With a career in the performing arts spanning more than 34 years, Martha Jones has worked as stage director, teacher, actress/singer, playwright, and arts administrator, the latter of which brought her to Boston in 1980 to participate in the strategic planning for the founding of the Huntington Theatre Company, the professional theatre in residence at Boston University now celebrating its 27 th season. Since then, Marty has built an international reputation as a leader in the not-for-profit performing arts industry, with special emphasis in the areas of governance, fund development, board relations, marketing, programming and arts education.

During her 22 years with the Celebrity Series, Marty has overseen the organization’s development as a separate not-for-profit organization, the procurement of an 18-year corporate title sponsorship, the establishment of the organization’s first Board of Directors and the expansion of its education and community service program, which serves over 25,000 young people in the greater Boston area annually through various programs in music and dance, including the highly acclaimed AileyCamp Boston, a six-week summer camp for Boston middle school students. Marty was also instrumental in expanding programming to include a renewed focus in the areas of jazz, modern dance, classical ballet and family concerts.

Marty was appointed President & Executive Director of the Celebrity Series in 1996 and has articulated a vision that is based in creation, preservation, collaboration, community education and fiscal responsibility. Since 1996, the Celebrity Series has retired a deficit, established performance reserves and funds for the commissioning of new works, and has recently launched a $21 million fundraising Campaign for endowment and operating reserves.

Marty recently served for 2 years as Chair of the International Society for Performing Arts (ISPA). She also serves in these other leadership capacities: Treasurer of the Board of Women’s Theatre Project (New York); member of the Advisory Committees of The Boston Foundation’s Cultural Task Force, a board member of the Suzanne Marcus Collins Foundation (Cambridge, MA) and The Meningioma Project of the Brain/Science Foundation (Boston); and as Overseer of the Boston Conservatory. She is also a member of the International Adivsory Council for the Van Clibrun International Piano Competition and holds memberships in the Association for Performing Arts Presenters (APAP), Chamber Music America (CMA) and Dance/USA.