Page 59 - July 2017 inLeague and Conference Program

Alec Stoll, ASTC has 15 years of nationwide experience backstage and a further 18 in theatre consulting. He
is internationally respected as a theatre planner and designer. Alec has played integral roles in well over 100
academic, professional and community venues as well as historic renovation and restoration projects. Alec is a
past board member of the American Society of Theatre Consultants, the League of Historic American Theatres
and the RCHP Affordable Housing Corporation. Alec holds an MFA in Theater Production Management from
Brandeis University and a BFA in Technical Theatre from Emerson College.

Don Telford, retired CEO of San Diego Theatres, Inc, began his career at the San Diego Civic Theatre and
Concourse in 1976, on what was supposed to be a six-month internship. Don's decades of service were under
several diverse governances and employment models. In 1993, the San Diego Convention Center Corporation
assumed responsibility for the Civic Theatre and Concourse. Four years later, Don was promoted to the position
of Executive Vice President of the Convention Center Corporation, and the enhanced responsibilities included
continued oversight of the Civic Theatre. In 2003, the Convention Center Corporation created San Diego
Theatres as a subsidiary 501(c)3 non-profit corporation and appointed Don as its first President. He led the start-
up of this corporation, including development of board/ staff relations, mission, vision, benchmarking, personnel
guidelines, reporting structures, and stakeholder relationships.

Tom Tomlinson is an experienced, large theater operator with special skills in the area of association
management and Board leadership as former President of the Board of the Association of Performing Arts
Presenters. He has served as professional director / designer / stage manager for over 100 productions in
community, regional, and World's Fair productions. Tom is currently Project Director, Downtown Theatre District
Revitalization, for the Arts Council of Winston-Salem and Forsyth County in North Carolina. From March 2014
- April 2016, he was the Executive Director of the new Charleston Gaillard Center in South Carolina, which
opened in Fall 2015. Until March 2014, Tom was Executive Director of the Southern Kentucky Performing Arts
Center ("SKyPAC") in Bowling Green, KY, which opened in 2012 and consists of an 1,800-seat main performance
hall, a 200-seat flexible Studio Theatre, two rehearsal halls, galleries, and an 800-seat outdoor amphitheater.
SKyPAC also operates the historic Capitol Theater, which was renovated in 1981 and has an 800-seat
auditorium and the Houchens Gallery. Tom is a contributor to the LHAT-CHAT and has led numerous historic
theatres, including: Michigan Opera Theatre/historic Detroit Opera House in Detroit, MI (opened as the Capitol
Theater in 1922); Rialto Square Theatre in Joliet, IL (1926); Pantages Center for the Performing Arts in Tacoma,
WA (1924); and Capitol Theatre in Yakima, WA (1902).

Kelly Updike has been the executive director of the Embassy Theatre in Fort Wayne, Indiana, since June 2006.
One of the largest historic theaters in the state, the Embassy seats 2,471 and is a rental facility for national
headliners, Broadway touring companies, private and corporate events and home to the Fort Wayne
Philharmonic. Kelly oversees all aspects of the nonprofit theater, including facility maintenance and renovation,
staff management, board and community relations and finance. Prior to joining the Embassy, she was director
of communications & marketing for The Leona Group, a national charter schools management company.
She also has held communications and media relations positions at Lincoln Financial Group and Fort Wayne
Community Schools. Kelly is a Ball State University graduate. She serves on several local boards, including Visit
Fort Wayne.

Kyle Wright, Sr., Interactive Marketing and Analytics Manager at The Shubert Organization, works on
understanding who your audience represents, one of the most important focuses for arts and entertainment.
Core to nurturing future arts audiences and patrons is first understanding who is SITTING IN THE SEATS, and then
focusing on good hospitality- creating stellar experiences for ALL audiences regardless of ability or background.
In venue technology and data warehousing combined with appropriate social and digital marketing tools
are a significant piece of the puzzle when it comes to engaging with patrons and finding new and emerging
audiences. He is responsible for overseeing strategy, data-integration, analytics and partnership development
for digital marketing and emerging in-venue technologies.

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