As first reported by Michael Phillips at Chicago Tribune, Carrie Shepherd at WBEZ, and Reel Chicago, the Facets Board of Directors is very happy to announce its new Executive Director, Karen Cardarelli, Co-Founder and former Executive Director of the Emerald City Theatre.
Wednesday, February 5, 2020: Chicago – As first reported by Michael Phillips at Chicago Tribune, Carrie Shepherd at WBEZ, and Reel Chicago, the Facets Board of Directors is very happy to announce its new Executive Director, Karen Cardarelli, Co-Founder and former Executive Director of the Emerald City Theatre. This announcement concludes a six-month search for the successor to Milos Stehlik, Facets’ founder and long-time Executive Director who passed away in July 2019. “Karen brings a wealth of experience in nonprofit management, children’s programming, and strategic partnerships and will focus on continuing Milos’s vision that film is a powerful tool to educate and create social change,” says Randy Adamsick, co-chair of the Facets Board of Directors. She will begin her full-time role in mid-February.
Ms. Cardarelli co-founded Emerald City Theatre in 1996, an organization she grew to a $2M operating budget, serving 60,000 Chicagoans annually. In her Executive Director role, Cardarelli cultivated strategic partnerships with organizations like Broadway In Chicago, KPMG, and Chicago Public Schools. She led a capital project resulting in the company’s Little Theatre (the nation’s first theater for the very young) and created outreach programs such as the One Fund, which provided a free book and a free play to thousands of Chicago Public Schools students. Most recently she served as a Program Director at Illinois Arts Council, Partnerships Committee Co-Chair for the Year of Chicago Theater Steering Committee and serves on the iHeart Media Local Advisory Board and League of Chicago Theaters Board of Directors.
“I have long admired the programs at Facets. It is a true thrill for me to join an organization with such a committed board, knowledgeable film staff, and global reputation. I look forward to being part of an organization that is so deeply dedicated to lifting up diverse and independent filmmakers,” says Cardarelli. Along with the guidance of board, staff, and constituents, Cardarelli will spearhead a strategic planning process to define Facets future direction with a continued commitment to independent film and media education.
Press Images
FACETS connects people to independent ideas through transformative film experiences. Founded by Milos Stehlik in 1975, FACETS inspires audiences to engage with film not simply as entertainment, but as an exciting tool to bridge cultural divides, promote digital literacy, and expand perspectives through empathy-driven storytelling.
FACETS proudly presents the Chicago International Children’s Film Festival, the oldest and one of only two Oscar-qualifying children’s film festivals in the world. The 37th annual festival runs November 13 – 22, 2020.
Learn more at facets.org.
