Ten Chimneys Foundation

Ten Chimneys Staff

President

Sean Malone, ext. 206

smalone@tenchimneys.org

Click here for a brief bio »

Sean Malone

In 1997, while completing his Masters in Business from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Sean began working with Dr. Joseph W. Garton (1946-2003) of Madison to save Ten Chimneys, the imperiled Wisconsin estate of Broadway legends Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne. Sean worked with Dr. Garton to cultivate and recruit the first Board of Trustees and define the organization’s mission and vision. In 1998, Sean became Ten Chimneys Foundation’s first Vice President, serving as the organization’s Chief Financial, Development, and Operations Officer. In 2002, Sean became President of Ten Chimneys Foundation.

Under Sean’s leadership, Ten Chimneys Foundation successfully completed a $12.5 million capital campaign, fully restored Ten Chimneys, designed and constructed the Lunt-Fontanne Program Center (to support public access, public programs, and programs for American theatre), and successfully opened Ten Chimneys to the public as a world-class house museum on May 26, 2003. Since opening, Ten Chimneys has garnered an international reputation as one of the most inspirational and innovative historic sites in the United States. Ten Chimneys’ unique public programs and performances enthrall audiences every year, its museum store is touted nationally as a model of mission fit and retail success, and its traveling exhibitions have been installed on Broadway, in Chicago, and at The National Theatre in London. In addition to programs for the public, Sean had led Ten Chimneys to becoming a powerful resource for actors, trustees, staff members, and other theatre professionals from theatres and theatre schools throughout the nation. In 2007, Ten Chimneys launched the Lunt-Fontanne Fellowship Program, a ground-breaking national program to serve American theatre – partnering with an acclaimed master teacher (Lynn Redgrave for the first year) and eleven of the most prestigious and accomplished regional theatres in the country. Sean has also led Ten Chimneys to a reputation for exceptional fiscal prudence and focused management. The organization has had a positive net operating income every year since it was founded, spending an impressive 92% of its annual budget on the programs and services it exists to provide – with only 8% of the total budget spent on general administration, management, and fundraising.

In addition to a remarkable apprenticeship under Joe Garton, Sean has been mentored by a number of extraordinary civic and business leaders, including his former Board Chair, the late United States Ambassador, Charles W. Bray. Insights on diplomacy, community engagement, intellectual curiosity, thoughtful discourse, and setting ambitious, important goals are among Sean’s most prized lessons-learned.

Prior to Ten Chimneys, Sean worked on national fundraising campaigns and played an integral role in a number of successful endeavors – including work for George Street Playhouse, The Grand Canyon Shakespeare Festival, Madison Repertory Theatre, Mothers Against Drunk Driving, and the National Association for the Prevention of Child Abuse. Sean is a former professional actor and singer. He has a B.F.A. in Theatre from the University of Southern California and a Masters in Business from the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Business. He was named “1998 Outstanding Graduate Business Student” for the UW-Madison School of Business.

In 2004, Sean Malone was named one of the city’s “Forty under 40” by the Milwaukee Business Journal. Sean has lectured at Oxford University, the National Arts Club, and the Williamstown Theatre Festival. He has appeared on CBS News Sunday Morning, NPR’s All Things Considered, and dozens of regional television and radio stations – and has been quoted in hundreds of newspapers and magazines, including The New York Times, The Globe and Mail, The Chicago Tribune, Playbill, and the Associated Press.

Sean lives in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin with his wife, former Vice President of Ten Chimneys Foundation, Erika Kent, and daughters, Emma and Lili. His indulgences include reading The New York Times on his iPhone, running (in warm weather), and eating as much ice cream as he can run off.

