Adrienne Willis, the Executive and Artistic Director of LUMBERYARD, is a leader in nonprofit management whose professional background includes multi-faceted positions in theater, strategy, and communications. Her passion for developing new works by emerging playwrights led to her ten-year career as a New York City-based director, producer, and designer for such pioneering theater companies as Ensemble Studio Theatre, the Zipper, and Collective Unconscious. Adrienne's experience in theater management also brought her to Mass MOCA, Lucille Lortel, and the Westport County Playhouse. In 2000, Adrienne initiated and directed Jason Wells' Watch Your Step, a touring theatrical production about landmines that became an official project of Veterans for America (VFA)/Vietnam Veterans of America Foundation (VVAF), a non-governmental organization that founded the Nobel Peace Prize-winning International Campaign to Ban Landmines. In 2006, Adrienne moved to Washington, DC, to serve as Director of Strategy and Communications for VFA/VVAF. In addition to setting the group's programmatic direction, she also secured significant high-level press coverage for the organization's efforts to address the needs of U.S. troops and their families and co-directed the VFA National Guard Program and Wounded Warrior Outreach Program. In 2009, her successful career in strategic planning and communications led her to launch Willis Strategies, LLC, a Washington, DC based firm that specialized in branding, messaging, and media coverage for corporate and non-profit clients. In 2010, her expertise came to the attention of American Dance Institute, now known as LUMBERYARD. At that time, she became Executive Director of the organization. Since her appointment, Adrienne has led LUMBERYARD during a phase of unprecedented growth — moving LUMBERYARD's home base from Washington, DC to New York City and played a leading role in the organization's purchase of a four-building complex in Catskill New York. She has been instrumental in developing and implementing initiatives that have resulted in LUMBERYARD's well-deserved reputation for its artist-centered programs that offer generous residency and presenting opportunities. Adrienne holds a B.A. from Sarah Lawrence College and an M.S. in Global Affairs from New York University.