LANSING, MI — Linda Crenshaw is a native of Lansing and a 1980 graduate of Sexton High School. A lover of sports, she was awarded an athletic scholarship to play womens basketball at Northwood University in Midland, Michigan.
Linda is the President & CEO of the newly established, Sassafras Production Company. Sassafras is small North American tree, bearing small bluish fruits. The dried root bark from this tree is used as flavoring or a spice. To play on words, it is her hope to bring a little spice to the city of Lansing through her production company.
She holds a B.A. degree in Management and Organizational Development from Spring Arbor College (2001) and currently works as a Retirement Coordinator for a local organization. She has previously worked as a Director of Human Resources for a California company and as District Personnel Representative for United Parcel Service, where she was responsible for hiring for the city of Lansing, Mt. Pleasant and Holland.
She lived in the San Francisco/Oakland Bay Area for 9 years and developed a love for all types of productions such as: theater plays, concerts, musicals, dance programs, symposiums and other special events. She did a lot of work behind the scenes work which lead to jobs in stage managing, technical assistance and GOFER, she says with a laugh.
Highlights of her experiences included her involvement with the Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame’s Annual Celebrity Gala. She worked as one of the Media contact person . “I just happened to be in the right place at the right time to assist a friend of mine who is a Publicist in San Francisco. It was a great way to spend time with some of the most notable actors and actresses, have a great meal and enjoy the party and entertainment afterwards.”
Another exciting experience was the two years of volunteer work she did for Director, Rhodessa Jones. Ms. Jones is the co-founder of The Medea Project.
This theater group worked with incarcerated women through the San Francisco City Jail.
The group performed annually at the Lorraine Hansberry Theater in San Francisco. Approximately two months before the shows began, the Medea Staff and Ms. Crenshaw would hold rehearsals inside the jail.
Printed in Volume 1 Issue 8
