Board of Trustees

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  Kristen Burt (She/Hers)

  President

  Kristen Burt has worked as a Pharmacist for CVS Pharmacy for almost 30 years, mostly recently administering COVID Vaccines in our community. After moving to Ithaca in 1999, she and her husband Matt started attending the Hangar Mainstage for date nights, and she regularly brought her three kids to KIDDSTUFF productions. She has served on the Board of Trustees at the Hangar for 5 years and is privileged to be a part of such a knowledgeable and creative group of people. When not at the theatre, Kristen is happiest on her bike, off in the mountains, cooking up something in the kitchen, or cozy in front of a fire with a ball of yarn.

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  Stephen Kimball (He/His)

  Vice President & COT Chair

  Stephen Kimball is the Vice President of the Hangar Theatre’s Board of Directors. Professionally, he is a business development officer with Visions Federal Credit Union. Stephen has nearly 25 years of business development, marketing, public relations, and writing experience and his work has emphasized creating strategic business growth for companies and organizations. He is the father of two teenagers, collects vinyl, loves coffee, and adores scarf weather.

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  Diane Lauzun (She/Hers)

  Treasurer

  Diane is President and co-owner of Parkitects Inc., a local playground design and construction firm that specializes in inclusive and participatory design build for and with the community. She has been attending Mainstage shows for over twenty years and spent many summer days carpooling her two daughters and their friends to and from the Next Gen performance camps. The Hangar education programs hold a special place in her heart. Diane firmly believes in the transformative power of both theatre and community. And when the two collide, magic happens.

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  Bernadette Parr (She/Hers)

  Secretary

  Bernadette Soto Parr has worked in Admissions and Student Development at Cornell University for more than 20 years. Inspired by her daughter’s participation in the Hangar’s Next Generation School of Theatre programming and performances in Hangar Theatre productions, as well as the energy of the theatre, Bernadette is honored to be a part of the Hangar Theatre’s Board of Trustees. She has served on the Board since the start of 2020 and appreciates the Hangar Theatre family’s thoughtful, collaborative, and creative efforts to fulfill their mission to enrich, entertain, and enlighten.

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  Jessica Casey (She/Hers)

  Past President

  Dr. Casey is a native of Upstate New York who attended Cornell University as an undergraduate before going to the Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine in Kirksville, MO.  She completed her pediatric residency at the Children’s Hospital of New Jersey at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center in Newark, NJ.  After residency she started a fellowship in Pediatric Critical Care at New York Hospital/Cornell Weill Medical College before decided that her heart was in general pediatrics and came to Ithaca to join Buttermilk Falls Pediatrics.

  As a doctor of osteopathy Dr. Casey follows in the footsteps her great-grandmother, great-grandfather and two great-uncles who practiced in Binghamton and Endicott. She is currently a member of the Board of Directors of the Family Reading Partnership.

• Babatunde Ayanfodun (He/His)

  Coordinator, Corning Community College Center for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
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  Foula Dimopoulas (Ze/Hir)

  K. Foula Dimopoulos advises undergraduate students in the Office of Academic Diversity Initiatives at Cornell University. Hir professional endeavors center on education, social justice and community organizing. Ze consulted on Looking for Normal (Bas Bleu Theatre) and operated sound and light boards for Looking for Normal and Almost, Maine (Bas Bleu Theatre). Ze took to the stage for the first time in Seasonal Story Jam and Hootenanny (Hangar Theatre). Ze earned a Bachelor’s in Psychology from the University of Missouri – St. Louis, and hir Master of Social Work from the University of Michigan. Foula loves coffee, pop culture and technology geekery, and spending time with hir partner and their fabulous furry feline, Gato.

• Laurence Drozd (He/His)

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  Davina Desnoes (She/Hers)

  Davina Desnoes has over 25 years working in budget, planning and analysis, forecasting and strategic planning. She currently serves as the Assistant Vice President for Budget and Planning Cornell University. Davina was born and raised in Buffalo, NY and has lived in Ithaca for the past 10 years with her husband Garth, and 3 almost adult children Darius, Sirus and Kayla. Davina was first introduced to theater by her son Sirus through his participation in school shows and NextGen, followed by professional theater performances. She enjoys reading, volunteering, playing games and attending shows at the Hangar Theater.

• Dale Flinn (He/His)

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  Tilly Garnett (She/Hers)

  Tilly Garnett is a systems analyst at Cornell University in Alumni Affairs & Development. She has been involved with the Hangar Theatre for many years – as a subscriber, a parent of NextGen students, and a board member. For over 15 years she has worked on the production team for Lansing High School’s musicals. When not busy with productions, she can be found enjoying baking, playing with antique cars, traveling, singing with VOICES Multicultural Chorus, and learning to play hammered dulcimer. Tilly also volunteers with 4-H, the Friends of the Library, and Scouts. Tilly and her husband, Roger, reside in Lansing.

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  Izzy Leyden-Githler (She/Hers)

  Izzy Leyden-Githler is proud to be the first youth advocate on the board of the Hangar Theater. She has done shows and workshops with the Hangar, Running to places theatre company, Newfield High school, and Ithaca High school. Izzy looks forward to her future in acting and is so happy to be a part of the Hangar family.

