Mary E. Pickard Elected To The Minnesota Jewish Theatre Company Board Of Directors

Mary E. Pickard has been elected to the Minnesota Jewish Theatre Company Board of Directors, and begins serving as MJTC launches its 15th Anniversary Season. She brings a wealth of experience and strong commitment to MJTC. MJTC's producing artistic director, Barbara Brooks, says, "I'm thrilled that Mary joins the Board. Mary was President of The St. Paul Companies, Inc. Foundation when MJTC applied for and received its first grant in 1994, and the Foundation has supported us since that time. She has really been with us for our entire life. Just as she was instrumental to our birth, I know that she will be integral now as MJTC continues to grow and develop. I couldn't be happier to have this opportunity to work with Mary."

In joining the Board, Ms. Pickard states "I love the Minnesota Jewish Theatre Company's work. It's relevant to today's issues, it's theater that touches people, it's well run and uses resources frugally. It's a great example of a small quality theater with big aspirations and a reasonable budget."

Ms. Pickard was with The St. Paul Companies through its merger with Travelers, and retired from the corporation in 2007 after 35 years of service. During her tenure there, she developed the company's community citizenship program from a $600,000 contributions program to a broad-based community affairs effort that included a foundation, a sponsorship and corporate contributions program, volunteerism, and social purpose investments. Ms. Pickard is now a principal advisor at Opus Philanthropy Group (OPG) where she and her colleagues advise a group of family foundations and a corporate foundation committed to high-quality philanthropy both within and outside the U.S. Ms. Pickard has also worked as a newspaper reporter and corporate publications editor. She has served on several nonprofit boards and committees over the years. She is a former chair of the Citizens League and the Minnesota Council on Foundations, and served on the national Council on Foundations board of directors. She currently serves on a committee for the Mid-Town Global Market on Minneapolis' Lake Street and is the Co-Chair of the Citizens League's Policy Advisory Committee. Last year, Ms. Pickard was inducted into The Community Development Hall of Fame as part of the inaugural class of sixteen. This was created by the Twin Cities Local Initiatives Support Corporation and the Metropolitan Consortium of Community Developers to honor outstanding accomplishments in the field of community development.

Patricia A. Cummings' tenure on the MJTC Board of Directors ended in June after she served three terms. Throughout the six years that she served on the Board, Pat helped guide MJTC to a new level of Board maturity. Says Barbara, "It was wonderful for us that Pat joined the MJTC Board after retiring from The Jay and Rose Phillips Family Foundation. Besides being a joy to work with, Pat has brought an intelligence and perspective that will serve the theatre well for years to come." Upon leaving, Pat told the Board "I've enjoyed working with MJTC and look forward to continuing to be a part of the MJTC family."

Minnesota Jewish Theatre Company is a non-profit organization now in its 15th year of presenting professional productions rooted in the Jewish experience and illuminating The Common humanity among us all. The audience for MJTC is almost equally divided between Jews and non-Jews. For further information about MJTC, call 651-647-4315, or visit our website at www.mnjewishtheatre.org.