Hawaii Theatre Center President Sarah M. Richards is retiring after 24 years of service that included overseeing restoration of the historic downtown venue.

She plans to remain the center’s president until the board of directors picks a replacement, according to an announcement.

During Richard’s term, the center received the 2005 Outstanding Historic Theatre of America award from the national League of Historic American Theatres, the 2006 National Preservation Award from the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and the 2006 Torch Award for Business Ethics by the Better Business Bureau of Hawaii. The latter award was the first award given to a nonprofit organization.

"I am honored to have been part of this important community treasure for the past 25 years, and I’m proud of what our organization has accomplished in that time, transforming what could have become a parking lot into an award-winning performance venue," Richards said in the announcement.

Richards was the first staff member of the newly formed Hawaii Theatre Center in 1989. Before that she served as director of the Hawaii State Foundation on Culture and the Arts for nine years and dean of Chaminade University for 10 years.

She also serves on the boards for Hawaii Opera Theatre and the Hawaii Association of Non-Profit Associations.