Northern Sky Celebrates Long Board Tenure of Cyndy Stiehl

Cyndy Stiehl will step down from the Northern Sky board April 1 after 26 years with the organization, including two as board chair. Stiehl will continue to be active in the organization via membership on various advisory committees.

"Cyndy is one of a kind, a real force of nature," said associate managing director Holly Feldman. "She has been tireless in her support of Northern Sky-and she's just such a joy to be around."

Known for her generosity of spirit and incisive organizational insight, Stiehl has helped guide Northern Sky through joyous growth, including a successful capital campaign and the opening of the indoor Gould Theater, as well as through the challenges of the pandemic, and the death of Northern Sky co-founder Fred Alley, who asked Stiehl to join the board in the first place.

"I still remember the early days," Stiehl said, "when the members took turns hosting the monthly board meetings. Each meeting began with an 'open mic' time for board members to share favorite lines and songs from the shows we loved seeing in the park."

Stiehl is one of only three chairs Northern Sky has had since the board's founding in 1997. Stiehl succeeded Mary Seeberg, who served from 1997-2020, and preceded current chair Heidi Ling, who began her term as chair in 2022.

"I'm grateful that neither Mary nor Cyndy has gone far," Ling said, "and that they continue to volunteer and provide good counsel. Their legacies will continue to be felt. To begin with, I'm planning to bring back their tradition of 'open mic' at the board meetings! My question is will there be singing?"

About Northern Sky Theater

Northern Sky Theater is a non-profit professional theater organization that produces original musical shows in repertory from June through August both outdoor in Peninsula State Park and indoor at their Gould Theater. Northern Sky continues its performances into the fall with shows at the Gould Theater September through October and over the Christmas holiday.

Northern Sky events are supported in part by a grant from the Wisconsin Arts Board with funds from the National Endowment for the Arts.

Photo Credit: Bob Ling

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