Board & Staff

Meet Our Team

Staff

Doug Levine

Executive Director
Doug Levine has served as the Executive Director of State Theatre of Ithaca, Inc. since the summer of 2009 and manages the theatre’s day-to-day operations with a strong focus on development and oversight of STI staff. Prior to joining The State Theatre, Doug enjoyed five years at The Tompkins County Chamber of Commerce as the Director of Membership, Public Relations and Special Events. He received his Master’s degree in Business Administration from Ithaca College in 2004 and his Bachelor of Science from that same institution in 1998.

Michael Viselli

Business Manager
A native of Sayre, PA, Michael comes to the State Theatre of Ithaca with a strong finance background and an emphasis on exceptional customer service. Having served as past CEO and President of Ingersoll-Rand FCU and Chemung Spring Water Co., he also has a love for live music and historic theatres. Michael has served his community on many non-profit boards, including tenures of Treasurer of the Board and Director of Marketing and Development for the Bradford County (PA) Regional Arts Council, which had three historic theatres under its stewardship. Michael attended Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania for a BSBA in Finance and completed the MBA program at Binghamton University.

Rachel Grant

Development Coordinator
Rachel Grant became a State Theatre Volunteer in September of 2015 after graduating from college with a degree in Music Business. She had the opportunity to join the staff two years later in the role of Audience Services Manager. In October of 2019, Rachel went on to accept the brand new position of Development Coordinator, whose main focus is to oversee the administrative functions for fundraising and donor relations’ efforts for the State Theatre. She is excited to use her passion for live music and this Historic Theatre to expand on its mission to enhance the cultural experience of the community and surrounding regions.

Casey Martin

Director Of Marketing
Originally from Rochester, NY, Casey decided to call Ithaca home after graduating from Ithaca College in 2010. In 2012, Casey joined our dedicated staff at The State to manage the box office and now oversees marketing efforts for The State. Casey has been instrumental in developing State’s new marketing initiatives including establishing the M&T Bank and Ithaca Times Movie Series, overseeing the recently updated website and social media outlets, and promoting The State Community and Family shows.

Connor Lange

Box Office Associate
After graduating from Ithaca College in 2019 with a degree in film, photography, and visual arts, Connor has made his way back to Ithaca by way of Binghamton, NY. While at IC, he spent countless hours as an editor and photographer for The Ithacan, during which time he fell in love with the Ithaca community. He spent three seasons with The Glimmerglass Festival, an opera festival in Cooperstown, NY as the photography intern in 2018 and 2019, and then transitioning to the box office staff in 2021. With an intense passion for live theatre and events, Connor is very excited to be able to call Ithaca and The State Theatre home.

Sue Hoadley

Bookkeeper
Sue joined the State Theatre as a part-time employee providing bookkeeping services in the Fall of 2021. She has over 30 years of non-profit accounting experience working at the Faculty Student Association at Buffalo State College and Cornell University. She is originally from Tonawanda NY and has lived in the Ithaca area since 2000. Sue has a BS in Accounting from SUNY at Buffalo University and MBA from St. Bonaventure.

Adam Zonder

Production Manager
Adam Zonder (Production Manager) is thrilled to be joining the staff at the State Theatre after 27 years as the Production Manager of the Hangar Theatre Company. Additionally Adam was an Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Theatre at the University at Albany – SUNY, where he also served as the Production Manager and Technical Director. Additional work with students includes as a Lecturer for Ithaca College and Siena College, and as a guest instructor with Bucknell University, Alfred University, University North Carolina – Chapel Hill, and Kent State University. Adam loves working with artists and clients to produce the best possible events. Outside of work he is a die hard Red Sox and Patriots fan, and loves UCONN basketball (both men’s and women’s). Go Huskies! He also spends time with his family – Renee, Taryn, and Genevieve. You will also now see Adam walking his theatre dog, Shoeshine, around downtown.

Sarah Flenders

Event Manager
Sarah Flenders found her passion for the entertainment industry in 2008 when organizing community events to raise money for music in public schools, disaster relief, and local businesses. She loved volunteering her time to help with community theatre productions and went on to compete in the National Forensics League for acting and public speaking. After working at Tag’s in Big Flats, NY for nearly 5 years, she was promoted to Event Manager where she continued to sharpen her skills as acting Department Head of the Front of House/Box Office, Marketing Manager, and Director of Staffing for the Summer Concert Series, the Fall Haunted House: Tagsylvania and the Restaurant Banquet events. After over 10 years of entertainment experience, Sarah is delighted to return back to her Theatre roots – joining the State Theatre as the Audience Services Manager.

