Elise Pakiela

Search Operations Research Contractor

Elise Pakiela is an Illinois-based arts administrator with a background in theatre management. She was a Producer of Theatre Communications Group’s 2024 National Conference, one of the largest convenings of nonprofit theatre professionals in the country. Elise spent a year as the Development Assistant at Barrington Stage Company where she was a lead coordinator on the theatre’s Gala: A Night at the Kit Kat Club featuring Taylor Mac. Her experience as an arts administrator also includes time at Illinois Humanities, the League of Chicago Theatres, Brookside Artist Management, and Porthouse Theatre.

Elise studied theatre management, entrepreneurship and integrated marketing communications at Northwestern University where she was also Executive Assistant to the Director of Music Theatre. She is a recipient of Northwestern School of Communication’s Ralph B. Dennis Scholarship and the Theatre Departmental Award for Excellence in Leadership and Service. Leading with an accessible, people-centric approach, Elise focuses on connecting collaborators with resources for success, and she loves a good color-coded spreadsheet