Melaine Bennett is Director of Development at Shakespeare Festival St. Louis.  A lifelong theatre lover, Melaine Bennett joined Shakespeare Festival St. Louis in August 2011 with 15 years of experience in arts administration and fundraising at major theatres around the country, including South Coast Repertory, La Jolla Playhouse and Alabama Shakespeare Festival.  Most recently, Bennett served as the Director of Development and Acting Managing Director at Intiman Theatre in Seattle.  Named as one of the “Newsmakers of 2010” by Puget Sound Business Journal, she is a graduate of The University of Mississippi and received her M.F.A. from The University of Alabama.  Bennett shares her home with two talented rat terriers, Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson.