September 15, 2025 – West Bend, Wi – The board of directors of the Historic West Bend Theatre, Inc. (HWBT) announced the appointment of Noelle Braun as Chief Experience Officer and General Manager.
Braun, former executive director of the Downtown West Bend Association (DWBA), takes over her role at the theater September 15.
“I am excited for the next chapter of my career and grateful to continue serving downtown West Bend—now through the gorgeous historic Bend Theater. My goal remains to make our downtown a vibrant, welcoming place where people gather and feel inspired. I look forward to strengthening partnerships, creating new collaborations, and helping ensure this cultural gem continues to shine for years to come,” Braun said.
“Having worked with the staff of The Bend for several years on successful downtown events, I am confident that we are going to collaborate well with many community partners on wonderful experiences,” she said.
Prior to her tenure at DWBA, Braun served for 11 years as executive director of the Casa Guadalupe Education Center in West Bend.
She was a director of the Froedtert West Bend Hospital community board for nine years. She is a current board director for the Froedtert West Bend Hospital Foundation.
Braun holds a bachelor’s degree in communications, electronic media and Spanish from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, graduating summa cum laude. She holds a certificate in nonprofit management from the University of Missouri-Columbia.
Nic Novaczyk, HWBT President, said, “Noelle has been a harmonic presence in the West Bend community for more than a decade. The Bend Theater is an experience venue, built for everyone, and our town is lucky to have her lead and guide those experiences into the future.”
While at DWBA, she led in organizing Farmers’ Market, Music on Main, the Winter Warm-Up, the Artwalk banner project and Wheels on Main.
She has a professional quality singing voice and has performed as a soloist.The Bend is a nonprofit company that operates with two full time professionals; a cadre of qualified part time employees; six teams of volunteer professionals in mission critical functions, including board members; and more than 100 community volunteer workers.
