Khady Kamara Named Managing Director Of Arena Stage

Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater Executive Director Edgar Dobie and Artistic Director Molly Smith announce that Khady Kamara, who joined the organization in 2001 and most recently served as Associate Executive Director, will move into a newly created position as Managing Director.

"Khady has earned this new position and it was offered to her with an abundance of confidence," shares Dobie. "I observed early on that she has remarkable competence under constant pressure and is an important talent. Over her time with Arena, Khady has progressed to be responsible for all earned revenue. Under her watch, subscriptions and single ticket sales have grown substantially building a solid and happy customer base, in addition to achieving significant new revenue from Arena's facility-related endeavors (including event rentals, food services and parking). Khady has carefully built and nurtured wonderful teams to support this organization and is a deeply valued manager."

In addition to her current duties overseeing all earned income activities and communications, as Managing Director, Kamara is responsible for oversight of the production and building operations departments. She is fulfilling a new position created following the retirement of General Manager Ian Pool.

"I am incredibly honored to continue working with the extraordinary staff at Arena Stage in this new capacity as Managing Director," shares Kamara. "Arena Stage has been my home away from home for the past 17 years and I look forward to continuing to engage with our remarkable patrons and artists."

Khady Kamara joined Arena Stage in 2001 and has been an integral member of the communications team, eventually being promoted to Chief Marketing Officer before taking over as Associate Executive Director and ultimately Managing Director. Under her leadership, Arena's sales team repeatedly broke box office records for a number of shows. She successfully administered the upgrade and transition of Arena's ticketing software to meet the ever-changing needs of its growing patron base. Her work was integral in the success of Arena's temporary residency in Crystal City and the opening of the Mead Center for American Theater. During Kamara's tenure, she pioneered unprecedented efforts to maximize donations with ticket purchases, and group sales revenue has more than doubled in scope and range of audiences reached. Part of her focus has been on strengthening community relations, managing strategic planning efforts with the board of directors and helping grow the donor base. Kamara serves as Adjunct Faculty for the Arts Management Program at George Mason University and is on the Board of Governors for the Helen Hayes Awards.

Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater, under the leadership of Artistic Director Molly Smith and Executive Director Edgar Dobie, is a national center dedicated to American voices and artists. Arena Stage produces plays of all that is passionate, profound, deep and dangerous in the American spirit, and presents diverse and ground-breaking work from some of the best artists around the country. Arena Stage is committed to commissioning and developing new plays and impacts the lives of over 10,000 students annually through its work in community engagement. Now in its seventh decade, Arena Stage serves a diverse annual audience of more than 300,000. arenastage.org

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