2005 LHAT CONFERENCE
PRESENTER BIOGRAPHIES

LAURA BARNES, Director of Membership and Annual Gifts
Michigan Theater, Ann Arbor, MI

Laura Barnes is Director of Membership and Annual Gifts the Michigan Theater in Ann Arbor, Michigan. She graduated with a BA in Public Relations and Journalism from Madonna University in Livonia, Michigan. Hired in 1999 as Membership Manager, she was promoted to Membership and Annual Gifts Director in 2004. Under her management a new membership program was created, a multi-faceted membership marketing plan was executed and cost-effective membership appreciation events were implemented. These improvements caused membership revenue to increase at an average annual rate of 29% each of the past 5 years. Laura's love of historic theaters started in 1987 when she discovered the Redford Theater in Detroit. She became involved with the Michigan in 1995 as a customer and volunteer. Her passion for historic theater preservation now extends beyond her work at the Michigan Theater. As a volunteer she is currently involved in helping her hometown of Plymouth, Michigan save their historic theater - The Penn Theatre.

BILL BLAKE, Consultant
AMS Planning & Research Corp., Petaluma, CA

AMS Planning & Research Corp. is a distinguished management consulting practice devoted exclusively to cultural development. The firm's core business is to help guide the planning and development of arts facilities and to assist in the formulation of strategic and long-range plans for arts programs and projects.

Since joining AMS in 2000, Bill Blake has consulted on over 40 projects, including feasibility studies for the restoration of historic theatres. AMS is heading up the Market Feasibility Study for the Broadway LA Theater District and the Fox Fullerton Theatre. Blake holds a B.A. in Theatre from Principia College and has experience as an actor, director, stage manager, house manager and theatre technician. He is also the Northern California representative for LHAT.

JAMES A. BOESE, Vice President
The Nederlander Organization, New York, NY

Jim Boese currently serves as Vice-President of one of the largest owners of legitimate theatres in the world, as well as one of the largest theatrical producing organizations in North America. Jim is primarily responsible for the operations of Nederlander's nine Broadway theatres in New York City. During his eight years with the Nederlander Organization, he has overseen renovations to four historic theatres: the Brooks Atkinson, the Lunt-Fontanne, the Palace and the Neil Simon. Jim is a member of the League of American Theatres and Producers and has a Masters of Fine Arts Degree from California Institute of the Arts.

KENNETH CLEIN, AIA, Principal and Senior Project Manager
Quinn Evans | Architects, Ann Arbor, MI

Clein is a Principal and Senior Project Manager with Quinn Evans | Architects' Ann Arbor Office. During 18 years of architectural practice, he has accumulated significant programming, design and master planning experience on a wide variety of project types. This includes planning and implementation for the renovation, adaptive use or restoration of older structures, along with sensitively sited new construction projects. This practical experience, combined with management skills, enhances his ability to work with complex teams to successfully meet project goals.

PAMELA CLEMENTS, Consultant, Architectural Acoustics
Kirkegaard Associates, Chicago, IL

Clements has received her Master of Music from Cleveland State University, Bachelor of Science in Architecture, and Bachelor of Arts, Dip. Ed., from the University of Sydney, Australia. She brings to her work as acoustics consultant a diverse background in architecture, music, publishing and education. She has worked on acoustics design for a wide variety of performing arts spaces in both new facilities and renovations including the renovation of the historic Tennessee Theatre in Knoxville, TN, for orchestra, opera, ballet and musical theatre among numerous national and international projects.

Clements is a member of the Acoustical Society of America; American String Teachers' Association; League of Historic American Theatres; Pi Kappa Lambda, and the National Music Honor Society. She has undertaken extensive research into the design of nineteenth-century concert halls in relation to orchestral development and performance practice. Her research on the acoustic design and early acoustic qualities of the Vienna Musikverein, the Amsterdam Concertgebouw, and the Leipzig Gewandhaus has been presented at various forums including the Acoustical Society of America, the International Congress on Acoustics, the Dutch Acoustical Society and the British Institute of Acoustics. She has published numerous papers in journals of international acoustical societies and she has been commissioned to write on the Amsterdam Concertgebouw for the European journal Acta Acustica.

JOEL COHN, CPA, Principal
Reznick Group, Baltimore, MD

Cohn is a Principal in the Real Estate Consulting Group of Reznick Group, where he provides real estate and tax consulting services. He advises clients in structuring real estate transactions with a specific concentration in New Markets, historic and low-income housing tax credits; this advice has included: maximization of the amount of tax credits, while working within the framework of existing law; creation of transaction structures designed to strip tax credits and/or cash flow to satisfy the key agendas of various stakeholders; exit strategies for investors/developers to protect sharing of cash flow; conception of strategies which maximize return on investment; and creation of transaction structures that permit economic participation by non-profits.

Cohn's historic tax credit transaction experience has included a variety of properties throughout the country. Adaptive re-uses included multifamily housing, hotels, and office and retail space. The New Markets Transactions he has participated in range from a hotel in Louisville, KY to a mixed use building in Providence, RI to a performing arts center in Washington, DC. While this program is still in a formative stage, he has worked on many deals that have closed, identifying various issues and solving them.

