Staff and Board

We’re great as individuals, but together we thrive. Meet the people behind the scenes.

STAFF

  • Kenn McLaughlin

    Artistic Director

  • Katie Maltais

    Managing Director

The 2022-2023 season marks Kenn McLaughlin’s seventeenth season as Stages’ artistic leader, following five successful years as the theater’s Managing Director. Kenn has produced more than 100 productions, including record-breaking hits like The Marvelous Wonderettes and Late Nite Catechism series; The Great American Trailer Park Musical and revivals of the theater’s landmark original musical Always…Patsy Cline; as well as pivotal world and U.S. premieres such as De Kus, Black Pearl Sings, An American Brat, Miss Teen, nine original Pantomime productions, and The Great American Trailer Park Christmas Musical. He has directed over 30 shows for Stages. Highlights include: Auntie Mame, Road Show, Grey Gardens, Full Gallop, The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe, Mack and Mabel, Speech and Debate, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, Stupid Fucking Bird, The Blonde, The Brunette and the Vengeful Redhead and the world premiere of Miss Teen. He has also written the book for two of Stages’ hit musicals: Panto Mother Goose and A Midnight Clear both with music by composer David Nehls. Beyond Houston, Kenn’s musical, I’ll Be Home for Christmas (also written with David Nehls) received its World Premiere production at the Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities in Denver and was nominated for a Henry Award for Best New Play/Musical. Outside of Houston, Kenn directed The Threepenny Opera for The Santa Fe University of Art and Design and Sexy Laundry for the renowned Peterborough Players. Prior to his arrival at Stages, Kenn spent eleven years at Great Lakes Theater Festival in Cleveland. At Great Lakes, Kenn helped to build the largest theater-based education program for a performing arts institution in the state of Ohio. He directed the company’s award-winning School Residency Program and commissioned several new theater works including Brother Can You Spare a Dime: The Social Conscience of the American Musical, The Way You Look Tonight, Straight on ‘til Morning, and a new adaptation of Lorraine Hansberry’s To Be Young, Gifted and Black. Kenn also co-founded The Wallpaper Project, an annual oral history performance program in rural Ohio. Kenn has taught workshops for the Center for Literature and Medicine and has twice presented workshops at the National Council of Teachers of English. In 2018 Kenn was guest speaker to the Academic Sympoisum of the Texas Educational Theatre Association. In Houston, Kenn has taught classes in creativity at Rice University and in directing at Sam Houston State University, as well as teaching diversity awareness to cadets at the Houston Police Academy and serving as a guest lecturer for Harris County’s Department of Education CASE program. He has served as chair of the capital campaign and of the stewardship committee of First Congregational Church of Houston where he has also served on the long-range planning and education committees. Kenn completed the Executive Non-Profit Leaders program through the Graduate School of Business at Stanford University and holds a BFA in acting from The Theatre School, DePaul University.

Recently named as Stages’ Managing Director following a national search, Katie began her tenure in August 2021. Prior to joining Stages, Katie served as Managing Director at Curious Theatre Company in Denver, Colorado, where she earned an industry reputation for forging rapid growth and instigating institutional change, specifically in areas of patron loyalty and community building. At Curious Theatre Company, Katie created “The Loyalty Target,” a new model for arts administration that has been adopted by arts organizations across the United States and United Kingdom. Maltais is known throughout the industry as a fierce advocate for the anti-racism and anti-oppression movement in the arts, including spearheading Denver’s first Diversity in Theater panels. Before joining Curious Theatre Company, Katie served as the Marketing Director for the Lone Tree Arts Center, where she led the organization through a period of exponential earned revenue growth. Prior to this role, she worked for the international consulting firm TRG Arts as Manager of Accounts and Services, where she oversaw the client services team. There, she personally worked with such notable organizations as Nederlander Alliances, Center Theatre Group, Alley Theatre, Goodman Theatre, and Arts Club Theatre Company. She received her BA in Arts Administration and Theatre from Drury University, located in Springfield, Missouri.

