From the Board President: Building What Comes Next
When I stepped into the role of Board President at High Tide Theatrical earlier this summer, I did so during a remarkable moment in the life of this organization.
High Tide is still young. We were incorporated only a few years ago, and yet the growth we have experienced in that short time has been extraordinary. More artists are finding their way to us. More patrons are filling our audiences. More community members are asking how they can get involved. And with that momentum comes an important responsibility: making sure the organization we are building behind the curtain is just as strong as the work we are putting on stage.
My own relationship with theatre goes back much further than my time with High Tide. I hold a BFA in directing and producing, although my professional life ultimately took me into education, nonprofit leadership, and community engagement. Stepping into this role has given me an opportunity to bring those worlds back together and apply some of what I have learned in other sectors to an art form and community I care deeply about.
I didn’t step into the presidency with the expectation that we would have every answer by the end of the year. Quite the opposite. I believe healthy organizations are willing to ask difficult questions, build thoughtfully, and recognize when their structures need to evolve alongside their success.
For the remainder of 2026, my priorities center around five areas: governance, sustainability, brand excellence, community connection, and navigating growth well.
First, we are investing in our Board and governance structure. We are beginning the work of establishing stronger governance practices, formalizing Board and leadership roles, and creating a more intentional process for recruiting and selecting future Board members. As we fill current vacancies, we have an opportunity to bring new perspectives and expertise into the room. This work will also prepare us to begin a more comprehensive strategic planning process in 2027.
Second, we are thinking intentionally about sustainability and relationships. Fundraising matters, but sustainable development is about much more than asking for a gift. It is about building relationships with people who believe in the work. This fall, we will renew our focus on membership, strengthen how those opportunities are communicated, and make Giving Tuesday a major year-end effort. I want us to continue building a community of patrons, members, donors, and sponsors who see themselves as part of High Tide’s future.
We are also committed to protecting the quality and identity of High Tide during transition. Our organization has developed a recognizable presence in a remarkably short period of time. As people and responsibilities shift, we want to preserve that momentum while creating systems that will serve us for years to come. That includes stronger branding standards, sponsorship materials, and intentional ways of staying connected with the growing community of artists who are finding a home at High Tide.
Perhaps the priority I am personally most excited about is deepening our connection to Springfield.
I don’t want High Tide to simply be a theatre company that happens to produce shows in Springfield. I want us to be an active participant in the life of this community. That means showing up, building meaningful relationships with community partners, nonprofit agencies, local businesses, and fellow arts organizations, and finding opportunities to collaborate rather than operate in isolation.
We also want to strengthen our presence within the Downtown Springfield Association and continue engaging with the Springfield Regional Arts Council as it undertakes its own strategic work. High Tide should be more than a participant in Springfield’s arts community. We should be a collaborative partner, a supportive neighbor, and an engaged voice in conversations about the future of arts and culture in our region.
And underneath all of these priorities is perhaps the biggest one: learning how to grow well.
Growth is exciting, but growth also tests an organization. Systems that worked when an organization was smaller may not work forever. Roles change. Expectations increase. New opportunities appear faster than the capacity to pursue them.
Our job now is not simply to keep up. It is to build an organization capable of sustaining the momentum our artists, patrons, volunteers, donors, and community have created.
That is what excites me most about the season ahead.
Of course, there are incredible productions to look forward to. But beyond any single show, I am excited about the organization High Tide is becoming. I see an organization capable of attracting exceptional local talent, developing meaningful community partnerships, cultivating a broad and committed base of supporters, and becoming an increasingly important part of Springfield’s cultural landscape.
And I believe the next chapter requires us to think beyond the next production or even the next season.
What should High Tide look like five years from now? What role should we play in Springfield’s arts community? How do we create opportunities for artists while remaining financially and organizationally sustainable? How do we preserve what people love about High Tide while allowing ourselves to evolve?
Those are questions worth asking, and in 2027, I hope we begin answering them together through intentional strategic planning.
For now, our task is to build the foundation.
I am incredibly grateful to the Board members, staff, artists, volunteers, patrons, donors, sponsors, and community partners who have already invested so much in High Tide. Organizations like ours do not grow because of one person or one great idea. They grow because people decide that something is worth building together.
There is a lot ahead of us. There is also a lot to be proud of.
The tide is rising. Our responsibility now is to build something strong enough to rise with it.