Cohn has been published in Urban Land, Multifamily Trends, NAREIT, Affordable Housing Finance, and CCIM'S publication, Commercial Investment Real Estate. He has spoken before the National Housing & Rehabilitation, the National Park Service, and the National Trust for Historic Preservation on a variety of issues relating to historic rehabilitations and New Markets Tax Credits. He received a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Towson University and a Master of Business Administration with a concentration in Finance from Loyola College in Maryland. His professional affiliations include the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Forum of the National Trust for Historic Preservation

RUSSELL B. COLLINS, CEO
Michigan Theater, Ann Arbor, MI

Collins has been the Chief Executive Officer of the Michigan Theater since 1982. The Michigan Theater is a fully-restored 1920's era movie palace that is operated as an elegant, not-for-profit arts facility presenting and hosting a wide-variety of high quality film and live-on-stage programs.

Collins' professional honors include serving as a Professional Theatre Program Fellow of the University of Michigan and an Arts Administration Fellow of the National Endowment for the Arts. In July 2004, he was knighted by Republic of Italy and awarded the title of "Calvaliere nell'Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana" for his promotion of Italian film culture in the United States. For many years he was a board member of the League of Historic American Theatres.

Locally, Collins is a board member of the State Street Area Association, past board member of the Ann Arbor Area Chamber of Commerce, Convention and Visitors Bureau and Rotary. He currently presides at the Ann Arbor Area Chamber of Commerce monthly Morning Edition program.

Collins teaches film studies at Eastern Michigan University and is the host of "Cinema Chat," a weekly radio program on National Public Radio affiliate WEMU. He is an Ann Arbor, Michigan native who received both a Bachelors and Masters Degree (in arts administration) from the University of Michigan.

HAL CROPP, Executive Director
Commonweal Theatre Company, Lanesboro, MN

Originally from upstate New York, Cropp is in his fifteenth season with the Commonweal Theatre Company, for which he serves as the executive director. Duties associated with this position include seeking grants, overseeing the day-to-day function of the company, acting as liaison between the Board of Directors and the Company, overseeing the expansion of new programs such as the New Play series and the Semester-in-Residence Program. Cropp received his undergraduate degree in Theater Arts from Brown University, his Masters of Business from Santa Clara University and his Master of Fine Arts from the National Theater Conservatory in Denver, Colorado. He is an active Lanesboro community member, having served on the City Council; the Economic Development Association; the Lanesboro Area Agriculture, Commerce, and Tourism Board; the South-East Minnesota Arts Council Board and the Minnesota Citizens for the Arts Board.

JONATHAN DARLING, Consultant
Kirkegaard Associates, Chicago, IL

For 18 years prior to joining Kirkegaard in 2002, Darling worked as a professor of theatre, most recently at Northwestern University, where he was Sound Design Supervisor and Production Coordinator. He has been very active as a Theatre Sound Designer. Recent production at Northwestern have included Titanic, Ain't Misbehavin', The Cleansing and To Kill A Mockingbird. He also served for six years as Sound Designer for Northwestern's annual WAA-MU how of original music theatre. Designs for professional companies have included The Student Prince, Kismet and Countess Maritza for Light Opera Works and six productions for Face To Face Productions, most recently The Wizard Of Menlo Park. His experience includes work as Sound Designer and Design Consultant for the 1000 seat Pick-Staiger Concert Hall at Northwestern University, and Sound System Renovation Designer for the similarly sized Concert Hall at the Benedicta Arts Center at St. Benedict College.

Darling has served as Sound Designer and/or Sound System Designer for many medium sized theatres, including those at the Court Theatre, Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, Goodman Theatre (asst. des.), College of St. Benedict, Simpson College and Northwestern University. Projects of this type as Sound System Consultant for Kirkegaard Associates include the Canton Performing Arts Center, East China Performing Arts Center, Monroe County Community College, East Lansing High School and Marengo Community High School, and the renovation of Knoxville's Tennessee Theatre.

Darling received an M.F.A. in Stage Design from Case Western Reserve University and a B.A. in Theatre Arts from Allegheny College. He has been an active member of USITT for many years and been and Officer and frequent presenter for the organization. He has represented USITT to the Technology Commission of the International Organization of Scenographers, Theatre Architects and Technicians. Darling has also served as a member of the Midwest Section of USITT Executive Board and as Commissioner of Design and Technology for the Association for Theatre in Higher Education. He has published several articles in Theater Design and Technology, the quarterly magazine of the USITT, as well as in Design and Production Review, and Theatre Crafts Magazine. He has presented numerous papers and chaired several workshops at USITT Conferences. The subjects of his presentations, seminars, and articles have ranged from theatre production labor deployment to scheduling and project management to computer sound design, loudspeaker technology and show-control.

JOHN FAUST, Manager
Stanley Theatre, Utica, NY

Faust is the manager of the Stanley Theatre in Utica, New York. In the summer of 1998, began a series of classic movies in this restored 2,945 seat movie palace. Since then, movie programming has expanded to a summer series in addition to other movies programmed throughout the year. In addition to movie programming, Faust has been responsible for the increased use of the Stanley for all kinds of events. He has been instrumental in increasing the usage of this rental house and its earned revenue. The facility is beginning a $17M expansion project this summer.

The focus of Stanley movie programming is to feature popular movies of merit with specific attention to the presentation quality. The Stanley has earned a reputation for procuring great prints of great movies and using "showmanship" in their presentation. Faust credits his attendance at previous LHAT film programming seminars for the institution -- and maintenance -- of the successful revenue producing movie program at the Stanley.

