Alliance Theatre Board Elects New Leadership

The Alliance Theatre has announced that Kendrick Smith has been chosen as the new Chair of its Board of Directors for a term of two years.  Following a 40-year career as a trial lawyer, Smith retired as a Business Litigation partner at Jones Day at the end of 2020.  An Atlanta native, Smith has served on the Alliance Theatre Board of Directors for eight years and has served on the Executive and Board Engagement Committees.    

“Kendrick Smith leads with a steady hand, a litigator's acuity, and a lifelong love of theatre,” said Managing Director Mike Schleifer. “His enthusiastic embrace of the Alliance Theatre's mission inspires all of us lucky enough to work alongside him.  We're honored he chose to serve in this capacity and look forward to this next chapter in the Alliance Theatre's history.”

In his new role as Board Chair, Smith will lead the theatre through a transformational period, overseeing the opening of the Goizueta Stage for Youth and Families in 2026 and the completion of the Alliance's Imagine Endowment campaign, which has raised $7.2 million of its $10 million goal in support of access and programming on the new stage. During his tenure, Smith will also support the continued growth of the Alliance's nationally recognized new work and education programs under the artistic leadership of Tinashe Kajese-Bolden and Christopher Moses.

Smith succeeds Jocelyn Hunter, who served as Chair for three years, guiding the Alliance through the end of the COVID-19 pandemic and spearheading a national search to find the Alliance’s next artistic director after Susan V. Booth left the role in 2022.  That search resulted in the appointment of Kajese-Bolden and Moses as the theatre’s Jennings Hertz Artistic Directors.  

“When we faced a leadership transition for the first time in over 20 years, Jocelyn made the immediate and selfless decision to serve an additional year as board chair to steady the ship,” said Jennings Hertz

Artistic Directors, Tinashe Kajese-Bolden and Christopher Moses. “When we tentatively reopened to the public after the COVID-19 shutdown, Jocelyn helped craft a business plan that promised sustainability and hope.  When we embarked on our Imagine Campaign to make theatre a birthright for young people in Atlanta, Jocelyn was the first to contribute.  The Alliance will always be indebted to her exemplary leadership and unwavering commitment to this community, and we are grateful to Kendrick for taking the reins during this important moment for the theatre.”

In addition to Smith, the Board of Directors has elected the following members to serve in leadership positions:

· Allison O’Kelly, Vice Chair – O’Kelly, the Founder and CEO of Corps Team, an executive search and staffing firm, joins the leadership team after serving on the board for five years. O’Kelly has served previously on the Executive, Nominating and Governance, Finance, and Board Engagement Committees. 

· Jennifer Boutte, Secretary – Boutte, Director of Parent Engagement at The Lovett School, has served on the Alliance Board for two years and has served on the Finance and Education Committees. 

Jocelyn Hunter as Immediate Past Chair, and Glenn Weiss, Treasurer, complete the leadership team of the Board of Directors. 

The Board of Directors also added seven new members.  They are:

Dr. Bridget Blake, Project Management Consultant, Principal Engineer, and First Lady of Georgia State University

Katie Fahs, Intern, Fellowships, and Volunteer Coordinator at CARE

Kristen Burke, Advisor at Egon Zehnder

Richard Valladares, Administrative Shareholder & Chair Business Litigation at Greenberg Traurig

Traci V. Bransford, Partner, Sports & Entertainment Industry Team Leader at Parker Poe

Bruce Cohen, President, Vision Properties, Inc.

Lisa Bigazzi Tilt, Founder & CEO at Full Tilt Consulting