January 16, 2014: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

PNB Appoints Ellen Walker as incoming Executive Director

Seattle, WA – Aya Hamilton, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Pacific Northwest Ballet and Chair of the Executive Search Committee is pleased to announce the appointment of Ellen Walker to the Executive Director position at PNB. Ms. Walker, who is currently PNB’s Director of Marketing and Communications, will succeed retiring Executive Director D. David Brown effective July 1, 2014.

“The Board of Trustees views Ellen’s appointment to this position as an appropriate next step for both Ellen and PNB,” said Ms. Hamilton in her announcement. “Ellen and David Brown have worked together for ten years; she knows our organization extremely well, and is incredibly admired by staff and trustees alike. Importantly, Ellen and [Artistic Director] Peter Boal have long established a collaborative and supportive working relationship, which is so critical to these inter-dependent positions. Certainly an additional benefit is the ability of the ballet’s leadership to proceed with a well-orchestrated transition since David will stay in his role through June 30, 2014, the end of our current fiscal year. We look forward in the months ahead to honoring David’s long tenure with PNB and are pleased to appoint someone to the role that David has had a hand in mentoring.”

“I’m truly honored to succeed David Brown as Executive Director of PNB; he has been a terrific mentor and colleague over the past ten years,” said Ms. Walker, following the announcement.  “I’m also thrilled to partner with Peter Boal and our incredible staff, dancers, orchestra and Board of Trustees as our organization moves forward. I feel enormously lucky to have the opportunity to serve an institution and people about which I care so deeply.”

Ellen Walker is currently in her eleventh season as Director of Marketing & Communications for Pacific Northwest Ballet. She is also a member of the faculty for Seattle University’s MFA program where she teaches arts marketing. Prior to joining PNB, she was a marketing and sponsorship consultant to arts and civic organizations, and managed a number of projects for Seattle Center and Seattle Center Foundation. From 1988 to 2000 Ms. Walker was Director of Marketing for Seattle Children’s Theatre. Ms. Walker is a native of Seattle, Washington with degrees from the University of Washington and Trinity College, Dublin.

Pacific Northwest Ballet, one of the largest and most highly regarded ballet companies in the United States, was founded in 1972. In July 2005, Peter Boal became artistic director, succeeding Kent Stowell and Francia Russell, artistic directors since 1977. The Company of nearly fifty dancers presents more than 100 performances each year of full-length and mixed repertory ballets at Marion Oliver McCaw Hall in Seattle and on tour. The Company has toured to Europe, Australia, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Canada, and throughout the United States, with celebrated appearances at Jacob’s Pillow and in New York City and Washington DC.