Bernadine C. Griffin

Bernie first joined The 5th Avenue in 2002 as director of theater advancement and development. She was appointed managing director in January 2010 and is responsible for the administrative, marketing, fundraising, information services, and facility operations, as well as oversight of all activities related to the Board of Directors. During her tenure, The 5th Avenue has grown from a $10 million to a $25 million organization. She brings to her position 30 years of fundraising and arts management experience.

Prior to The 5th Avenue, she served as director of development for the prestigious Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles, as well as for The Laguna Playhouse in Laguna Beach, California. Before moving to California, she served at the Seattle Symphony where she is proud to have been part of the team that built Benaroya Hall. In addition to the Symphony, Griffin worked for the Tony Award-winning Seattle Repertory Theatre, as well as Tony Randall’s National Actors Theatre in New York.

She began her career at the University of Denver. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree from St. Martin’s University in Lacey, Washington, and is proud to have been born and raised in Walla Walla, Washington. She is a member of Theater Communications Group, the National Alliance for Musical Theatre, and a board member of Seattle Rotary #4 and the Seattle Downtown Association. She has also served as a grants panelist for the National Endowment for the Arts. Griffin was named one of the Puget Sound Business Journal’s 2013 Women of Influence. She is married to award-winning actor Seán G. Griffin.