Mitchell will begin transitioning to her new position immediately and anticipates starting full-time Aug. 1, 2007.
"I am delighted to accept this position with Ordway Center for the Performing Arts. Ordway Center is nationally recognized as an outstanding venue for both performing arts and educational programs," Mitchell stated. "I'm eager to begin mapping out a vision that will take Ordway Center successfully into the future while fostering the creativity of artists and continuing to delight and surprise audiences. I also look forward to further developing Ordway Center's collaborative relationship with its world-renowned resident arts partners."
Jeff Bakken, current interim president and CEO, will work with Mitchell to coordinate the transition. Bakken stepped down as board chair to assume the position in June 2006 when David Galligan resigned.
"Over the past year, Jeff has done a great job developing relationships with Ordway Center for the Performing Art's three partners: The Minnesota Opera, The Schubert Club and The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra," stated Sarah Harris, vice chair of the board and chair of the search committee at Ordway Center. "He's served as a stable force for the organization during a time of transition and change — we are grateful for his help as he stepped in and continued to move the organization forward."
Patricia Mitchell most recently served as the president of the Literary Network of Greater Los Angeles. Mitchell started her career as director of community services for The Guthrie Theatre and subsequently served as the executive director of San Francisco Opera and then executive director of Los Angeles Opera. In her position as the chief operating officer of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association, housed in the Walt Disney Concert Hall of the Music Center of Los Angeles County, she was responsible for the overall management and supervision of the Hollywood Bowl, the 18,000-seat outdoor amphitheatre featuring classical, popular, jazz, and world music events each summer. She also managed a construction project resulting in a new $25 million shell for the Hollywood Bowl. Mitchell graduated Phi Beta Kappa and Magna Cum Laude with a B.A. in theatre from Occidental College in Los Angeles. Ordway Center for the Performing Arts opened its doors Jan. 1, 1985, as a home to a wide variety of arts performances, including national tours of Broadway plays and musicals.
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