Heather M. Kitchen (Managing Director) has more than 36 years of professional experience in performing arts management, planning, financial analysis, education, fundraising, board development, advocacy, policy formulation, union negotiations and program planning. Prior to joining Dallas Theater Center in 2011, Ms. Kitchen served as Executive Director of American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco for 14 seasons where she grew the organization from an operating budget of $11 million to more than $19 million. Ms. Kitchen successfully led A.C.T’s first endowment campaign of $31 million. She served as General Manager of The Citadel Theatre in Alberta, Canada, Production Manager at Theatre New Brunswick, and worked as a stage manager at many major regional theaters across Canada including: The Stratford Shakespearean Festival, The Neptune Theatre, and Canadian Stage Company. Ms. Kitchen holds an Honours Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Waterloo and a Masters of Business Administration from The University of Western Ontario’s Richard Ivey School of Business. She has been an active community leader serving on the board of directors of Big Brothers and Sisters of San Francisco and the Peninsula, the Commonwealth Club of California and on the San Francisco leadership board of the American Red Cross.