• CFO, Executive Director, and general Ten Chimneys Foundation issues
• Fundraising and development information (general inquiries, planned giving, major giving, sponsorships, donor recognition)
• Arts programming information
• Media releases and public comments
• Speaking engagements
• Public materials
• Website comments

Director of Program

Kristine Weir-Martell, ext. 203

kweir-martell@tenchimneys.org

• Public and professional program inquiries
• Group tour and reservations
• Theatre Resource Programs
• High School Outreach program
• Tour management

Director of Historic Preservations

Keith MacKay, ext. 207

kmackay@tenchimneys.org

• Ongoing preservation and restoration of Ten Chimneys, including the historic structures, artifacts, exhibitions, and grounds owned by Ten Chimneys Foundation.

Development Manager

Amanda Shilling, ext. 200

ashilling@tenchimneys.org

• Donations to Ten Chimneys Foundation
  (PO Box 225, Genesee Depot, WI 53127)

  Annual Giving Opportunities:

  $50

  A "Grand Entrance in the ARRIVAL HALL" Donor

  $250

  A "Brunch with Helen Hayes on the GARDEN TERRACE" Donor

  $500

  A "Game of Hearts with Larry Olivier in the LIBRARY" Donor

  $1,500

  A "Chat with Kate Hepburn in the FLIRTATION ROOM" Donor

  $5,000

  A "Song with Noël Coward in the DRAWING ROOM" Donor

  $10,000

  A "Dinner with Lynn and Alfred in the DINING ROOM" Donor and Lunt-Fontanne Society Member

• Stock transfer information

Guest Services and Museum Store Manager

Richard Quick, ext. 121

rquick@tenchimneys.org

• Museum Store inquiries and comments
• Tour operations front desk assistance
• Walk-in gift certificate purchases

Marketing and Communications Manager

Courtney Kihslinger, ext. 216

ckihslinger@tenchimneys.org

• Marketing and Public Relations inquiries
• Tour brochure requests

Volunteer Manager

Megan Rohde, ext. 212

mrohde@tenchimneys.org

• Volunteer Docent Program information and applications
• Volunteer opportunities
• Daily tour operations

Development Associate

Mark R. Neufang, ext. 211

mneufang@tenchimneys.org

• Individual tour reservations
• Gift certificate purchases by phone
• Auction-item donation requests. Due to increased demand, and in direct support of our mission, we have narrowed the scope of our auction donations to include 1) theatre organizations and 2) organizations with which our volunteers are directly involved (in the second case, a Ten Chimneys Foundation volunteer must make the request).

Past Vice President

Erika Kent

ekent@tenchimneys.org

Click here for a brief bio »

ERIKA L. KENT, VICE PRESIDENT
A native of Detroit, Erika Kent earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree with honors from the University of Michigan’s School of Art and Design in 1995. In 1997, Erika moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin to establish a satellite development office for The Nature Conservancy of Wisconsin. In 1999, before its extensive restoration and public opening, Erika joined the small staff of Ten Chimneys in Genesee Depot, Wisconsin. As the Foundation’s Director of Development, she ran the successful $12.5 million capital campaign to open the estate to the public. Erika became Vice President of the Foundation in 2003 — Ten Chimneys’ grand opening year. Through the combined efforts of talented staffers, hundreds of volunteers, donors, and community partners, the once-forgotten Wisconsin estate of theatre legends Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne became a National Historic Landmark, a national resource for American Theatre, and garnered a reputation as one of the most inspirational and innovative historic sites in the country. In September of 2006, after seven years of arguing, Erika and Foundation President Sean Malone were married (with the blessing of their Board Executive Committee). In January of 2008, following a difficult pregnancy, Erika stepped down as Ten Chimneys Foundation’s Vice President. She continues to work for the Foundation to manage the look, feel, sound, and future of Ten Chimneys from her home office.

Erika lives in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin with her two daughters, Emma Rose and Lili Louise (named for Lynn “Lillie Louise” Fontanne), and her husband, Ten Chimneys Foundation President, Sean Malone.

• Ms. Kent currently serves as a Communications and Development Consultant to the Foundation.

Ten Chimneys Foundation Board of Trustees

Ten Chimneys Foundation Executive Committee