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  Bill Highland (He/His)

  B.A., Government, Cornell, 1970; J.D., Duke, 1973.  Bill was a lawyer in his native West Virginia from 1973 until 1986, when he and his family moved to Ithaca, where he was in private law practice until 2015.  His wife Phyllis was a computer programmer/systems analyst at Cornell, and their son Andrew attended Ithaca High School, Duke University (B.A.), Emory University (M. Div.), and the University of Michigan (M. S.W.).
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  Sarah F Honchar (She/Hers)

  Sarah Honchar is a newer Board Member joining the Hangar Theatre just before the pandemic. Sarah’s love of theatre but self-proclaimed inability to act or sing makes her a perfect behind-the-scenes supporter. Sarah brings her passion for the arts, specifically live theatre and the Ithaca area to her role. Sarah resides in the Finger Lakes with her husband and 3 rescue dogs.

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  Andrea Ippolito (She/Hers)

  Andrea Ippolito currently serves as the CEO and Founder of SimpliFed. She also serves as a Lecturer in the College of Engineering and SC Johnson College of Business at Cornell University. Prior to joining Cornell, Andrea served as the Director of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Innovators Network within the VA Center for Innovation.

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  Mark Kenjerska (He/His)

  Mark was born and raised in Ithaca and never left! He lives in the Trumansburg area with his wife, Chris. They have 2 children, Anneliese and Paul, who are both in their twenties. He has been in banking for almost 4 decades! Currently, he is a Business Loan Originator with CFCU Community Credit Union. On the side, he  teaches fitness classes at both Island Health and Fitness and the YMCA of Ithaca. He loves helping people stay fit and reaching their fitness goals. In his spare time, he loves to go on long walks with his 2 dogs and they can often be found on the Black Diamond Trail or at Cass Park. He is so looking forward to being part of the great work that the Hangar does for our community.

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  Kayla M. Lyon (She/Hers)

  Kayla is a resident of Tompkins County with a theatre degree from Nazareth College, but life took a different direction and landed her as a Financial Advisor with Tompkins Trust Company. She volunteers and works with Groton Jr.-Sr. High School as a director and assistant director for their theatre productions, volunteers for the Cancer Resource Center, and serves on the board for Running to Places Theatre Company. She is excited to be a part of the Hangar board and is grateful for the opportunity to be creative in a world that so desperately needs artistic release right now.

• Dana Mueller (He/His)

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  Katie Spallone (She/Hers)

  Katie Spallone is a long time Ithaca retailer as well as theatre goer, feminist, acting instructor, social media marketing specialist, animal lover and more. She has worked on stage and behind the scenes with just about every theatre company in town (favorite roles include Sabrina Daldry in In The Next Room with Homecoming Players (Kitchen Theatre). Katie has been a member of The Actor’s Workshop of Ithaca (a Sanford Meisner Technique theatre training studio) since 2001, became an instructor in 2005, and was named its Co-Director in 2010. She continues to use theatre as a platform for bringing diverse and underrepresented voices in the community into the studio classroom and on stage.
  After closing her two downtown Ithaca clothing stores (Evolution and Avanti) in 2015, she joined the staff of Cornell Retail Services in 2016 and is currently the Visual Display & Merchandising manager for all Cornell Store locations. Katie lives in Dryden with her husband Michael and their cat Rosie.
  

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  Marcus Terry (He/His)

  Marcus graduated from the Park School of Communication at Ithaca College in 2006.  He then moved to New York City where he began his career in film and television production as an NBC Page at 30 Rockefeller Plaza.  Over the next 10 years he worked on multiple reality shows, scripted television shows, movies, commercials and web series. Some of his credits include The Today Show, Sesame Street, The Jerry Springer Show, The Celebrity Apprentice, The Amazing Race, Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?, Blue Bloods, and Ocean’s 8.  In 2018 he moved back to Ithaca, NY and is now a marketing video producer at Well Said Media.

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  Chantal Thomas (She/Hers)

  Chantal arrived in Ithaca about a decade ago to join the faculty of Cornell Law School, where she currently also serves as the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs. Chantal has been a strong supporter of community institutions and community arts in Ithaca, and currently also serves on the board of WRFI Community Radio.  She has made media appearances with other local and national outlets, such as WVBR, NY1 News, C-SPAN, and PBS Newshour.  Chantal teaches and writes in international law, and has taught at law faculties nationally and globally, including the UK, France, China, Colombia, Egypt and South Africa. While in Egypt, Chantal witnessed the power of theatre as a resource for refugee communities in Cairo.  Chantal and her family enjoy music, the arts, and outdoor activities.

• Trevor Lee Bischoff

  Johnson Board Fellow

• Jenny Zhu

  Johnson Board Fellow

Emeritus

• John Alexander

• Julia Bonney

• Andrea Fleck Clardy

• Ann Costello

• Roy Dexheimer 

• John Elliott

• Mary Kane

• Susan Kaplan

• Linda Trees Mack

• Tom Niederkorn (Deceased)

• Kathryn (Katy) Pearce

• Paula Peter

• Carolyn W. Sampson

• Ray Schlather

• Shelley Semmler

• Margaret Shackell

• Laurel Southard

• Jamie Wells