual panel, two GISH panels on racial equality and justice, and was a member of the SXSW 2022 Wellness Panelist. A committed and outspoken activist and podcast host, Jenkins brings the lived experience of an LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC woman into spaces to advance radical change and inclusion throughout her work and now at Long Wharf Theater.

“I am honored to join the Long Wharf Theater team and bring my experience not only to my home state of Connecticut, but also to an organization that deeply values ​​the surrounding community and works daily to bring them artistic experiences accessible,” Briona said. Jenkins, Director of Development. “Like the talented team at Long Wharf Theatre, I am dedicated to radical inclusion and have unique experience in positioning the theater for many more years of transformative creativity, storytelling and audience development.”

Gershman joins Long Wharf Theater after a year-long engagement as interim general manager of the Williamstown Theater Festival, where he helped design and implement a more sustainable business model and organizational structure for this long-standing institution. 70 years old. He brings extensive experience in business strategy and development across the arts, culture and media landscape, including supporting strategy exercises for the Brown Arts Institute, Newport Classical, Showtown Theatricals and Netflix. As a member of the AEA Consulting team, he supported additional planning exercises for the Museum of Modern Art, National Black Theater, Preservation Society of Newport County, Brooklyn Academy of Music, Rhode Island School of Design and ProPublica. Prior to his consulting work, Eric held strategic positions at the Disney Theatrical Group and the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts and, earlier in his career, held technical production positions at the Blue Man Group, the Broadway tour of Annie and Cirque du Soleil. He is an adjunct professor at Brown University and the University of Rhode Island, and he holds an MFA in theater management from the David Geffen School of Drama at Yale, an MBA from the Yale School of Management and from Yale University with a BFA in Theater Design and Technology. Emerson College.

“It is an honor to support Long Wharf Theater during its leadership transition and as it prepares for another season of incredible innovation, community engagement and meaningful storytelling,” said Eric Gershman, Executive Director acting. “I’m excited to return to New Haven and collaborate with Jacob and the entire team as they continue to redefine what it means to be a regional arts institution and how that can manifest across the many dimensions of our community.”

Liana Garcia, Ruby Melton, Frances Padilla, Michael Twitty, Brendan Woo and Nancy Yao are veterans in their respective fields, collectively adding decades of experience and expertise to the Long Wharf Theater Board of Directors.

“We are pleased to welcome six exceptional new individuals to the Long Wharf Theater Board of Directors,” said Nancy Alexander, Board Chair. “Liana Garcia, Ruby Melton, Frances Padilla, Michael Twitty, Brendan Woo and Nancy Yao each add unique expertise and leadership. it will help us get through this important moment in our history. They all fully believe in the company’s vision.

The 60th Anniversary Season, Building Our Future Together, is Long Wharf Theater’s second season of its innovative production model of presenting works throughout Greater New Haven to bring world-class theater to all. Following its arts convention and fifth annual Black Trans Women at the Center festival, Long Wharf Theater will transform The Lab at ConnCorp, a center for learning and business innovation, to host a reimagined production of the musical Golden Age She Loves Me, directed by Jacob G.. Padrón with musical direction by Miles Plant.

To learn more about the productions and ways to get involved, visit https://longwharf.org/.

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