When Richard began her career at Roundabout (alongside Haimes) in 1983, the company was operating under a $1.5 million budget with a deficit of $2.5 million. The company is now a major force on Broadway with a budget of over $30 million and three venues in the midst of New York's theatre district — two Broadway houses (The American Airlines and Studio 54) and one Off-Broadway space (The Laura Pels Theatre).

"I have spent more than two decades working in the New York theatre in a dozen venues on more than a hundred first-rate productions on and off-Broadway. I have worked with some of the greatest theatrical talent in the world. I can’t imagine not working with Todd, who has been an inspiration to me and is an extraordinary force in the American theatre," Richard said in a released statement. "However, at this time in my life, I feel a sense of personal completion, now that Roundabout is truly established in the Theatre District, and I look forward to exciting new challenges in the future."

As Director of Theatre Design and Construction for Roundabout, Richard headed up the creating of the Union Square Theatre (formerly the Christian C. Yegan Theatre); the Laura Pels Theatre at the Criterion Center; the Henry Miller Theatre (Kit Kat Club); The American Airlines Theatre on 42nd Street; Studio 54; and the new Laura Pels Theatre at the Harold and Miriam Steinberg Center for Theatre. By the spring of 2005, her latest project — a new "black box" Theatre at the Steinberg Center — will open.

Her tenure as managing director earned her five Tony Awards for shows produced by Roundabout. While with the company, Richard has overseen production, finance, legal, marketing, ticket services, labor relations, property management and all other administrative departments. Richard previously worked at the Hartman Theatre, the Stamford Center for the Arts, the Westport Country Playhouse, the Opera Company of Boston and Atlas Scenic Studios.

Haimes has already launched a search for a new managing director for the Roundabout Theatre Company. He said of his partnership with Richard: "The Roundabout would not be where it is today without Ellen’s remarkable leadership. It is hard to imagine the Roundabout without Ellen. However, I know she feels it is time for her to make a change for herself, and I know that she will be incredibly successful in whatever she chooses to do next." For more information on the Roundabout, visit www.roundabouttheatre.org.