Page 44 - July 2019 Conference Program Volume 42 No. 01

ConferenCe SPeAkerS

Maureen Andersen, CEO of INTIX, has 35-plus years of experience spanning not-for-profit, commercial arts,
Broadway, regional ticketing, performing arts and colleges. She has experience that spans the ticket office, call
centers, season tickets, group sales, marketing, fundraising and management.

Tyler Bates is the Director of Programming for Ambassador Theatre Group North America where he is the
General Manager of Kings Theatre in Brooklyn, NY. See conf. app for a complete bio.

John Bell is an experienced historic theatre leader having successfully managed two different historic theatre
projects over his career. He began his career in arts administration with the North Carolina Arts Council and
later assumed duties as the Managing Director of the historic Carolina Theatre in Greensboro, NC in 1979.
After he assumed management responsibilities in Tampa in 1985, Tampa Theatre revamped its programming
to include a heavy mix of first run and classic films supplemented by concerts, education programs and
special events. This successful formula remains in place today, as the Theatre presents approximately 535 film
events, 20 major concerts, 45 educational field trips, four weeks of summer camp, and scores of corporate
and community events a year. In spite of having a tiny stage with no fly capabilities, Tampa Theatre is one
of the busiest historic theatres in the country. John has served on the Board of Directors of the League of
Historic American Theatres, serving as LHAT’s Chairman of the Board in 2014 and 2015. He is a member of the
Florida Facility Managers Association, the Florida Professional Presenters Consortium, and the Tampa Cultural
Executives Council. John holds a BA degree in Theatre Arts from Catawba College in North Carolina and was
inducted into Catawba’s Blue Masque Hall of Fame in 2012.

Brooke Bernard joined the Belcourt Theatre’s staff as their first full-time development director in 2014. Previously,
she was an independent film producer whose work premiered at festivals across the world including Sundance,
Cannes and Rotterdam. She has a deep knowledge of and passion for independent filmmaking and of the
cultural/economic role of art houses in communities.

Robert (Rob) Bull has over 25 years of successful fundraising experience for nonprofit organizations, both as
a development officer and as a consultant. His professional fundraising skills include campaign planning
and management, major gift strategy development and solicitation, volunteer leadership recruitment and
development, and the art of “The Perfect Ask.” Robert also served as the Chief Development Officer for
the National Trust for Historic Preservation and has worked with hundreds of museums and cultural heritage
organizations, designing curriculum and facilitating workshops to build their capacity for sustainability. Robert
is an exceptional fundraising strategist, having helped hundreds of organizations raise over $1 billion, mostly
regarded for creating effective teams, motivating staff and volunteer leaders, and solving some of the most
complex problems facing nonprofit organizations. As a frequent speaker and facilitator at regional and
national conferences, Robert’s style is described as “the professor’s classroom where you want to sit up front
and take notes!”

Shane Burkett is Director of Strategic Marketing at Agile Ticketing Solutions. He has been providing marketing
ideas to small and medium-sized organizations, including historic theatres, for nearly a decade. His passion for
theatre and cinema goes far beyond the box-office operations and into the heart of the patron; understanding
the patron’s desire to connect with the stories and be a part of the inspiration that is theatre. His professional
background in learning and development, legal and compliance along with a terrific sense of humor provides
workshop participants with an enjoyable way to absorb a variety of subject matter.

Meredith Arms Bzdak, PhD, is a partner with Mills + Schnoering Architects in Princeton, NJ. She holds a BA in Art
History from Mount Holyoke College and a PhD in Art History from Rutgers University. As Associate Graduate
Faculty at Rutgers, she has taught classes on the development of the modern American city, the preservation

PAGE 42 | INLEAGUE League of Historic American Theatres