Before living in central New York State for the past 25 years, Faust lived in Iowa where he also managed some single screen theatres for Fridley Theatres for four years. He has an MFA in Arts Administration from the University of Iowa.

SCOTT F. GEORGESON, AIA, Associate
Holabird & Root LLC, Chicago, IL

Georgeson is the theater designer at Holabird & Root in Chicago. He leads the design of performing and cultural arts centers. He has more than 15 years of professional experience in programming, design and construction management of fine and performing arts facilities. After graduating with a masters degree in architecture with an emphasis on historical buildings and downtown redevelopment, he joined Beckley/Myers Architects to program and design the new Milwaukee Repertory Theater and master plan the Milwaukee Theater District. He continued to expand his theater expertise by designing all types of performance venues for professional performing arts groups, universities, and not-for-profit community groups. In addition to the design of theaters, Georgeson has also undertaken research into requirements for theater technologies, acoustics, theater management and public fund raising.

DULCIE C. GILMORE, Director
Arie Crown Theater, Chicago, IL

Gilmore has 25 years of experience in successfully operating theatres, including programming, management, establishing governance structures, preparing financial pro formas, audience projections, startup and annual operating budgets. Two of the theatres she managed (Paramount Arts Centre, Aurora IL and Oriental Theatre, Chicago IL) were startup facilities. The Auditorium Theatre, Chicago IL was on the verge of closing when she took over. Under her management, it was transformed from a deficit-ridden, run down facility to one of the premier performing arts venues in the country. The Arie Crown Theater, her most recent project, is underutilized. All four facilities are city, state or federal historic landmarks.

The 4,249-seat Arie Crown Theater is Chicago's largest theatre, both in number of seats and in backstage area. Gilmore was recently appointed by the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority (owners and operators of McCormick Place, Navy Pier, and the Arie Crown) to oversee booking and operations. She will prepare and implement a strategic plan to boost the theatre's profile and number of use days.

Gilmore is also principal of Dulcie Gilmore Associates, an independent consulting firm with substantial experience in arts management, planning, programming and audience development. Recent clients have included the Boyd (Sameric) Theatre, Philadelphia (PA), Rowan University, Glassboro (NJ), Naperville (IL) Regional Performing Arts Center Project, the Orpheum Theatre Foundation in Phoenix (AZ), The New England Center for the Performing Arts in Massachusetts, the Amherst (MA) Performing Arts and Independent Film Center, the DuPage Theatre in Lombard, IL, the Chicago International Film Festival, and the McClurg Court Performance Center in Chicago, IL. She is a director of the League of Historic American Theatres, and has served on the Chicago Central Area Committee and the State Street Council, Chicago's Loop-based retail association. Gilmore was appointed by Mayor Richard M. Daley to serve as Commissioner of the State Street Commission (a political body appointed to oversee Special Service Area assessments for the downtown retail district). She is a trustee of the Stagehands Health & Welfare, Pension and Annuity Funds, Musicians Union Health & Welfare Fund, Ticket Sellers Pension Plan, and a member of the Association of Theatrical Press Agents and Managers. She served as president of the League of Chicago Theatres from 1993 - 95.

PAUL A. GREEN, Vice President
Maury, Donnelly & Parr, Inc., Baltimore, MD

Paul Green started his career in insurance with Physicians Insurance Company (PIC), a regional medical malpractice company. As Marketing Director, he was responsible for producer relations. Green moved into the position of Vice President of Marketing and Business Development and was charged with the responsibility of growing the company's business. While at PIC, he also acted as an independent consultant to various physician and hospital groups, advising them on insurance related matters. When PIC purchased Rockwood Casualty Insurance Company (RCIC), a regional workers' compensation insurance company, Green accepted the position as Vice President of Marketing and Business Development in 1994. While at RCIC he expanded the company from a carrier that just wrote business in Pennsylvania and Maryland to a carrier that operates in the states from Pennsylvania to Florida.

In 1998, Green was approached by a Baltimore based insurance agency in order to grow their independent agency. As Vice President and Managing Partner of the agency, he recruited producers and developed relationships with various insurance carriers. While at the agency Green developed his own portfolio of clients and acted as their insurance consultant. Green was approached by the owners of Maury, Donnelly & Parr, Inc. (MDP), one of Baltimore's largest independent insurance agencies, to assume the operations of the agency. In 2001 He became General Manager of MDP, a position he currently holds. As General Manager he is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the agency, staffing, insurance carrier development and relationships, producer recruiting and development, business development, agency diversification, program development and agency acquisitions.

In January 2005 Green was named Vice President and became a partner of MDP. In addition to his management responsibilities, he continues to represent his own group of clients. In 2004 Green and three other members of MDP formed Affinity Services Group (ASG), a firm focused on the development of strategic relationships with trade associations and non-profit organizations. ASG actively seeks and establishes exclusive insurance programs for the membership of various associations. To date the organization has developed four such relationships with a membership base of over 250,000 businesses and individuals. The National Trust for Historic Preservation and The League of Historic American Theatres are two such participating organizations.

Green is currently President of the Independent Insurance Agents of Metropolitan Baltimore, serves on the Board of Directors of the Independent Insurance Agents of Maryland and is also a Board Member on numerous Insurance Carrier Agent Advisory Boards.

