Experienced Fundraiser/Event Manager
Appointed the New Executive Director of Jefferson Live!
The JPR Foundation has named Shelley Austin the new Executive Director of Jefferson Live! LLC. Jefferson Live is the non-profit entity working to restore Medford’s Holly Theatre into a community performing arts venue while also operating Redding’s historic Cascade Theatre.
Austin assumes the Executive Director role full-time on June 1. She will manage Medford’s historic Holly Theatre and lead the fundraising programs to complete the restoration and open the theatre. She will also oversee the management of the historic Cascade Theatre in Redding, which was restored and re-opened by the JPR Foundation in 2004.
“My heart is in the arts and always has been,” said Shelley. “I have worked for and developed several arts organizations as I believe we all crave, and deserve, inspiration and awareness provided by the arts. I am very excited to join the leadership of one of the region’s most prominent non-profit cultural organizations and share my passion and experience to complete the Holly Theatre restoration, and help new audiences see our vision for both performing arts centers.”
Austin most recently served as the Executive Director of the Kootenai Environmental Alliance in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. She was previously Executive Director with the Jackson County Library Foundation for eight years, and served as Oregon Shakespeare Festival Director of Corporate and Foundation Support. She has a B.A. in Economics from University of Colorado, Boulder.
“We are thrilled to welcome Shelley back to the Rogue Valley as our new Executive Director,” said Ken Silverman, JPR Foundation Board President. “Her deep passion for community-based organizations, management experience, and knowledge of our region will help further the mission of our enterprise.”
(Reprinted with permission from a press release by Jefferson Live! /Holly Theatre)
