Lafayette College has named Hollis Ashby as director of the Performance Series at the Williams Center for the Arts, effective Sept. 2.

Ashby, former associate director of Cal Performances at UC Berkeley, succeeds Ellis Finger, who founded the Performance Series when the Williams Center opened in 1983 and retired June 30.

As series director, Ashby will be responsible for the artistic vision and executive leadership of the visiting performing arts program, encompassing the fields of chamber music, early music, new music, vocal and instrumental recitals, classical and modern dance, jazz, world stage, and theater.

Ashby has worked professionally in the performing arts for 27 years. She has held managerial positions in public relations at American Conservatory Theater, San Francisco, and the San Francisco Symphony.

Ashby received a BA in English Literature from St. Lawrence University and an MA in Dramatic Art from UC Davis, with an emphasis in theater history, literature and practice.