MARY HEMMINGS, Executive Director
Fox Theatre, Hutchinson, KS
President, Kansas Historic Theatres Association

Hemmings is Executive Director of the Fox Theatre (1221 seats) and city-owned Memorial Hall (2334 seats). She is responsible for programming, overall operations, rentals, budget, fund raising, marketing, educational programs, facilities management, ticketing and all aspects of running these venues. In less than two years, she paid off all debts, established an endowment fund securing $900,000 start-up monies and a five year annual giving plan, all this in a community under 50,000. Prior to coming to Kansas, Hemmings directed the University of Arizona's Cultural Affairs Artist Series, where she was responsible for bringing in world class artists in a variety of areas (Jazz/Pop, Great Performances, Discovery, Folk Traditions, Broadway and Special Events) and for overall operations - including contracts, budget, development, staffing, marketing, public relations, educational, facilities, technical and community involvement.

Hemmings is experienced in grant writing with awards ranging from $500.00-$1mm (including a $30,000 NEA grant). She established a development program initiating membership (Friends of the Fox) and a sponsorship program. She has recommended and established permanent endowment to provide an ongoing subsidy for operations and capital expenditures.

Her experience includes designing innovative promotional campaigns and marketing plans; securing media coverage; assisting with national hookups for feature spots; and, writing radio and TV. She produced the NBC Today Show with Willard Scot Live in Tucson and produced an annual brochure that won several graphics awards (200,00+). She developed an arts technical training program that was ranked third in the country for safety, speed and efficiency. National touring companies used hers as a model. She has implemented numerous special events, art classes and cultural programs at children's museum, libraries, resource center and performance facilities and has set-up Meet the Artist Programs, one on one classes and residency programs.

JOHN H. HEMSATH, Director of Theater Operations
Playhouse Square Foundation, Cleveland, OH

Hemsath began his career in professional theater management in 1973 with the Playhouse Square Foundation. His first task was the development of the group sales office. The development of the special events department followed. While continuing these activities, he was made the assistant to the producer and became responsible for the productions at Playhouse Square. From modest beginnings in the early 1970s, Playhouse Square Foundation has developed the Playhouse Square Center into the largest performing arts center in North America outside New York City. It is comprised of five theaters (four of which are contiguous) in the area of downtown Cleveland, Ohio known as Playhouse Square. The Center has over 9,000 seats and entertains approximately one million guests per year.

In 1982 Hemsath was promoted to his current position. He has participated in the design and renovation of much of the Center. His day-to-day responsibilities include the supervision of the technical department, maintenance, housekeeping, house management, volunteers, food and beverage, and security. He also works closely with the Center's constituent companies, and coordinates theatrical rentals of the Center. From time-to-time, Hemsath has served as a consultant on various theatre renovation projects around the country. He holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from Case Western Reserve University. He is a member of the International Association of Assembly Managers, and has served on the Peer Advisory Review Program for the League of Historic American Theatres.

CHAD HERSHNER, President & CEO
The Paramount Theater, Charlottesville, VA

TARA JONES, President

National Preservation Partners, San Diego, CA

Tara Jones is a licensed real estate professional with over a decade of lending and real estate experience. She has founded two separate companies, Historic Consultants, Inc. and National Preservation Partners, that focus exclusively on providing consulting and financial services for rehabilitating historic buildings. Jones is responsible for pioneering new techniques of reducing the costs and time for a historic preservation project by focusing on the financing and the financial incentives for the rehabilitation of historic buildings.

JOHN LEITH-TETRAULT, President
National Trust Community Investment Fund, Washington, DC

John Leith-Tetrault has 25 years of nonprofit and for profit experience in community development, urban real estate finance, community development banking, historic preservation, training and urban planning. He has specialized in developing community-based and city-wide partnerships with the financial strength to facilitate the rehabilitation of properties that provide an economic benefit to low-income neighborhoods and central business districts. His employment history includes senior positions with the Enterprise Foundation, Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation, Bank of America and Neighborhood Housing Services. He has held his current position with the National Trust since 1994.

As President of the National Trust Community Investment Fund, Leith-Tetrault manages all of the Trust's community development, CDFI lending, real estate consulting and tax credit equity initiatives. He has also made the National Trust an industry leader in the placement of corporate equity investments in real estate projects qualified for federal and state historic tax credits. Leith-Tetrault holds a BA in history from Georgetown University and a Masters in Urban and Regional Planning from George Washington University.

JEAN LETCHER, Executive Director
Circle Cinema Foundation, Tulsa, OK

Letcher has worked in the non-profit community for twenty years and is currently a non-profit management consultant. The founders of the Circle Cinema Foundation hired her in the summer of 2002 to complete the formation of the organization, open an office and begin a capital campaign, i.e. executive director. When the Circle 2 opened in October 2004, she took on the additional duties of theatre manager. Two more screens are under construction in the 77 year old Circle Theatre and are due to open this winter. The Circle Cinema is a non-profit movie theatre presenting independent, documentary and foreign films.

Letcher has a MFA in Performing Arts Administration from City University of New York. She has worked for a wide variety of organizations including the Tulsa Opera, Philbrook Museum of Art, Tulsa Zoo & Living Museum, and Oklahoma Blood Institute. She opened Letcher Management Group in 2001.

It is the mission of the Circle Cinema Foundation to use film to foster understanding and appreciation of the diversity of the human experience, and create community among the viewers in the restored historic Circle Cinema.

