Pepper Evans to Succeed Robin Arditi as Hudson Valley Shakespeare Board President

Long-time Hudson Valley Shakespeare Board President Robin Arditi will step down from the position in May 2025 while remaining an active member of the HVS Board. Current Vice President Pepper Evans has been appointed to succeed her as President at that time.
 
Additionally, HVS has welcomed Emmy Award-winning actor and Hudson Valley resident Michael Emerson to the Board.
 
Robin Arditi said “It has been a joy and an honor to serve as Hudson Valley Shakespeare’s Board President over the last 15 years, a period of remarkable growh and evolution, and especially to help usher in an exciting new era at our glorious new home overlooking the Hudson River. Having worked closely with Pepper in recent years, I’m confident that HVS will be in great hands under her leadership, and I’m looking forward to more milestones to come, including one last summer under the tent and being there with scissors in hand to cut the ribbon on the Samuel H. Scripps Theater Center in 2026.”
 
“Robin has led HVS with enormous dedication, skill, and  generosity, and a strong commitment  to share the arts with our greater community, lighting the path forward for me.  I’m excited to step into this role knowing that I will benefit from her ongoing support, and am eager to lead Hudson Valley Shakespeare over the finish line to completion of the Scripps Theater Center, and beyond to years of Great Performances that will take place under that roof and more,” said Pepper Evans.
 
Pepper Evans has been a board member of Hudson Valley Shakespeare since 2017. She spent nearly 20 years as a senior marketing executive at American Express, Capital One and UnitedHealth Group. Prior to these roles she held leadership positions in several early dotcom businesses. Pepper also sits on the boards of Constitution Marsh Audubon Center and Sanctuary, New York City Bird Alliance and SongwritingWith: Soldiers. Pepper lives in New York City and Cold Spring, NY with her husband, Bob Lieber, and two labradoodles, Maddie and Enzo. She loves the Hudson Valley for its hiking trails, farm-fresh food, and history. She earned an undergraduate degree from the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA from Columbia Business School.
 
“We are incredibly grateful to Robin for her transformative contributions to HVS over the past 15 years. Her vision, inspired leadership, and steady guidance have been indispensable, and we’re glad she will remain on our board as we move into this next chapter for Hudson Valley Shakespeare,” said HVS Managing Director Kendra Ekelund. “Pepper’s professional background and passion for the work we do on stage and in the community ensure that she will play an integral part in our continued progress toward the full realization of our mission to reach the widest possible audience and become a cultural anchor in the Hudson Valley. We’re also thrilled with the wonderful addition of Michael to our board. He brings a important perspective as an actor, drawing from his celebrated career across both stage and screen, that will be crucial as our HVS continues to grow.”
 
HVS’s 2025 Season will include William Shakespeare’s uproarious comedy The Comedy of Errors, directed by longtime company member Ryan Quinn (The Murder of Roger Ackroyd); "One of the sweetest and smartest romantic farces ever written," (Terry Teachout, WSJ), Thornton Wilder’s The Matchmaker, directed by Davis McCallum (Mr. Burns: A Post-Electric Play) and featuring Kurt Rhoads and Nance Williamson; and Octet, a chamber choir musical by Tony Award nominee Dave Malloy (Natasha, Pierre, and The Great Comet of 1812) and directed by Amanda Dehnert (Love’s Labor’s Lost), produced by special arrangement with Plate Spinner Productions.