> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.broadwaynews.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Educational Theatre Association appoints Jay Gerlach as executive director - URL: https://www.broadwaynews.com/educational-theatre-association-appoints-jay-gerlach-as-executive-director/ - Published: 2026-10-14T20:32:21.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-14T20:32:21.000Z - Description: Gerlach also shared a vision for EdTA’s accessible, responsive future. - Author: Lee D'Amato - Tags: Personnel, Educational Theatre Association, News The Educational Theatre Association (EdTA) has named Jay Gerlach its new executive director, effective Oct. 9\. Gerlach had been serving as interim executive director since March 27, 2026, when his predecessor, Dr. Jennifer Katona, stepped down. While leading the professional association for theater educators, Gerlach will concurrently serve as president of the Educational Theatre Foundation (ETF), EdTA’s philanthropic arm. EdTA is an international nonprofit organization of theater educators. Its mission is to build a global community of theater teachers, empowering them to create equitable, transforming learning experiences for theater students worldwide and building the pipeline of theater talent. EdTA has partnered with the environmentally friendly theater initiative Broadway Green Alliance (BGA), directing its members to BGA’s sustainability resources. ETF and the International Thespian Society (EdTA’s honor society for theater students) have also engaged in philanthropic partnerships with the healthcare-focused grantmaking nonprofit Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. EdTA hosted its 2026 Theatre Education Conference in New York City this past June, which offered tickets to Broadway shows for attendees, visits to the Drama Book Shop and Museum of Broadway and a ceremony for the EdTA Awards for Excellence in Theatre Education. As executive director of EdTA, Gerlach is dedicated to initiatives that reach teachers and students directly, including a new print edition of the organization’s high school theater magazine, Dramatics. As president of ETF, he will raise philanthropic support to remove financial barriers to student and institutional participation in theater education. Of his dual roles, Gerlach said in a statement, “One role helps us understand the need; the other helps us secure the resources to meet it.” Gerlach first became involved with EdTA as a member of the International Thespian Society, which he joined at the age of 14\. He went on to study theater education at Illinois State University before beginning his career as a theater teacher in the New York City public school system. Gerlach later worked as a drama teacher and department chair for Rye Country Day School and before moving into district administration for Norwalk Public Schools. SPONSORED BY BROADWAY NEWS ****Broadway News Pro** delivers news, analysis, and guest essays from industry leaders to facilitate meaningful and creative conversations on Broadway. From breaking news to deeply-reported long reads and exclusive interviews, subscribers can rely on Broadway News for stories that matter. Start your subscription for $1/month. [Learn more ](https://www.broadwaynews.com/welcome-offer) Gerlach joined EdTA’s executive leadership team in 2025, serving as executive vice president of membership, before taking on the role of interim executive director in 2026\. Beginning this past April, Gerlach held more than 40 listening sessions with EdTA chapter directors, staff, members and board representatives and began implementing solutions to the challenges they raised in July. According to Gerlach, those conversations reinforced the need for a responsive, transparent EdTA that is closely connected to the day-to-day realities of theater education. To that end, he established a student-led committee for members of the International Thespian Society to report directly to him and help inform organizational decisions. “My top priority is and always will be kids,” said Gerlach. “Every decision we make should help more young people experience the confidence, creativity and belonging that theater provides. To serve students well, we must listen to the educators who serve them every day.”