News
A Standing Ovation for Matrice Ellis-Kirk
Her Tenure Ending, Her Legacy Will Endure
After serving five years as the Chair of the AT&T Performing Arts Center, Matrice Ellis-Kirk’s term is ending this fall. Her legacy includes expanded diversity in leadership, staff and programming, and positioning the Center for a more financially stable future.
Matrice’s history with the Center goes back to its creation in 2000 (then known as the Dallas Center for the Performing Arts) when she was elected to the Board as one of its founding members. She was elected Chair in 2015. While stepping down as Chair, she will continue to serve as past Chair, and the Board recently named her as the fifth Life Director on the AT&T Performing Arts Center Board of Directors, joining Bess Enloe, Howard Hallam, Caren Prothro and Deedie Rose.
Under her tenure, the Center:
- Increased diversity in board leadership, staff and programming
- Completed the Center’s original capital campaign
- Landmark collaboration agreement with Dallas Summer Musicals
- Elevated the Center’s speaker series by securing the participation of former First Lady Michelle Obama
- Launched the Center’s Young Women’s Leadership Conference
- Creation of the Moody Fund for the Arts
- Creation of ArtsBridge – Powered by Toyota
Matrice has been a lifelong advocate for the arts, supporting many other Dallas arts organizations as well. Earlier this year, the Arts Community Alliance (TACA) named Matrice, along with former Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings as its prestigious 2020 Silver Cup Award recipients.
Matrice is the Managing Director of RSR Partners in Dallas and a senior member of the firm’s Board of Directors Practice. In addition to being an arts advocate, Matrice is active within the business and civic communities, serving on a number of other boards. She is Chair of the DFW Airport Board. She’s also served on the President’s Commission on White House Fellowships and North Texas Tollway Authority. She has served on the University of Pennsylvania Board of Visitors, as a non-executive director of public company boards and also as a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Council on Women’s Empowerment. She and her husband, Ron, have two children, Elizabeth and Catherine.
