Our People

The chief executive leads all mission work across the association and foundation, setting strategy with the boards and guiding operations at all levels.

The governing board sets direction, oversees policy, protects the organization, and acts as ambassadors.

Helen Duranleau-Brennan

President
Term: 7/1/2019 – 6/30/2024
Literacy and arts consultant | Davenport, IA

Krista Carson-Elhai

Vice President
Term: 7/1/2021 – 6/30/2026
Theatre educator | Claremont, CA

Gai Laing Jones

Past President
Term: 7/1/2019 – 6/30/2022
Theatre educator, author | Ojai, CA

Jeff Whiting

Treasurer
Term: 7/1/2019 – 6/30/2023
Director and choreographer | NY, NY

Erin Carr

Board Director
Term: 7/1/2020 – 6/30/2023
Theatre practitioner | Cincinnati, OH

Monique Chism

Board Director
Term: 9/25/2021 – 6/30/2024
Smithsonian Institution | Upper Marlboro, MD

Mark Drum

Board Director
Term: 7/1/2020 – 6/30/2023
Theatre educator| NY, NY

Joannarae Ibañez

Board Director
Term: 5/5/2021 – 6/30/2024
Theatre educator and administrator | Pico Rivera, CA

Leslie Johnson

Board Director
Term: 7/1/2021 – 6/30/2025
Arts nonprofit leader | Long Beach, CA

Silvia D. Scaife

Board Director
Term: 5/5/2021 – 6/30/2022
Theatre educator | Auburn, AL

Mary Schuttler

Board Director
Term: 5/5/2021 – 6/30/2024
University of Northern Colorado | Greeley, CO

Scott Walker

Board Director
Term: 8/1/2018 – 6/30/2022
Theatre educator | Milwaukie, OR

Prominent leaders in industries including entertainment, finance, hospitality, law, and education — with a common passion for theatre education — garner support for our mission.

Matt Conover

Chair
Disney Parks Live Entertainment, Vice President of Disneyland Entertainment
Anaheim, California
 

Megan Tulac Phillips

Vice Chair
McKinsey & Company,
Head of Marketing and Communications,
Enterprise Agility
San Francisco, California

James Miller

Treasurer
Management, Principal and Chairman
Cincinnati, Ohio
USA
 

Nancy Aborn Duffy

Secretary
Educator, Former Broadway Licensing Company Owner
New York, New York
 
 

Sarah Jane Arnegger

iHeartRadio Broadway,
Director
New York, New York

Alex Birsh

Playbill, Vice President
and Chief Digital Officer
New York, New York

Brisa Carleton

CEO, Princess Grace Foundation
New York, New York

Krista Carson Elhai

Theatre educator, EdTA Board of Directors
Claremont, California

Mark Drum

Actor, Arts Advocate,
EdTA Volunteer
New York, New York

Coty Forno

Executive Director,
Mountain City Center for the Arts
Frostburg, Maryland

Kevin E. Fortson

Warner Horizon Television,
Executive Vice President of Production
Burbank, California

Elwood Hopkins

Emerging Markets, Inc., President
Kresge Foundation, Presidential Scholar
Los Angeles, California

Jennifer Isaacson

Director of Amateur Play Licensing
Broadway Licensing
New York, New York

Tim Kashani

Apples and Oranges Arts
and IT Mentors, Co-Founder
New York, New York

Alvin Katz

Katten Muchin Rosenman,
LLP Partner
Chicago, Illinois

Gai Laing Jones

Veteran theatre educator,
EdTA Board of Directors
Ojai, California

Timothy Allen McDonald

iTheatrics,
Founder and CEO
New York, New York
USA
USA

John Prignano

Music Theatre International, COO
and Director of Education and Development
New York, New York
USA

Allison Rawlings

NBC Entertainment, Senior Vice President,
Corporate Communications
Los Angeles, California
USA

David Redman Scott

Disney Theatrical Group,
Director of Theatrical Licensing
New York, New York
USA
 

Julie Cohen Theobald

Executive Director, Court of
Master Sommeliers, Americas
Cincinnati, Ohio
USA

Abbie Van Nostrand

Concord Theatricals, Senior Vice President, Client Relations & Community Engagement
New York, New York

Mark Weinstein

Hilton, Senior Vice President and
Global Head of Customer Engagement,
Loyalty and Partnerships
McLean, Virginia

These six leaders, elected by their peers, represent the student voice in the organization.