Ralph Remington, the founder of Pillsbury House Theatre in Minneapolis and a one-time Minneapolis City Council member, is leaving his post at the National Endowment for the Arts.

Remington has been director fo theater and musical theater at the NEA since 2010. In January, he will become western regional director for Actors' Equity, the union of professional actors.

In his new job, he will "oversee the operations, collective bargaining, and contract administration in 14 states -- from Texas to Washington, including Alaska and Hawaii -- and supervise a staff of 22," Actors' Equity said in a statement.

Remington also will be assisant executive director to Mary McColl, the head of Equity and a one-time administrator at both St. Paul's Ordway and Cowles centers.

"We're thrilled to welcome Ralph Remington to the Equity family as part of the leadership team," said McColl. "He has a proven track record of success as a strategic planner and is a champion of cultural inclusiveness."

At the NEA, he has been a champion of theater, travelling frequently national and abroad to promote the field. He also has been responsible for oversight of the NEA's theater grant-making.

Remington was a member of the Minneapolis City Council from 2006-2009.

In 1992, he founded Pillsbury House Theatre, a company that continues to do daring work.

A Philadelphia native, Remington earned his bachelor of fine arts degree in drama from Howard University, where his classmates included Gavin Lawrence.