Talk about a long road to the top.

Trisha Kirk was a high school student when she started working on a three-month temporary job as a reservationist in the Guthrie Theater's ticket office in 1985, the middle of the Ronald Reagan presidency. Thirty-nine years later, she has been named the theater's managing director.

"Trish knows this building and this institution better than anyone else," said Joseph Haj, Guthrie's artistic director. "And as I've watched her work, I've been impressed by her skill, her dedication and her knowledge. There's no better person suited to be the theater's administrative leader."

Except for a short spell at the Minnesota Opera, Kirk has spent her entire career at the Minneapolis theater, working in a host of roles that includes box office manager and marketing director. She replaces James Haskins, who recently became executive director of the Geva Theatre in Rochester, N.Y.

Kirk said she is gratified that she gets to continue to serve the staff, board, volunteers and, most of all, the patrons of the Guthrie. She recalled the excitement of key moments in the theater's history over the past four decades, including moving into its new riverfront complex, and the patron response to hit shows such as "The Gospel at Colonus."

"People were lined up out the door," Kirk said. "This has been and continues to be an incredible honor of my life."

The Guthrie also announced that it has hired Krista Mathews as its director of development, a key role in raising funds for the theater's budget. As a nonprofit, the Guthrie relies on earned income from shows, contributed income from donors and drawdowns from its endowment to meet its budget, which was $26 million in 2022.

While they may not interact with the public, both the managing and the development directors are key to the smooth functioning of the theater. They join a senior leadership team that also includes directors of human resources, finance and production.

A Milwaukee native who grew up going to theater, Mathews attended the University of Minnesota Law School. She has 15 years of fundraising experience, and last served as chief development officer for Planned Parenthood North Central States, covering a five-state area that includes the Dakotas, Iowa and Nebraska.

"As corny as it may sound, theater helped form my values," Mathews said, pointing to repeated viewings of "A Christmas Carol" and "To Kill a Mockingbird." "This is like coming home."

Mathews succeeds Mollie Alexander Hogan, who left the Guthrie last June to become chief development officer at Chicago's Museum of Contemporary Art.

"These are tough roles to fill, and we couldn't be happier with both," Haj said.