FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For more information please contact:
Lisa Rigsby Peterson, Wheeler Opera House Executive Director
Phone: (970) 309-2207
Email: Lisa.peterson@aspen.gov
Carolyn Sackariason, Communications Co-manager
Phone: (970) 319-2791
Email: Carolyn.sackariason@aspen.gov
Wheeler Opera House Executive Director to step down
Lisa Rigsby Peterson to leave position at end of summer to tend to family
Aspen, CO - After leading the Wheeler Opera House through a successful post-pandemic reopening and the resumption of the mix of film, dance, concerts, lectures and community celebrations that are the hallmark of Aspen’s beloved 135-year-old historic theatre, Executive Director Lisa Rigsby Peterson has announced that she will be relinquishing her position and returning to the Denver metro area to provide support to her family.
“Over the past three years, I have been balancing the needs of my Denver-based extended family and the need for me to return to Denver to be with them has become a priority, so it is with both regret and gratitude that I thank the city of Aspen for the opportunity to lead the Wheeler and its wonderful team as I look to my next chapter,” Rigsby Peterson said.
She began her tenure at the Wheeler in the spring of 2021 just as public facilities started opening to the public after a year of COVID-19 public health orders. A longtime Colorado resident, Rigsby Peterson came to the Wheeler after a decade as the founding executive director of the municipally-owned Lone Tree Arts Center.
City Manager Sara Ott said she’s thankful for Rigsby Peterson’s service.
“Her contributions have been instrumental in advancing the Wheeler Opera House’s mission,” Ott said. “I am grateful for Lisa’s diligence in continuing the excellent programming for the community.”
Rigsby Peterson will continue in her role at the Wheeler until the end of August, allowing the city necessary time to design and implement a thoughtful search process to identify her replacement.
“Transitions like this are never easy, and the opportunity to provide continuity to the organization and staff is important. I have every confidence that with the benefit of this extended notice, the city will identify the right person to assume the leadership of the Wheeler in a seamless transition,” Rigsby Peterson said.
She added that she is grateful for the opportunity to lead the Wheeler and the arts community through a key transitional time: “The past three years working alongside visionary city leadership, a passionate advisory board, and the extraordinarily talented and dedicated Wheeler staff have been incredibly fulfilling for me. Together, we reopened the Wheeler to our community, resumed beloved traditions, created new partnerships with exceptional local artists and organizations, introduced diverse and international programming, and increased offerings designed for the whole family, including student matinees and school outreach programs across the Roaring Fork Valley. The work has been and continues to be important and meaningful.”
###