MARTIN MCCAFFERY, Director
Capri Theatre, Montgomery, AL

McCaffery has been trapped as the Director of the Capri Theatre in Montgomery, Alabama since 1985. The Capri Theatre is a non-profit, single screen theatre running "art" pictures full time. Prior to becoming the director, McCaffery spent nine years as projectionist with IATSE local 224 in Washington, DC - with six months out to discover how much he hated living and working in Hollywood. He has a degree in Journalism from the University of Maryland.

LEORA MIRVISH, AIA, Associate and Project Manager
Quinn Evans | Architects, Washington, DC

Mirvish is an Associate and Project Manager with Quinn Evans | Architects' Washington, DC office. She has been responsible for the design and documentation for a wide range of renovation and modernization projects. Much of Mirvish's work over the past 12 years has been at the Kennedy Center, where she has performed an integral role in the completion of many challenging interior renovation projects. This has included the comprehensive modernization of two of the three main theatres: the Concert Hall and Opera House. Her work has consistently demonstrated her ability to provide complete and well-documented architectural services, coordinated with the work of the engineering team, and within the cost and schedule parameters of the contracts.

HALSEY and ALICE NORTH
The North Group Inc., New York, NY

LANCE OLSON, Manager
Cutler Majestic Theatre at Emerson College, Boston, MA

Olson joined the Emerson College staff in November 1993. During his tenure at Emerson College he has promoted partnerships with Boston's finest not-for-profit resident arts groups which have served to stabilize and strengthen the Majestic, and make it the most active, serving the most diverse communities, among Boston's Historic Theatre District facilities. He has raised funds for and supervised nearly $500k in restoration and improvement projects that have created a 21st century theater inside a landmark 19th century shell.

Olson serves as President of Massachusetts Advocates for the Arts, Sciences and Humanities (MAASH) as a member of the Legislative Advocacy Committee of the Association of Performing Arts Presenters as a trustee of Dance Makers, Inc. as a member of the steering committee of the Boston Historic Theatres Charrette as a member of the board of New York's Improvisational Arts Ensembles, Inc. on the Education Advisory Council for the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark and as a member of the League of Historic American Theatres, The National Trust for Historic Preservation and the Boston Preservation Alliance. He is a graduate of the University of Minnesota, and of Brooklyn College, holding an M.F.A degree in Performing Arts Administration.

Olson has worked in the professional performing arts since 1969. Most recently he served as the presenter at Rutgers University, where he was one of the founders and the Executive Director of Rutgers SummerFest. While at Rutgers, he expanded outside presentations and residencies from five classical music concerts in 1986 into a 110-event multi-disciplinary community service program. Olson conceived and executed Rutgers' Nikolais/Louis Residency and Retrospective Program, during which the University commissioned the reconstruction of twelve works from the first 25 years of the multi-media geniuses Alwin Nikolais and Murray Louis. The project received the largest grant ever awarded by the Lila Wallace-Reader's Digest Arts Partners Program administered by the Association of Performing Arts Presenters.

MAUREEN PATTON, Executive Director
The Grand 1894 Opera House, Galveston, TX

Maureen Patton began her work with the Grand 1894 Opera House in 1973, when she served as a volunteer board member on the Galveston Arts Council, leading the programming and education committees. In 1973, the Arts Council purchased the then derelict historic opera house on Galveston Island, and Patton began to play a key role in restoring the theatre, raising funds, programming special events, and sparking community interest through her passionate lobbying and networking efforts. In 1981, she became the theatre's first Executive Director, coordinating the work of the restoration, successfully completed in 1986. Under Patton's exceptional leadership, the Grand has continued to flourish and impact its community. She created a top management and operations team and dedicated staff, and cultivated an inspired community volunteer corps.

Patton has been an indefatigable volunteer, fundraiser and community activist for education and collaboration. Her broad contributions include serving as a board member of the Galveston Rotary Club, the Railroad Museum, the island's Outdoor Musicals, and the Historic Downtown/Strand Partnership. She has held numerous leadership positions including Chairman of the Galveston Independent School District's Fine Arts Advisory Task Force and Chairman of the city's Commission for the Arts. She has been honored with prestigious awards from the Historic Downtown Strand Partnership, the Rotary Club of Galveston, and the Galveston Historic Society. In 2002, she was elected to the Downtown Renaissance Hall of Fame, and in March 2003, received the 2003 Community Enrichment Award with her husband Larry Patton.

Contributing to the theatre industry on the regional and national level, she is a member of the governing board of the Southwest Presenters, and has been a member of the Arts Review Panels for both the Texas Commission on the Arts and the Mid-America Arts Alliance. She served on the Board Trustees of the League of Historic American Theatres from 1986 to 2000, was a former President of LHAT, Chairperson of the Conference Committee. She has participated on restoration, operations, and presenting panels and in strategic planning initiatives; planned national conferences; consulted to other theatre groups; and spoken with scores of regional and national media about the issues facing the industry and American communities. As a member of the International Society of Arts Presenters and the Association of Arts Presenters, Patton has represented the views of historic theatre operators and rehabilitation professionals to these organizations. She has served as a management and programming consultant on fifteen theatre projects in four states.

