Coastal Concerts names Baltimore’s Edna Ellett as new executive director

Baltimore native and former Alzheimer’s Association executive Edna V. Ellett has come out of retirement to take over as executive director of Coastal Concerts.

Ellett will be responsible for promoting the organization, overseeing its outreach and education programs, and building the volunteer base. She last served as the executive director of the Delaware Regional Office of the Alzheimer’s Association’s Delaware Valley chapter. She was in charge of two offices, one in Wilmington and one in Georgetown. She was an advocate for the organization and was in charge of special events, grant writing, community awareness and volunteer recruitment.

Ellett’s new position not only is one that gets her involved with classical music in a big way, but it represents a giant step forward for the Lewes-based, nonprofit organization. This is the first time it has a paid member of staff. Up until now, all the work has been accomplished by volunteers.

Ellett, who lives in the Lewes area with her husband Robert Ellett, already has begun to set her sights on growing the organization. She is working on developing a database, reviewing contracts for the 2009-2010 season, recruiting new volunteers and developing a strategic plan for moving forward. Ellett has been a member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals since 1993 and also will be evaluating how to increase the funding for Coastal Concerts.

While the organization charges a nominal fee of $20 per ticket, its programming is made possible, in part, by private donations and grants from the Delaware Division of the Arts, a state agency dedicated to nurturing and supporting the arts in Delaware, in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts.

Coastal Concerts brings a classical music series of five concerts during the off-season to the Bethel United Methodist Church hall in Lewes. It has earned a reputation for presenting high-quality concerts of world-class musicians and ensembles that stop in Lewes between engagements in New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington, D.C. Coastal Concerts also organizes special concerts and educational music programs for local schools, and presents annual scholarships and musical instruments to eligible young people.

And while she also continues to volunteer for the Alzheimer’s Association, Ellett most of all enjoys spending time with her eight grandchildren.

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