The 500 Festival today announces the following promotions and staff additions: 

Diana Richardson has been hired as Executive Assistant. Richardson works to support the 500 Festival’s president and CEO, senior vice president of administration, the 500 Festival Board of Directors, and the 500 Festival Foundation. She is also responsible for assisting with office management, event coordination, and various other duties within this role. Richardson joined the 500 Festival staff in February and is a graduate of Indiana University.   

Lydia Thurston has been promoted to Director of Registration, Ticketing, & Customer Service. In this role, she is responsible for the oversight of customer service for all 500 Festival events, including the OneAmerica 500 Festival Mini-Marathon, Delta Dental 500 Festival 5K, and AES 500 Festival Parade. Thurston is also responsible for the planning and execution of 500 Festival registration and ticketing sale strategies. Thurston joined the 500 Festival staff in 2018 and is a graduate of Butler University.  

Heather Williamson has been promoted to Program & Event Manager. Williamson is responsible for the coordination, communication, community involvement, and execution of programs and events related to the 500 Festival Volunteer Program, presented by Citizens Energy Group, and the 500 Festival Intern Program. She joined the 500 Festival staff in December 2021 and is a graduate of Minnesota State University, Mankato. 

The 500 Festival team is gearing up for the Month of May. To check out all their events, visit 500Festival.com/May.