Corporate attorney Cliff Ernst has been named chair of the board of trustees for the Long Center for the Performing Arts for 2012-2013. Ernst was unanimously elected for this position by the board.
Ernst is actively involved in the community, having served as president of Ballet Austin, Austin Sunshine Camps and Young Men’s Business League of Austin, prior to taking his position as chair of the board of trustees at the Long Center. An advocate for the arts, Ernst also held the position of chair of the Austin Business Committee for the Arts.
“Cliff Ernst is a great asset to the Long Center,” Jamie Grant, executive director and CEO of the Long Center, said. “I look forward to working with him as chair.”
As an attorney for Graves Dougherty, Ernst’s work in the corporate and finance practice encompasses mergers and acquisitions; venture capital and debt financings; equity offerings; limited liability companies and partnerships; general contracting; and general corporate counseling. Ernst’s clients include governmental agencies and a full range of businesses from start-up companies to large corporations in a variety of industries including real estate, professional services, health care, technology, oil and gas, and publishing.
About the Long Center for the Performing Arts
The Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long Center for the Performing Arts−Austin’s Creative Home™− opened in March 2008. The Long Center’s mission is to nurture and inspire cultural arts in Austin by encouraging and supporting Austin artists (both the large established arts groups as well as emerging arts groups and individual artists) and by making opportunities available for education, cross-pollination and inspiration through presentation of visiting artists. The Long Center features two performance venues—the 2,400-seat Michael & Susan Dell Hall and the 240-seat Debra and Kevin Rollins Studio Theatre. The Long Center is home to performances of the Austin Lyric Opera, Austin Symphony Orchestra, Ballet Austin, Austin Shakespeare, Pollyanna Theatre Company, and Tapestry Dance Company and to productions in the Long Center Presents series. The Long Center was built using private funds raised by the nonprofit organization that operates the facility and leases it from the City of Austin. For more information about the Long Center, visit www.thelongcenter.org.