David Santos

Back Of House Supervisor

Board of Directors

Fred Bonn

President
Mr. Bonn is a lifelong resident of Tompkins County. He has served locally on the boards of Ithaca Festival, Red Cross, and United Way. He currently is a board member for the Finger Lakes Tourism Alliance and was appointed to serve on the Erie Canal National Heritage Commission. Fred is the Regional Director for the Finger Lakes State Park system where he oversees 30 facilities across 10 counties. Fred has enjoyed shows at the State Theatre for decades and is excited to be involved in its future.

Ethan Ash

Vice President
Mr. Ash is the Co-founder and consultant at multiple businesses in the fields of online medical education, hospitality, strategic planning and sustainable energy. He has worked in the online medical education field as a co-founder of Vertical Health for nearly 10 years, now focused primarily on business development and revenue growth for the company. In public service, Ethan has served on multiple non-profit boards including vice chair of the Tompkins County Tourism Board, and chair of the Agritourism Task force. Ethan is the Vice Chair of the Dryden Democratic committee with a seat on the county issues and strategic planning work force. In 2017, Ethan co-founded the Youth Entrepreneurship Market (YEM), providing Ithaca-area students with a series of business start-up courses and mentorship, concluding with a community market for the kids to pitch and sell their concepts to the public.

Kim Yeoh

Treasurer
Ms. Yeoh is the Director of Finance and Administration for Cornell Information Technologies. After graduating from Cornell, she was the operations manager of the Haunt where she developed her love of the vibrant music scene in Ithaca, and decided Ithaca was a great place to live! She began working at the Statler Hotel while completing her MBA at Johnson Graduate School of Management, and has since worked in various financial and administrative management roles at Cornell for over three decades.

Wendy Marsh, Esq.

Secretary
Wendy A. Marsh is a partner at Hancock Estabrook, and is the Chair of the Environmental & Land Use Planning Department. She was born and raised in Geneva, New York and currently resides there with her partner, David Linger. Ms. Marsh concentrates her legal practice in the environmental arena, as well as development law, representing small and large businesses, to assist them in achieving compliance with applicable environmental laws, as well as municipalities and developers to assist with various “right to build” issues for controversial projects. Prior to serving on The State Theatre’s Board, Ms. Marsh was involved with the Smith Opera House in Geneva for over ten years, serving as Chair of their Board of Directors while assisting them through significant construction projects funded by state grants

Rob Gearhart

Past President
Mr. Gearhart is an Associate Dean in the Park School of Communications at Ithaca College, and has been an administrator, educator and media producer, as well as active community member, for over 30 years in Ithaca. He most currently represents Ithaca’s Third Ward on Common Council and has served on the Ithaca Yacht Club Board as Membership & Marketing Director after a long commitment to the Ithaca Festival Board (1993-2009) where he served as President twice – and as a result, claims to have sold more Ithaca Festival buttons than anyone! Besides serving as Secretary, Mr. Gearhart is also on The State Theatre’s Major Gifts Committee as well as the Facilities Committee.

Katie Foley

Katie Foley is the co-owner of the award winning food truck “Silo” and was named 2018 Entrepreneur of the Year by the Tompkins Chamber of Commerce for her business. Prior to Silo, Katie served in various leadership roles in the area of Development/Fundraising and not for profit management. She has served as the Director of Development at both Family & Children’s Service of Ithaca and Planned Parenthood of the Southern Finger Lakes and as well as Program Director of the Big Brothers Big Sisters Program at the Ithaca Youth Bureau. Katie has volunteered for a variety of not-for-profits and was recognized as 2015 Volunteer of the Year by the United Way of Tompkins County. Katie currently serves on the board of CFCU Community Credit Union and is actively involved as a Fundraising Volunteer with the Edith B. Ford Memorial Library.

Deborah Hoover

Ms. Hoover has been with Tompkins Community Bank for over 22 years and currently serves as the Central New York Small Business Lending Manager in the Commercial Banking department. A lifelong resident of Tompkins County, Ms. Hoover earned her Associates degree in Business Management from TC3 in 2009 and is involved with numerous community organizations such as the Tompkins County SPCA, the Brooktondale Fire Department, City Federation of Women’s Organizations and the Tompkins County Chamber of Commerce. In addition to her time dedicated to the State Theatre, she is also the President of the Ithaca Business Women’s Network. Outside the office, Hoover’s hobbies include baking, gardening, camping, hiking, reading, spending time with family and friends and enjoying the mountains in the Adirondacks.

Jon Jensen

Mr. Jensen is retired from his position as Executive Director of the Park Foundation after forty years working in philanthropy and environment. Prior positions include Senior Program Officer at the George Gund Foundation and Senior Program Associate at the Pew Charitable Trusts. He estimates that he has awarded over $250 million dollars over the course of his career. He has served on the boards of American Rivers, Wildlife Preservation Trust, Yellowstone Ecosystem Studies and the Environmental Leadership Institute. He is a founder of the national funder affinity groups Environmental Grantmakers Association, Funders Network for Smart Growth, and Confluence Philanthropy, and has served as chair of the board of each of these organizations.

