Ed Zakreski

Ed Zakreski is the Managing Director of Round House Theatre, one of the “Big Six” professional theatres in the Washington, DC area, where he oversees the management, finance, marketing, and fundraising. He has been working in theatre and arts management in the DC region for more than 25 years. As an executive leader and fundraiser, he has raised more than $100 million in his career. At Round House, he has led the $14 million Full Circle Capital Campaign, and co-produced the four highest-grossing shows in the theatre’s history.

Prior to joining Round House in 2016, Ed spent 12 years as the Chief Development Officer at Shakespeare Theatre Company, where he completed the $75 million capital campaign to build Sidney Harman Hall and produced the $3 million opening gala, called “the most buzzed about gala” by Washington Life. He also doubled the annual fund and led the development of STC’s annual gala and Will on the Hill into two of the top 10 events in Washington as rated by Bizbash.

From 1998-2005, Ed served at the Kennedy Center in increasingly senior positions, culminating as Director of Individual Campaigns where he oversaw a 22-member team raising more than $11 million annually. While there, he significantly increased the engagement and fundraising of many of the Center’s auxiliary boards and led unique experiential arts meetings around the United States and in Beijing, Budapest, Copenhagen, London, Paris, Prague, and St. Petersburg.

Ed holds a degree in arts management from American University. He is a frequent presenter and leader of workshops about management and fundraising for nonprofit arts organizations.