JAMES A. "ANDY" PIERCE
City of Chicago and Friends of the Uptown, Chicago, IL

Chicago journalist Andy Pierce recently co-edited "Chicago 2003, Three Centuries of Theatres," a Theatre Historical Society of America book covering 30 surviving historic area venues in Chicago and nearby. He and other volunteers hosted a July 2003 national convention of the same title that toured the important theatres (and one ballroom!) featured in the book. The same theatres are currently featured in a permanent display in the Chicago Theatre. The show debuted in the art cases of the Richard J. Daley Center. He has been a photographer, writer and editor for more than 10 years for newspapers and magazines in Central Indiana and Chicago. For the past four years, he has served the City of Chicago in the administration of the Department of Buildings and the Department of Construction and Permits. A longtime volunteer for historic theatres, he founded Friends of the Uptown (Chicago) in 1998 and has assisted renovation efforts for the Central Park Theatre (now the House of Prayer) for the past two years.

PAT PRILL, House Manager
Fox Theater, Atlanta, GA

For approximately five years, Prill, as the house manager has glided in and out of the Atlanta Fox Theatre Moorish village of halls and a great movie palace. Flanked on either side with two full time assistants and two part time, she welcomes the guest into a world of enchantment and entertainment. Prill understands and appreciates the magnitude of planning and artisans work it takes to constantly restore the dreams within the walls and around this 1929 structure. A graduate from the University of Arizona with a background in Interior Design, Prill has also instructed design at a California community college.

Overseeing the Events Staff (of about 35 part time) dressed in uniforms that reflect the past, and volunteer ushers (over 9,000 in the data base), she opens the doors to their welcoming arms for the Atlanta community. The melding of many Middle Eastern styles creates a feeling of entering onto a magic carpet ride into a world of fantasy. Prill looks forward to sharing with you, the design of the team that works within this jewel at The Atlanta Fox Theatre.

TONY RIVENBARK, Executive Director
Thalian Hall Center for the Performing Arts, Inc., Wilmington, NC

Rivenbark is a native of Duplin County, NC where his family has lived for the past eight generations. He has lived in Chapel Hill, and New York, but he calls Wilmington home. As a student at the UNCW, he was listed in Who's Who of American Colleges and Universities and received his B.A. in History and Theatre in 1970. He did his graduate work at Chapel Hill specializing in the 19th Century American Theatre. His thesis was on the James Adams Floating Theatre, the North Carolina showboat on which Edna Ferber based her novel Showboat.

He made his theatrical debut in Thalian Hall in 1966 in the Wilmington College/Thalian Association production of Good News. Since then he has worked in university, community, and professional theatre - and has appeared in over 150 productions. In 1970 he moved to New York City where he appeared in several off-Broadway productions including Holy Ghost and The Passionate Men, a play about Aaron Burr in which Rivenbark played James Monroe. He stage-managed The Tommy Tune Show and The Charles Pierce Show. Also in New York he was assistant to painter and sculptor, Dorothy Gillespie, managing her studio and helping to supervise the hanging of her work in exhibitions all over the country.

In 1977 he returned to Wilmington where he helped to develop the Historic Wilmington Tour and was the first tour manager for Thalian Hall. Later he went on to direct the second and third seasons of The Liberty Cart, an outdoor drama in Kenansville, NC. In 1979, he became the first Executive Director for the Thalian Hall Center for the Performing Arts, Inc. Under his direction, Thalian Hall has grown from a little-used facility into Wilmington's center for the performing arts.

In 1983, Rivenbark produced the 125th anniversary celebration of Thalian Hall and served as the executive producer of Remembered Nights, an original musical comedy about historic theatres produced for the anniversary and featuring Broadway/film actor Lou Criscuolo. Out of his association with Mr. Criscuolo, he helped to found Opera House Theatre Company, which has become Thalian Hall's major renter client.

Rivenbark was instrumental in the development design and construction of the Thalian Hall/City Hall expansion and renovation, which was completed in 1990 at a cost of five million dollars. The present facility is in use over 340 days a year with over 300 performances annually and rentals by over 35 educational, community arts, and civic organizations. For the past 15 years Rivenbark has also produced the annual Pied Piper theatre production which plays to over 6,000 elementary school children in New Hanover County. In addition to his job as the Executive Director of Thalian Hall, Rivenbark frequently lectures throughout the country on Thalian Hall and historic theatre renovation. He served on the Board of Directors of the League of Historic American Theatres for a number of years. His history of theatre in Wilmington was published in Time, Talent , and Tradition, a book which chronicles 200 years of the cultural arts of Wilmington printed by the Cape Fear Museum.

In 1996 he was awarded the Lower Cape Fear Historical Society Cup in recognition for outstanding contributions to the history of Wilmington. In November of this year he was awarded the Wilmington Lifetime Achievement Award in the Arts. He still performs occasionally and recent projects include the title role in The Man Who Came to Dinner directed by broadway actress, Linda Lavin and his annual characterization as Ebeneezer Scrooge in A Christmas Carol on the Thalian Hall Main Stage.

KENNEDY SMITH, Executive Director
League of Historic American Theatres

Kennedy Smith is one of the nation's foremost experts on in downtown revitalization and small business development. After graduate school in architecture, she became the downtown manager in Charlottesville, Virginia, where she created a retail market analysis methodology specifically for historic and traditional commercial districts. She joined the staff of the National Trust for Historic Preservation's National Main Street Center in 1985 and served as its director from 1991-2004. She has written numerous books an articles on the economic dynamics of downtowns. She has participated in a number of landmark land use decisions, providing economic impact analyses and expert testimony on the effect of various types of development on historic commercial centers. In 2000, Fast Company magazine named her to its first-ever list of "Fast 50 Champions of Innovation," recognizing "creative thinkers whose sense of style and power of persuasion change what our world looks like and how our products perform." In 2004, she received the National Trust's prestigious President's Awards in recognition of her leadership in making the Main Street program one of the most successful economic development and historic preservation programs in the United States. Kennedy is now a principal in the Community Land Use and Economics (CLUE) group, LLC, and executive director of the League of Historic American Theatres.