Thomas Knipe

Mr. Knipe serves as the Director of Economic Development for the City of Ithaca and previously was Director of the Tompkins County Tourism Program. He came to Ithaca in 2009 for a master’s degree in planning and like so many others fell in love with the area. Tom also serves on the board of the Downtown Ithaca Alliance, Ithaca Area Economic Development, and the New York Bicycling Coalition and is a regular adjunct faculty member in the Department of City and Regional Planning at Cornell. He lives in the “flats” of Ithaca with his family and bikes to work year-round, including to shows at the State Theatre as often as possible.

Michael R. Kuo

Mr. Kuo is an associate project manager at Cornell University Facilities and Campus Services. Prior to joining Cornell, he was a specifications writer at HOLT Architects and project manager for the Commons Project in the City of Ithaca. He has 18 years of experience in real estate development and construction project management. Michael is a member of the Families Advisory Council for the September 11 Memorial and Museum and served on the committee that drafted the Memorial’s mission statement. He has a Master’s in Urban Planning from Hunter College, a B.S. in Environmental Studies from SUNY Buffalo and a certificate in Culinary Management from the Institute of Culinary Education. Michael has lived in Ithaca since 2010 with his wife and two children.

Ellen McCollister

Ms. McCollister served two terms on Ithaca’s Common Council, devoting her time primarily to planning, zoning, economic development, and historic preservation issues. She was formerly director of external relations at the College of Architecture, Art & Planning at Cornell University, and later held a similar position at the Johnson Art Museum. Newly retired, she’s looking forward to spending more time on musical and artistic pursuits and engaging with the Ithaca community.

Mike Moyer

Mr. Moyer returned to Cornell as Associate Vice President for Principal Gifts in January 2021. Mr. Moyer comes from Virginia Tech’s advancement division, where he served as associate vice president and directed the $1.5 billion “Boundless Impact” campaign. Prior to his position at Virginia Tech, he led fundraising for Cornell’s College of Architecture, Art and Planning, and the Cornell College of Engineering. He began his fundraising career at Johns Hopkins University. Moyer holds a bachelor’s degree from Trinity University. A huge fan of live music, Mike is thrilled to bring his fundraising talents to this board and looks forward to attending many shows at the State, when he’s not cheering on his beloved Philadelphia Phillies.

Scott Nostrand, P.E.

Mr. Nostrand is a Senior Vice President at Barton & Loguidice, a full service civil and environmental consulting firm. He is the Director of B&L’s Environmental Practice Area, managing a group of 44 engineers, geologists and scientists. Mr. Nostrand has spent the past 30 years of his professional career blending engineering with environmental sciences, resulting in a robust consultancy providing services in environmental site investigation and remediation, ecological sciences, industrial hygiene, geological sciences and environmental consulting. He maintains certification as a New York Professional Engineer and Asbestos Abatement Designer. An avid concert fan, he estimates that he has attended more than 350 shows including rock, jazz, blues and bluegrass genres. Scott is thrilled to join the State Theater Board, and to contribute his engineering and technical stage interests to this community gem.

Nia Nunn, PhD

Dr. Nia Nunn wears multiple ‘headwraps’ in the Ithaca community, serving as an associate professor of education, psychology, & women/gender studies at Ithaca College, president on the board of directors for Southside Community Center, and director/curriculum writer of the Community Unity Music Education Program (CUMEP). Prior to receiving a B.A. in early childhood education at Clark Atlanta University (2003) and a Ph.D. in school psychology at Michigan State University (2011), Dr. Nia was born and raised in Ithaca. As part of her passion and purpose, Dr. Nia exercises her various ‘headwraps’ as an educator-performer-scholar-artist-mother to learn and engage audiences creatively, intensely, and gracefully. Her research, teaching, and service centers a Black femme alchemist approach to anti-racist/abolitionist curricula.

Jennifer Tavares

Mrs. Tavares is President and CEO of the Tompkins County Chamber of Commerce. Before her time in Ithaca, Tavares served as director of economic development for Commerce Chenango in Chenango County, New York, and led the Potsdam Chamber of Commerce prior to that role. In her role at the Tompkins Chamber, Tavares has developed the Chamber’s organizational capacity and member engagement outcomes, fostered growth in the tourism division, implemented an innovative workforce attraction initiative and played a pivotal role in community development projects such as the Tompkins Center for History and Culture and the Ithaca Downtown Conference Center. She was recently elected as the Chairperson of The Board of Directors of The Chamber Alliance of New York State (CANYS), a statewide association of more than 50 chambers of commerce. Tavares is a hobby potter, and loves attending shows at The State Theatre and looks forward to sharing her many skills with downtown Ithaca’s last remaining historic performing arts venue.

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