mission, staff & board
Leah Gabriel, Tarah Flanagan, Vanessa Morosco, Sarah Mountjoy-Pepka,
and Alex Campbell in Twelfth Night, 2022. Photo by Sydney Swanson.
our mission
Great River Shakespeare Festival (GRSF) is a nonprofit, professional theater company in Winona, MN
The mission of the Great River Shakespeare Festival is to enrich people’s lives by creating dynamic, clearly understood productions of Shakespeare and other playwrights who celebrate the spoken word.
Our core Values
Respect, empathy, and compassion
Excellence, authenticity, and innovation
Diversity and inclusiveness
Outreach and education
Accessibility and affordability
Honesty, responsibility, and accountability
OUR STAFF
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Doug Scholz-Carlson
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
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Aaron Young
MANAGING DIRECTOR
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MELISSA MAXWELL
CO-ASSOCIATE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
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LONNIE RAFAEL ALCARAZ
CO-ASSOCIATE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
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KRIS HIPPS
FINANCE ASSOCIATE
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OUR BOARD
Board Chair
Kris Blanchard
Vice President, VA CCN Deputy Program Manager, Logistics Health, Inc.
Vice-Chair
Paul Mundt
Attorney, Legal Aid – retired
Treasurer
Alan Leonhardt
CFO, Peerless Chain – retired
Secretary
Mary Alice Anderson
Media Specialist, Winona Area Public Schools – retired
Directors
Mary Adams
Returned Peace Corps Volunteer; Senior Officer, TCF Bank – retired
Jacquelyn Banicki
Loan Processor, WNB Financial
Cherisa Broadwater
Owner, Cherisa’s Skin Care Spa; Adjunct Professor, Minnesota State College Southeast
Gary Diomandes
Theater Professor Emeritus, Saint Mary's University of Minnesota
Jack Hedin
Owner/Operator, Featherstone Farm
Jill Krase
Owner, Ovenbird Bindery – retired
Beth Forkner Moe
CEO, Envision It Together
Amaria Najem O'Leary
Librarian, retired; Arts Volunteer & Docent
Kelley Olson
Philanthropy Director, Lutheran Campus Center
Gaby Peterson
Owner, Yarnology
Tom Stoa
Physician, Mayo Clinic Health System & Winona Health