David Grindle has been named to the newly-created position of Executive Director of USITT by the USITT Board of Directors. Mr. Grindle, who is familiar to USITT members from his involvement with the Management Commission and the Stage Management Mentoring Project, will join the Office Staff in Syracuse in mid-May. USITT President Carl Lefko said "we have been seeking a candidate to play a vital role as USITT celebrates and then moves beyond its first 50 years. David, who knows our organization well, possesses a wealth of management skills, and is the perfect fit we had been seeking."

With the appointment comes changes in the structure of the organization, as it moves from an operational to a governance model and realigns its volunteer structure to empower and allow volunteers to concentrate on the direction the organization will take over the next decade and beyond.

More information, including a more complete introduction of Mr. Grindle, will be included in the June issue of Sightlines.

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We thank Peggy Rosefeldt for the lovely 50th anniversary pillow which she presented to the staff, during the 50th Annual Conference & Stage Expo. While staff members did not have much time to enjoy the pillow while in Kansas City, it has now traveled back to the USITT office in Syracuse where it is being shared and appreciated.

Ms. Rosefeldt, a long-time member from New Orleans, is noted for the personal touches she provides.

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Mark Shanda has been named Interim Dean of Arts and Humanities at Ohio State University effective July 1.

Mr. Shanda has been at Ohio State for 24 years and became department chair in 2005. Involved in both college and university curricular matters, he chairs the Arts and Sciences Curriculum Committee's Assessment Subcommittee and the University Level Advisory Committee (ULAC) on the General Education Curriculum (GEC). In 2007, he received the University Career Services Award for outstanding service to undergraduate students.

Mr. Shanda is co-author of Drafting for the Theatre, a theater technology textbook widely used around the country. A frequent contributor to TD&T, he is active in USITT and leads workshops at the Annual Conference & Stage Expo. He is a member of its Board of Directors and was recently elected to a two-year term as Vice President of Communications.

He has a bachelor's degree in speech/theatre from Iowa State University and a master of fine arts in theatre technology from the University of Wisconsin. He succeeds Dean John W. Roberts, who will become dean of the college of liberal arts and social sciences at the University of Houston on July 1.

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They're going to do it again! The Short Reach Short Riders, students at Indiana's Mr. Vernon High School are planning another May day of riding and fun to benefit Behind the Scenes and Broadway Cares/EFA. Anyone interested in sponsoring a race, a rider, or an award can contact Dana Taylor, the MVHS Student Chapter sponsor, at taylordw@msdmv.k12.in.us.

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