SUSAN SPERBER, Executive Director
The Colonial Theatre, Pittsfield, MA

KIM STEFFEN, Development Director
Orpheum Theatre, Sioux City, IA

Steffen has been the development director for the Sioux City Orpheum Theatre for the past three years. She plays a variety of roles in the organization since she is the only employee of the theatre. The Orpheum Theatre's main focus is live performing arts. However, the theatre does show film on dark weekends. They primarily show independent film along with an occasional classic feature. Recently, the theatre has also had a very successful Silent Film Festival. Steffen has a degree in accounting from Morningside College in Sioux City.

CONNIE STOTHOFF, Director of Marketing & Sales
National Trust Insurance Program, Baltimore, MD

Connie Stothoff started her insurance career with The Hartford Insurance Company, one of the nation's largest and most respected insurance carriers. During her 18 years at The Hartford her experience ranged from Personal Insurance to Commercial Insurance. At The Hartford Stothoff spent many years in Commercial Underwriting where she reviewed and priced risks for her agency force. Based on her relationships with her agents, Stothoff then moved into a Marketing Representative role. In that role she served as the liaison between The Hartford and the agents and was responsible for new business production and development.

In 2003 Stothoff was approached by one of her agencies, Maury Donnelly & Parr, to assume the role of Director of Marketing & Sales for the National Trust Insurance Program. Her responsibilities include marketing the National Trust Insurance Services products to the National Trust members, developing marketing material for the program, and to act as an insurance advocate and consultant to the National Trust members. As a result of the relationship with The National Trust, Maury, Donnelly & Parr was asked to assist the League of Historic American Theatres in developing an insurance program for the LHAT members. Director of Marketing & Sales for the National Trust Insurance Program personally handles the development of this program and deals directly with the member theatres.

LEE TAPPER, P.E., C.I.A.Q.P., LEED, Director of Engineering
Holabird & Root, Chicago, IL

As director of engineering with Holabird & Root, Tapper defines the proper environmental conditions, stressing safety and functionality, for theatre facilities. His experience includes mechanical layout and design, including material and equipment selection, heating, air conditioning, district cooling, plumbing and fire protection systems. As a certified indoor air quality professional, Tapper has extensive experience in designing systems that provide superior and sustainable air. He also has experience in preparing load calculations, mathematical modeling, and feasibility studies, cost estimates, energy analysis and construction documents for historic theatres.

DOUG TATUM, Executive Director
Folly Theater, Kansas City, MO

Doug Tatum has been Executive Director of the Folly Theater since February, 1993. In addition to general management, his duties include programming of the Folly Jazz Series and the Folly Kids' Series. He also serves in the capacity of directing the maintenance and preservation of Kansas City's oldest theater, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Prior to his appointment at the Folly, Doug worked at Bushnell Memorial Hall in Hartford, CT, where he was Booking Manager for the Hall's orchestra and chamber music series. For eight years, he also served as host of a jazz radio program at WICN Public Radio in Worcester, MA. His prior background includes ten years working as a music educator in the Boston area.

JOHN M. TESS, President and Founder
Heritage Investment Corporation and Heritage Consulting Group, Portland, OR

John Tess is President and founder of Heritage Investment Corporation and Heritage Consulting Group. Tess is recognized as a national expert on historic preservation issues, especially in the area of incentive programs for the rehabilitation of historic properties. Client services include advising clients on Section 106 issues, helping property owners secure local, state and federal tax incentives, preparation of National Register nominations, and advocating for historic preservation legislation. He has acted as an expert witness for the Internal Revenue Service and has served as a preservation specialist on many public committees, including the Oregon State Task Force on Seismic Rehabilitation and the City of Portland's Seismic Task Force.

Tess has spoken at the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Urban Land Institute, National Housing & Rehabilitation Association conferences and numerous other historic preservation seminars.

DUNCAN M. WEBB, President
Webb Management Services, Inc., New York, NY

Webb is the President of Webb Management Services, Inc., a management consulting practice for the development and operation of performing arts facilities. He has completed more than 200 consulting assignments over the last fifteen years including work for a number of historic theaters. These include the New Amsterdam Theater in New York, New York;, the Oriental Theater in Chicago, Illinois; Proctor's Theater in Schenectady, New York; The Fox Theater in Oakland, California; and the Sterling Opera House in Derby Connecticut. Mr. Webb entered the theatre profession as a lovesick maiden in Gilbert and Sullivan's Patience in 1969. Since then, he has completed degrees in economics and business administration, worked in international banking, produced commercial, industrial & experimental theatre, taught at NYU's graduate program in arts administration, and earned the Certified Management Consultant designation of the Institute of Management Consulting.

