Alisha Tonsic Completes TCG Co-Executive Leadership

New York, NY – Theatre Communications Group (TCG), the national organization for theatre, is thrilled to announce the selection of Alisha Tonsic as Co-Executive Director of National Operations and Business Development. Tonsic will join the previously announced Co-Executive Director of National and Global Programming, Emilya Cachapero, and Co-Executive Director of National Engagement, LaTeshia Ellerson, to lead TCG through a transformative new era.

This innovative leadership structure represents a historic step for TCG. By embracing shared leadership, TCG has shifted to an organizational structure that is committed to shaping a dynamic future for the national theatre ecology.

“This model and the appointments of these extraordinary women are not just historic—they are paradigm-shifting,” said Nataki Garrett, Board Chair of TCG. “They represent the first signs of systems change within TCG, signaling a bold step toward creating a more sustainable and thriving organization.”

 “We are excited to welcome Alisha on this organizational journey. Alisha brings a proven track record of driving growth opportunities, enhancing operational effectiveness, and supporting long-term sustainability while advancing mission-driven work,” remarked Cachapero and Ellerson. “Together, we will imagine the possibilities for TCG to navigate change, inspire hope for our collective future, and meet the evolving needs of our community.”

Tonsic joins TCG with extensive arts service organization and non-profit theatre experience, including most recently serving as Executive Director of the Network of Ensemble Theaters (NET) where she championed shared leadership structures and collaborative artmaking practices throughout the field. During her tenure, she demonstrated bold leadership in navigating complex challenges, implementing strategic organizational solutions, and fostering collaboration across sectors.

“I am honored to partner with LaTeshia and Emilya in co-leadership to elevate TCG’s mission to lead for a just and thriving theatre ecology,” said Tonsic. “In this evolutionary moment of great possibility, I look forward to collaborating as a leadership team, and with the entire TCG staff and board, to cultivate an agile and responsive organization that both reflects our values and supports our constituents.”

The announcement follows an extensive strategic visioning and search process led by Creative Evolutions, a human-centered consultancy rooted in actionable values, with leadership from succession committee co-leaders Hana S. Sharif, Vice Chair of TCG’s Board, and Jeremy B. Cohen, Board Member, as well as support from TCG’s staff.

The completion of this leadership search signals a new chapter for TCG—one that deepens collaboration across the sector, enhances engagement and partnerships, and advances a bold vision for the role of national service organizations and the future of theatre.

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About Alisha Tonsic

Alisha Tonsic (she/her) has 30+ years of experience in non-profit theater management. She served for nine years as Executive Director of the Network of Ensemble Theaters (NET)—a non-profit arts service organization for a national community of artist-led companies and individuals dedicated to ensemble practice and collaborative creation—having transitioned to the position after 10 years with NET, first as Board Treasurer, then as Managing Director. Previously, Alisha served as the first Managing Director for Sojourn Theatre (now part of the Center for Performance and Civic Practice), working in partnership with the ensemble and founding Artistic Director Michael Rohd for nearly a decade. Earlier work includes positions in finance, fundraising, general management, program development, field research, and literary management/dramaturgy at American Repertory Theater, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Manhattan Theatre Club, McCarter Theatre, and Theatre Communications Group, and as an independent non-profit arts consultant focusing on small- and mid-sized companies. Alisha has served as a Board member of the Performing Arts Alliance, and Portland Center Stage; on Theatre Bay Area’s Theatre Services Committee; and on grant selection panels for the National Endowment for the Arts, New Dramatists, Oregon Cultural Trust, and TCG. She is an alumna of the James P. Shannon Leadership Institute; participated in the inaugural round of the TCG New Generations Program; and was named an Unsung Hero of Portland Theatre by the Portland Drammy Awards. A first-generation college graduate, Alisha received a BA in Theatre and in English from Barnard College, Columbia University. She makes her home in Portland, Oregon on the unceded lands of the Multnomah, Wasco, Cowlitz, Kathlamet, Clackamas, Bands of Chinook, Tualatin, Kalapuya, Molalla, and many other tribes.

Theatre Communications Group (TCG), the national organization for theatre, leads for a just and thriving theatre ecology. Since its founding in 1961, TCG’s constituency has grown from a handful of groundbreaking theatres to over 500 Member Theatres and affiliate organizations and over 7,000 Individual Members. Through its programs and services, TCG reaches over one million students, audience members, and theatre professionals each year. TCG offers networking and knowledge-building opportunities through research, communications, and events, including the biennial TCG National Conference, one of the largest nationwide gatherings of theatre people; awards grants and scholarships to theatre companies and individual artists; advocates on the federal level; and through the Global Theater Initiative, TCG’s partnership with the Laboratory for Global Performance and Politics, serves as the U.S. Center of the International Theatre Institute. TCG is North America’s largest independent trade publisher of dramatic literature, with 21 Pulitzer Prizes for Drama on the TCG booklist. It also publishes the award-winning American Theatre magazine and ARTSEARCH®, the essential source for a career in the arts. TCG believes its vision of “a better world for theatre, and a better world because of theatre” can be achieved through individual and collective action, adaptive and responsive leadership, and equitable representation in all areas of practice. TCG is led by Emilya Cachapero, LaTeshia Ellerson and Alisha Tonsic.