Board of Directors

President

Jonathon Taylor

*East Tennessee State University* | *Johnson City*
Jonathon Taylor is an Assistant Professor of Theatre at East Tennessee State University where he serves as the scenic designer for the Department of Theatre and Dance and teaches classes in scenic design, costume design, stage management, drafting and rendering, and theatre design basics. Jonathon has worked as a designer, technical director, scenic painter, and carpenter in theatres across the continental United States and in Hawaii. Jonathon earned his MFA from the University of Oregon in Eugene, OR, and is an active member of SETC and USITT.

President Elect

Chris Luter

Chris Luter is the Director of Theatre for the Draco Playhouse at Collierville High School. He has previously served on the TTA Board as both Secondary School Chair and President.

Secretary

Melissa Shafer

*East Tennessee State University | Johnson City*

Melissa is an Associate Professor of Theatre at East Tennessee State University and serves as the Division of Theatre's Lighting Designer and Technical Director.

Treasurer

Kaitlyn Williams

Kaitlyn Williams graduated from Austin Peay State University with her Bachelor of Science in Communication Arts with a Dance Minor in 2015 and her Master of Science in Management from Austin Peay State University in 2022. One of Kaitlyn’s proudest accomplishments is starting her own film production company, Incrediscope Studios. Kaitlyn is in post-production on her first feature film entitled “The Eye of the Catfish” and is in pre-production editing her script for her second feature film entitled “The Book of Dunlap.”

Immediate Past President

Williams, Christine.jpg — Christine Williams

*Lee University | Cleveland*
Christine Williams is Coordinator of Theatre at Lee University. She is an Associate Professor of Theatre and teaches acting, theatre history and literature, costume design and various other courses in addition to directing in the production season.

Theatre for Youth Chair

Shinnerrie Jackson

Shinnerrie Jackson is an actress and Assistant Professor of Theatre at The University of Tennessee. She can be seen in 30 Rock and Whit Stillman's Damsels in Distress. Previous theater productions include A Night with Janis Joplin (Arena Stage), Vanya, Sonia, Masha and Spike (Cincinnati Playhouse), Lady Day at Emerson Bar and Grill (Weathervane Theater), and Ain’t I a Woman: a one-woman show about the heroines of African American history. Shinnerrie is also a proud company member of The Clarence Brown Theatre and The Weathervane Theatre in New Hampshire.

Secondary School Chairs

Donald Fann

Donald Fann currently serves as the Director of Theater at Stewarts Creek High School in Smyrna where he founded the theater program upon the opening of the school. Fann comes to Stewarts Creek after serving for 19 years as Executive Director of The Arts Center of Cannon County.

Laura Parker

Laura Lindsey has been a high school theatre teacher for twenty years. She has participated in the Tennessee Theatre Association secondary festival many of those years and is a proponent of excellence in theatre education and the life saving impact the theatre haw on the lives of students. Laura believes in story telling through ensemble connections and uses multiple modalities in her work. She believes students have the capacity to accomplish far more than many assume and will always meet and exceed expectations when given the opportunity to create and thrive in bringing their own ideas to the table and lead in all areas of theatre including acting and technical aspects.

College/University Chair

Neno Russell

*University of Tennessee*
Neno Russell is a professional pattern maker and costume designer. Neno’s academic career includes teaching at Virginia Commonwealth University for 11 years and 8 summers of teaching at The Tennessee Governor’s School for the Arts before coming to The University of Tennessee in the fall of 2021. His Broadway Credits include Paradise Square, Flying over Sunset, Amazing Grace, Finian’s Rainbow, Chita Rivera: The Dancer’s Life, Footloose, Bring in da’ Noise Bring in da’ Funk, and The Rose Tattoo. National and International Tours: Footloose, 4 companies of Come from Away. Film, TV, and Commercials: The Black Phone, Tomb of Joseph, Good Lord Bird, Loving, 2 seasons of Mercy Street, 4 seasons of Turn: Washington’s Spies, more than 70 national commercials for brands such as MTV, VH1, Journeys, Thomasville, Petsmart, NFL Films, The History Channel and Old Navy, and designed 7 documentaries for the History Channel.

Community Theatre Chair and AACT Representative

Chad+McDonald.jpg — Chad McDonald

*Cookeville Performing Arts Center | Cookeville*
Chad McDonald is the Cultural Arts Superintendent for the City of Cookeville at the Cookeville Performing Arts Center. He also serves as Production Manager for SETC during the Annual Convention. He has been involved with TTA since 1997 serving previously as Community Theatre Chair and President.

Professional Theatre Chair - Position Vacant

SETC Rep and state auditions coordinator

Ane Swedberg — Anne K. Swedberg

*University of Tennessee | Chattanooga*

Anne K. Swedberg is an Associate Professor of Theatre at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. She is a Designated Linklater Teacher and also holds a PhD from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a MFA from the University of Louisville. She teaches classes in Linklater Voice, Acting, Shakespeare, Theatre History, and Introduction to Theatre. Currently, she is training in consent-based theatrical practices with Theatrical Intimacy Education. She has been a member of SETC since 2016.

