Houston Grand Opera Has Named Allyn Risley as New Chairman of the Board of Directors

By: Mar. 09, 2020
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Houston Grand Opera Has Named Allyn Risley as New Chairman of the Board of Directors

Houston Grand Opera (HGO) has elected Allyn Risley as chairman of its board of directors. He will serve a two-year term beginning August 1, succeeding current Board Chair Janet Carrig.

Carrig's two-year term included leading the company's return to the Wortham Theater Center following Hurricane Harvey and the oversight of the business and artistic recovery of the organization. In addition to sharing her business acumen and leadership, she also supported main stage productions and the company's special events. Carrig was influential in forming, establishing, and chairing the HGO's Working Culture Review Group, an industry leading program to ensure that the company provides an open and safe working environment for all.

Chairman of the Board Carrig says, "I am truly honored to have served as Houston Grand Opera's Board Chair for the past two years. The outstanding board and staff have made my duty as chair a true joy, and I am so happy and proud that we are now back at our home, The Wortham Center. We can all be proud of the artistic and administrative successes of the last two seasons, and I have truly enjoyed getting to know the staff through our working culture surveys and discussions. I know Allyn Risley will continue HGO's tradition of excellence and will bring his own unique leadership style; the company is in the most capable of hands going forward."

HGO Managing Director Perryn Leech says, "Janet Carrig has been a wonderful and caring chair. Her vast experience, business skills, and passion for what we do has helped Patrick and me, as well as the company, steady itself after the (literal) storm of Harvey. Janet's wise counsel and incredible leadership of the Working Culture Review Group have been of great benefit to the company, and I hope that maybe she will now get to more fully enjoy her "retirement."

"Perryn and I truly appreciate Janet's support and advocacy for HGO," adds HGO Artistic and Music Director Patrick Summers. "Now we look ahead to a new leader in Allyn Risley. He and his wife Jill have been key influencers with Houston Grand Opera for many years, with special affection for our esteemed Studio Artists program. We look forward to imagining HGO's future with Allyn over the next two years."

"HGO is near and dear to my heart, as well as Jill's. The artistic output is beyond compare, and I am proud that we are especially committed to the development of new operatic talent. I thank Janet for her dedication and vision in helping to chart a course for the future of this great company and will be seeking her advice which I know she will freely give" says Allyn Risley. "HGO has a legacy of strong leadership from past board chairs and as we look ahead to a new decade of artistic and developmental milestones-I am looking forward to getting started."

Chair-elect Risley and Jill have been HGO subscribers since the 2003-04 season and are members of the Founders Council. They co-sponsor HGO Studio Artist Nicholas Newton and faculty member, Dr. Stephen King, Director of Vocal Instruction. Risley currently serves as the Development Committee Chair and is a member of the Studio Committee.

Risley is Chairman of Gaztransport & Technigaz (GTT) North America, an engineering company expert in liquid gas containment systems using cryogenics. Prior to joining GTT in 2011, he was vice president of global shipping for BG Group Ltd. and formerly general manager of LNG at ConocoPhillips. He is a graduate of the University of Kansas.

For more information about Houston Grand Opera, visit HGO.org.



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