Sarah Swale's appointment was announced on Monday night at the Autumn Festival annual meeting in Arrowtown.
Ms Swale (40) is taking the position while previous director Debra Husheer takes a one-year break.
Ms Swale credited the long-standing Autumn Festival committee of Lex Perkins (chairman), Sue Anderson (treasurer), Trish McKenzie, Alice Hutchens, Jean MacNicol and Shirley Palmer for the event's success to date.
New members Paula Ryan and Ngaire Barrett joined the committee on Tuesday night.
Ms Swale is best known for her positions as operations manager for the Queenstown Jazz Festival and Pat Farry Trust.
She was also secretary for the inaugural Sir Peter Blake Trust.
Ms Swale lives in the Gibbston Valley with husband Tim Decker. They have two children aged 5 and 2.
The former Anderson Lloyd office secretary said she had always been interested in events organisation, which led her to leave the office and seek activities that involved charity and people.
