Jon Douglas Rake- Founder and Managing Artistic Director of the Tacoma Musical Playhouse and AACT District Representative: Jon has spent nearly all of his adult life devoted to musical theater. He began his career as a professional dancer and soon discovered his unique talents for choreography and directing. Educated at the University of California, San Diego, Jon has produced, directed, choreographed, or acted in well over 200 musical theater productions at the professional or community theater level on the West Coast. He founded Tacoma Musical Playhouse in 1994 to fill a gap in the Tacoma theater scene. TMP is the only South Sound theater company devoted to producing musicals exclusively. His creative energy is the driving force behind the company. Jon’s other interests include historic architecture and gourmet dining.

Tiffany Hegarty, Executive Director of the Pendleton Trust Foundation: In over 25 years working with nonprofit organizations, Tiffany Hegarty has helped secure over $10 million in funding to support their important work. Serving in roles that include volunteer, board member, Development Director, Executive Director, and consultant, Tiffany has used creativity and strategic processes to develop resources to help organizations realize their mission. Experienced as both a grant seeker and grant funder, she is unique in having the ability to understand both roles.

Rikki Jo Hickey is the owner and instructor at mNemosyne Studios in La Grande: Rikki Jo has been participating in and studying theatre since she was five years old, she holds her MFA in Theatre Direction from UH Manoa, and is fascinated by water and shadow puppetry. She has been teaching theatrical classes, workshops, and summer camps for 20+ years, and is excited to work with all age groups and skill levels

Grant Turner: Grant has been acting, directing, and producing classical theatre in the Pacific Northwest for over 25 years. He has worked with; Artists Repertory Theatre (Portland OR), Profile Theatre (Portland OR), The Northwest Children’s Theater (Portland OR), Bend Shakespeare in the Park (Bend OR) among others, and founded the award-winning Northwest Classical Theatre Company (Portland OR) where he served as Artistic Director for 16 years. In his 25 years on stage he has worked and trained with several theatrical legends including; Bill Alexander and Barry Kyle (both associate directors of the a Royal Shakespeare Company), and actors Joseph Marcell, Michael Pennington, Imogen Stubbs, and Dame Janet Suzman (among others). Grant has been in or directed (sometimes both at the same time) over 60 Shakespeare productions, and has presented 35 of the 36 plays in Shakespeare’s canon. Favorite productions include; Richard III, Othello, Cymbeline (with the NWCTC), Titus Andronicus (Bend Shakespeare in the Park), and Richard II and A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the Elgin Opera House. Grant was honored with the 2014 Special Achievement Drammy Award for his contribution to Portland, OR Theatre.

Jennifer Colton-Jones, Secretary for College Community Theatre: Jennifer’s communication background spans traditional to social media – and almost everything between. As a multi-award-winning journalist, she worked for newspapers and magazines in Oregon, Idaho, Washington, and South Carolina before taking a position as the news director for West End Radio, serving the greater Hermiston community on and off air. She now lives in Pendleton and currently works as both the communications specialist for the City of Pendleton and as an adjunct instructor for Blue Mountain Community College.