The Renton Civic Theatre announced a completely overhauled board of directors on Sept. 8 following a social media campaign that discovered a history of sex crimes for two members of the previous leadership team.
The entirety of the Renton Civic Theatre’s previous leadership stepped down following the social media campaign, including Alan Parsons, former president of the board, and Bill Huls, former artistic director.
Original reporting from Fox 13 Seattle found previous Washington convictions for sex crimes against both Parsons and Huls.
The theater announced the selection of Graham Arthur Blair to replace Parsons as president of the board on Sept. 3.
On Sept. 8, the theater introduced the new leadership team, with Brad Lo Walker as the vice president of operations, Lisa Stromme Warren as vice president of marketing and communications, Eleanor Withrow as secretary, Samantha Simas as treasurer, and Kiki Werner as a member of the board.
According to an email from Warren to the Renton Reporter, Blair volunteered for the position “when it was clear the theater was in danger of folding,” with the previous board voting him in.
Parsons will not have any involvement in the theater’s operations moving forward.
According to Warren’s email, Parsons resigned prior to the arrival of the new board.
“We can’t offer details on that because we weren’t present when it happened,” Warren’s email stated.
In response to a question regarding why “two sex offenders were able to establish themselves within positions of authority in the organization,” Warren’s email stated: “We honestly don’t have insight into the inner-workings of the previous board or how they made decisions. We have 100% new leadership — everyone on the board now is newly elected.”
The Renton Civic Theatre hosted an open forum on Sept. 17 to provide the community with an opportunity to visit the theater, meet the new board, and share thoughts and concerns.
An announcement on the theater’s website on Sept. 11 stated the theater will prioritize community outreach, board recruitment, cost-cutting and fundraising initiatives, and more.
“We appreciate the bravery of those who spoke out and are committed to creating a new culture of inclusivity at Renton Civic with this new leadership group,” Warren stated.
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