MANAGEMENT TEAM

Eboni Bell Darcy

Inclusion, Engagement and Training Director

Lise Bohn

Development Director

Joel Burkholder

Technical Director

Mitchell Greco

Associate Artistic Director

Todd Molesky

Operations Director

Fernanda Ogazón

Marketing Director

Debra Yeang

Finance and Administration Director

ARTISTIC & PRODUCTION STAFF

Joseph Blanchard

Lead Carpenter

Jodi Bobrovsky

Props Shop Supervisor

Celeste Cerenio

Production Mentee

Sarah Flores

Production Mentor

Ashley Ginn

Resident Stage Manager

David Jezek

Costume Shop Associate

Elizabeth A. M. Keel

Artistic and Community Engagement Administrator

Antonio Lopez

Audio Visual Lead Technician

Kasi Love

Production Manager

Javier Moreno-Bothwell

Lead Electrician

Corey Nance

Props Assistant and Scenic Painter

James Ponder

Assistant Technical Director

Gisell Rubio

Wardrobe Supervisor

J. Salazar

AV Technician and Crew

Destiny Smith

Lighting Technician and Board Operator

Leah Smith

Costume Shop Manager

ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF

Ciara Anderson

Front of House Manager

Ryan Bentsen

Administrative Coordinator

Irma M. Carrillo

Patron Systems and Benefits Manager

Sarah D. Gutierrez

Special Events and Corporate Partnerships Manager

Laura Hagen

Graphic Design Lead

Dino Hall

Facilites Operator

Jack Ivy

Marketing Manager

César Jáquez

Building and Events Coordinator

Jade Mpeye

Front of House Manager

Camryn Nunley

Front of House Manager

Brenda Requena

Human Resources Generalist

René P. Rodriguez

Finance and Administration Associate

Rachel Steidley

Institutional Giving Manager

Rose Tallerine

Front of House Manager

Christian Tannous

Front of House Manager

Jarred Tettey

Donor Concierge

Tevyn Washington

Patron Experience Manager

PATRON SERVICES STAFF

Michael Buck

Patron Services Assistant

Edmundo Cardona

Patron Services Lead

David Greiss

Patron Services Associate

Judith Igwilo

Patron Services Associate

Mark Ivy

Patron Services Associate

Charity Sells

Patron Services Associate

PRESS & MEDIA CONTACT

Lindsey Brown PR

lindsey@lindseybrownpr.com

Board of Directors

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

Steven Owsley, Chair

Partner, Owsley & Associates

Myrtle Jones, President

Senior Vice President, Tax, Halliburton

Kay Brazelton Bruce, Secretary

Community Leader

Omar Al-Aidroos, Treasurer / Chair, Finance

Partner, KPMG

George C. Lancaster, Chair Emeritus

SVP of Corporate Communications, Hines

Charles Walker, Chair, Audit

Head of IP Disputes, US, Norton Rose Fulbright

Stacy L. Feltham, Chair, Development

VP Legal, General Counsel International, Legal, Woodside Energy

Ralph Burch, Member-at-Large

Deputy General Counsel (Retired), International, ConocoPhillips

Mike Dishberger, Member-at-Large

CEO & Co-Owner, Sandcastle Homes

Glenda Gordy, Member-at-Large

Vice President/Director, Gordy Oil Company

DIRECTORS

  • Kalinda Campbell
  • Briana Conner
  • Duke Ensell
  • Jo Furr
  • Luis Gomar
  • Alicia Gordy
  • Cynthia Guill
  • Lauren Hagerich
  • Joanna Handel
  • Neal Hirsch
  • Harriet C. Latimer
  • Alexander Lazar
  • Jim Nicklos
  • Hans Roth
  • Angela Haraka Ramm
  • Jane Crowder Schmitt
  • Phillip J. Vogelsang