KENNETH A. WESLER, Executive Director
The Grand Opera House, Wilmington DE

Since February 199, Wesler has been Executive Director of The Grand Opera House, Wilmington Delaware. The Grand Opera House is a performing arts center with three buildings and two theatres: a historic 1,190 seat Mainstage, and a new 300 seat fully equipped second stage. The Grand presents its own series of concerts and other events, as well as having a music school and dance school as part of its program, is home to The Delaware Symphony and OperaDelaware as resident companies, and hosts other rented events. Wesler was recruited as Chief Financial Officer in February 1995, promoted to Chief Operating Officer in July 1995 and to Executive Director in November 1995. He grew the theatre's total budget to $5.8 million from $2.2 million from beginning of his tenure.

Since becoming Director, Wesler has grown programming from 40 events presented annually to 105, including concert series of jazz, classical, dance, standup comedy, world music, Latin, classic films, art films and other performances. Subscriptions increased from 650 to 6,000. Ticket sales increased from $564,000 to $1.8 million annually. Contributed income increased by $1.5 million annually to $2.8 million. For seven years prior to his arrival, the organization posted annual deficits totaling $1 million. Since, an annual average surplus of $450,000 has been achieved.

Wesler created a subsidiary, Grand Entertainment, to promote rock concerts at Frawley Stadium. The Beach Boys and CCR presented in 1999 and Journey/Night Ranger in 2001. He successfully conducted a $16 million capital campaign and expansion program from June 1999 to September 2000. He oversaw construction and completed a new 70,000 sq. ft. building with 300 seat theatre, 17,000 sq. feet of office space and 17,000 sq. feet of studio space used for rehearsals and classes. He purchased additional building and leased to restaurant, generating $116,000 net income annually and brought together six different community performing arts groups in the expanded facility, leveraging resources and creating economies of scale. He also oversaw $2 million capital campaign and building renovation in 1995-96.

PAUL E. WESTLAKE, JR., FAIA, Managing and Design Principal
Westlake Reed Leskosky, Cleveland, OH

Westlake specializes in projects encompassing historic theatre preservation and adaptive reuse, new theatre design and amphitheatres. He is a board member of the League of Historic American Theatres, trustee of the Cleveland Center for Contemporary Art, former Commissioner of Architecture for the United States Institute of Theatre Technology (USITT) and former board member of the Orpheum Theatre in Phoenix. He has received over 60 national, state, and local design awards including the Cleveland Arts Prize for Architecture, ten awards for the restoration of the Coronado Theatre including a National Trust for Historic Preservation Honor Award, USITT award, and AIA awards, as well as several AIA awards for the Orpheum Theatre and a USITT National Honor Award for design of the Temple Hoyne Buell Theatre at the Denver Arts Center.

An experienced speaker, he brings to the League of Historic American Theatres his personal dedication to educating, speaking, and writing about the feasibility, planning, and implementation of successful historic theatre restoration and adaptive reuse projects. He received his Master of Architecture from Harvard University Graduate School of Design, a Bachelor of Science Degree in Economics from Wharton School and a Bachelor of Arts in Architecture from the University of Pennsylvania.

DARRELL ZIEGLER, Associate, Theatre Technology
Westlake Reed Leskosky, Phoenix, AZ

Ziegler is an associate of Westlake Reed Leskosky, of Phoenix, Cleveland, and Washington, DC and serves as the in-house theatre equipment design and stage support specialist. His work in theatre technology enhances the firm's work in historic theatre restoration and the design of new cultural and performing arts centers.

Involved in the theatre technology design for the Historic Tennessee Theatre among numerous other historic theatre projects, he brings to the session a diverse background in the back stage aspects of theatre operations, having experience in technical direction and Broadway stage management. He designs and writes specifications for stage lighting & dimming systems, counterweight & motorized stage rigging systems, stage drapery systems and theatre equipment to ensure up to date operating conditions for both new and restored theaters. He also performs existing conditions surveys, coordinates theatre equipment contractor installations and inspects theatre equipment contractor installations. Throughout his career, he has worked as a consultant on numerous projects with Westlake Reed Leskosky, and has been a crucial member of many of the firm's theatrical projects.

ALICE SACHS ZIMET, President
Arts + Business Partnerships, New York, NY

Zimet is a pioneer in the field of corporate sponsorship in the United States. During nearly 20 years at The Chase Manhattan Bank, she worked with performing and visual arts in 14 countries and 20 U.S. cities -- doing good, raising visibility and helping to generate over $2 billion. She founded Arts + Business Partnerships in 1999 to consult on issues of corporate marketing and sponsorship. Clients include Harvard University Art Museums, Whitney Museum of American Art, International Center of Photography, Martha Graham Dance Company, Sephora USA and Fleet Bank Private Clients Group.

Zimet teaches at New York University, Columbia University, the University of Pennsylvania and the U.S. Department of State where she trains Cultural Attaches at American Embassies how to more effectively approach corporations to fund American culture abroad. She has presented at the following conferences: American Association of Museums, American Marketing Association, Arts & Business Council, Arts Presenters, BDS Sponsorship (London), Dance USA, Global Business Network (London, Paris), Opera America and Theatre Communications Group. Zimet also presented at LHAT's 2001 and 2003 conferences.

Zimet has degrees in art history from Syracuse University, Sorbonne University and New York University's Institute of Fine Arts. She is a member of the Collections Committee of the Harvard University Art Museums, the American Association of Museum's Task Force on Corporate Giving and Young Playwrights Inc. Having read thousands of proposals and managed millions of "donor dollars", Zimet provides a rare glimpse into the funder's mind - what makes a strong proposal, how corporate colleagues read, what benefits are most important - all to help the not-for-profit theatre become a more effective fundraiser.