New members of the board of directors, elected by EdTA membership in March, began their terms July 1, 2023. Elected directors Williams of Smithfield, Va., and Jeff Hall of Portland, Ore. are beginning three-year terms. Joining them to start his four-year term as an appointed member is Nick Ginsberg of New York. Helen Duranleau-Brennan will begin her one-year term as Past President, Krista Carson Elhai will begin her two-year term as President, and Richard Frazier of Warner Robins, Ga. will join the board as the incoming Vice President.
Richard Frazier will become the organization’s first Black board president in 2025, after serving two years as vice president starting July 1, 2023. Frazier is the artistic/executive director of Theatre Macon and works with iTheatrics as a contract artist and liasion for the Educational Theatre Foundation’s JumpStart Theatre program. He previously served on the EdTA board from 2015 to 2020 in appointed and elected director roles.
Cheryl Williams is a longtime theatre professor and professional director, lighting designer, sound designer, and stage manager. She serves as a teaching artist for EdTA and was the project manager for EdTA’s Behind the Scenes grant-funded program that developed technical theatre curriculum for middle schools in partnership with pre-service teachers of color at Morgan State University. This is her first term on the EdTA board.
Jeff Hall is a longtime EdTA volunteer and board member of EdTA’s Oregon chapter. Hall was fine arts director of Jesuit High School for 32 years. He also sits on the advisory board for the Educational Theatre Foundation. This is Hall’s first term on the EdTA board.
Nick Ginsberg has served as the Associate General Manager of Foresight Theatrical since 2014 after working as an Assistant Director and Production Associate at numerous Broadway and Off-Broadway theatres in New York City. He received his BA in Theatre Directing from Webster University.
Tricia Patrick also joined the board as an appointed director several months ago, filling a vacancy left by Leslie Johnson last year. Patrick is the Director of Education at Ford’s Theatre in Washington D.C. and was also an inaugural member of the BIPOC Leadership Circle.
The Board and members of EdTA thank outgoing board members Erin Carr, Mark Drum, and Jeff Whiting for their service.