East Tennessee Reps

Don Markham

Don Markham is currently the theater director and teacher at Cleveland High School. He is the Fine Arts Department Chair and Thespian Sponsor. Don graduated with a BS in mathematics and speech communications from Pittsburg State University in Kansas. He holds a MA and EdS in Educational Leadership from Tennessee Technical University. http://mrmarkham.weebly.com/

Jack Truman

Jack Truman is the Director of Theatre at Walters State Community College. As a 35 year veteran in the entertainment business, Jack brings a rich background to Eastern Tennessee. An award-winning stage and film actor, writer, director, producer and filmmaker, he has also appeared in many television series and major motion pictures, and his independent films have screened at over 600 film festivals around the world. Jack is the Founder of the Holly Weird Film Festival in Los Angeles, California and has an MFA in Theatre from Minnesota State University.

Middle Tennessee Reps

Riley Braem (He/Him)

Originally from Chicago, Riley has worked as a Performer, Director, Designer, Choreographer, Digital Storyteller, Access and Inclusion Consultant, Independent Researcher, and Teaching Artist in Arizona, Kentucky, Tennessee, Texas, Washington DC, and Wisconsin. He received his formal training from Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona earning a Master of Fine Arts in Theatre with a concentration in Theatre for Youth. He received a Master of Arts in Teaching and a Bachelor of Science in Communication Arts with an emphasis in Theatre Performance and Theatre Design with a Minor in Dance from Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tennessee. Additionally, he received a Certificate in Theatre for Young Audiences with Complex Disabilities from Rose Bruford College of Theatre & Performance and Oily Cart in the United Kingdom. Riley earned his doctorate in Educational Leadership from Austin Peay State University.

Currently, Riley is an Assistant Principal at Rossview High School where is serves as the special populations administrator in charge of special education and fine arts. Prior to working at Rossview High School, Riley headed the theatre program at Northwest High School for 7 years; served as an adjunct professor at Austin Peay State University, Middle Tennessee State University, University of Tennessee at Martin Nashville State Community College, Owensboro Community and Technical College; and as a Teaching Artist with Nashville Children's Theatre. He is a member of SETC, TYA/USA, ASSITEJ, IPAY, AATE, and EdTA.

LuEllyn Boyer Wilcox

LuEllyn Boyer Wilcox has taught theatre in the Clarksville Montgomery County School System for over 35 years. She has been the Theatre Director at Rossview High School since its opening in 2001. She also serves as the CMCSS Lead Theatre Teacher and mentors all High School and Middle School Theatre teachers in the district. She was recently named RHS Teacher of the Year. She received her Bachelor of Science degree in Communication Arts with an emphasis in Theatre and a Minor in Music/Voice as well as a Master of Arts degree in Communication of Arts/Theatre from Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tennessee. She loves sharing her passion for acting and directing with her young high school students as they build bright futures in college and beyond.

West Tn rep

Sandi Walden

Sandi Walden has been a teacher in rural West Tn for 28 years and has taught theatre for the last 6. She believes in the power of the arts to change lives and strives to bring theatre to underserved communities.

At-Large Representative

Alex Miller-Long

Alex Miller-Long is a lighting designer, technician, and theatre educator from Chattanooga, TN. Following a BA in Theatre from UTC, Alex earned an MFA in Lighting Design from the University of California at San Diego. For several years after graduation, she worked in design and production at a variety of venues, including: The Public Theater (NYC, NY), The White Heron Theatre Company (Nantucket, MA), Chautauqua Theatre Company (Chautauqua, NY), La Jolla Playhouse (San Diego, CA), Williamstown Theatre Festival (Williamstown, MA), and the La Jolla Symphony (San Diego, CA). Alex is currently the Assistant Professor of Lighting Design and Technical Direction at UTC, in the Theatre Department.

Mitchell Vantrease

Mitchell Vantrease is the theater teacher and director at Mt. Juliet High School. Mitchell has a B.A. degree in Speech, Communication and Theater from Tennessee State. He is a co-founder of Camp F.A.M.E. (Fine Arts Matter in Education) at Cumberland University. In addition, Mitchell is also the co-founder and artistic director of Centerstage Theatre Co., a Lebanon, TN based community theater.

Social Media Coordinator

Emma Laine Hoffbauer

Emma Laine Hoffbauer (she/her) is new to the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga as the Visiting Assistant Professor of Scenic Design and Scenic Designer for the UTC Theatre Co. She received her MFA in Scenic Design at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and her BFA as part of the Gainesville Theatre Alliance at the University of North Georgia. Emma has worked professionally as a designer and scenic artist in the Atlanta and Lincoln areas.