Dallas Children's Theater Adds Six New Board Members

Dallas Children's Theater has announced six new members to their Board of Trustees who officially join the leadership group this month. Led by board president, Jim Markus, these new members will assist DCT in strategic planning and help establish policies and procedures that will ensure the best possible experience for all the families, students and other groups that pass through DCT's doors.

New members to the Board of Trustees include Kelly Fijolek, Manager at Deloitte Tax; L B Jeter, Jr., Sr Manager at Ernst & Young LLP; Matt Johnson, Senior Director of Production and Operations PBS Southern California; Dr. Adam Mora, Jr., MD, a Critical Care Specialist; Sarah Salmon, Senior Vice President of Institutional Banking at Huntington Bank; Deborah Stanford, former Partner from Ernst & Young.

Kelly Fijolek has a personal connection to DCT in the form of her mother-in-law, Betsy, who is a member of the board emeritus. "Being able to carry on any piece of her legacy would mean so much to me," Fijolek says. She is excited to help grow the arts community for children who have yet to find a home in the arts and is passionate about the sensory-friendly programs that DCT offers. "I love to be a part of a community that provides a safe space for kids to learn, experiment, and grow."

L B Jeter, Jr. says that while the last few years of his life have been mostly family-focused with four busy children in the fold, he is now "looking forward to expanding those responsibilities to the community." He has always had a keen interest in the arts, saying, "Theater allows children to express themselves in ways that simple sentences can only begin to convey."

Matt Johnson's first-ever paid job in the arts was at DCT, at age 18, playing Dickon in "The Secret Garden". After a three-decade career in film and theater, he's back for more. "I'm the former chair of Diversity and Inclusion for the national Public Broadcasting Producers Guild, and my current job is Sr. Director Production and Operations for the PBS consortium in southern California. But all it started with DCT." He goes on to say, "DCT is more than a theater, it's family, it's my home. I started my artistic journey there, and to come full circle and be able to give back on the Board would be an honor and career highlight."

Dr. Adam Mora, Jr., MD might be a familiar name to DCT fans. In the pandemic, he was able to squeeze in a moment between patients to film an appearance on DCT's Mouse Calls with Milo video series, dispensing important words about the importance of wearing masks and other safety precautions. His wife, Leah, and daughter, Laurel, are also DCT regulars, with Laurel attending classes before leaving for college in New York City. "The arts in all forms are essential to the development of children."

Sarah Salmon gained emotional maturity and learned about community from watching and performing theater. "I am a strong proponent of not just exposing our children to the performing arts but encouraging their participation." As a lifelong theater fan, she firmly believes watching and performing shows "builds our children's confidence, inspires collaboration, fosters empathy, and teaches patience; all invaluable life skills."

Deborah Stanford has been involved with DCT for thirteen years, and DCT is thrilled to have her back as a member of the board. Stanford says, "my children benefited greatly from the programming at DCT, and as a past board member, I have seen firsthand what DCT offers to families in the community. I am honored to rejoin the board and continue to be a part of their great work. DCT is really a unique treasure in Dallas."

NEW MEMBERS OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Kelly Fijolek is no stranger to DCT as her mother-in-law, Betsy, is a longtime supporter, board member and a member of the Emeritus Board. Kelly is a Manager at Deloitte and runs the internal Organizational Change Management division helping people who live and work in different countries. Kelly and her husband, Gregory, have a two-year-old daughter, Meredith, and an infant son, Robbie, who is one month old.

L B Jeter, Jr. is mobility/tax professional in EY's People Advisory Services practice based in their Dallas office. L B has over 15 years of experience in the mobile talent arena specializing in expatriate tax compliance/advisory and providing high-touch professional services to international/domestic executives and their mobile workforce. L B will lean on his extensive experience at a professional services firm, but more importantly, he has four beautiful children of his own and will bring his love for the heart of children and their innocence to the Dallas Children's Theater board. What better way to tap into that innocence than via the arts and what better way to use his professional skills than to get plugged in locally and give back to children in his community as part of Dallas Children's Theater?!

Matt Johnson is an award-winning Writer/Director/Producer/Network Executive with a broad range of work in film, television, podcast, and theater. He is currently Senior Director of Production and Operations for PBS Southern California. Previously he was the Co-Chair of Diversity & Inclusion for the Producers Guild of America, and was the Executive Producer and Head Writer of Hallmark Channel's #1 family franchise series "Kitten Bowl". A native Texan, and proud son of a WWII veteran, Matt's education includes studies and degrees at The University of Texas Arlington and The Royal National Theatre of London.

Dr. Adam Mora, Jr., MD, a Critical Care Specialist, is returning to Dallas this Spring after serving as the Chief of Critical Care Services for a healthcare system in Columbus, Ohio. He previously served as a board member with the Dallas Children's Theater. He is a longtime supporter of theatre and is proud of his daughter, Laurel, a Booker T. Washington graduate and former scholar of DCT, who is now a Theater Major in New York City.

Sarah Salmon has a BBA from Sul Ross State University, an MBA from Texas Tech University, and a JD from Texas Tech School of Law. She is a Senior Vice President at Huntington National Bank. Sarah and her husband, Tim, have two sons, Elliot and Fletcher. Elliot attended his first DCT summer camp in 2022, and Fletcher is looking forward to his first theater experience at Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!

Deborah Stanford has been involved with the DCT Board for 13 years. She served three 3-year terms (including VP of Development) as a Trustee, before moving to the Advisory Board. After retiring as Partner from Ernst & Young, Deborah serves as an advisor and board member to businesses and nonprofit organizations. Deborah is looking forward to returning as a Trustee on the DCT Board.

Board of Trustees

President: Jim Markus*

Chairman: Todd Ranta*

VP Development: Michael DeLuke*

VP Education: Helen Harris-Allen*

VP Facilities: Everett Spaeth*

VP Finance/Treasurer: Lauren Herrington*

Co- VP Governance/Nominating: Camelia Shoemaker*

Co- VP Governance/Nominating: Martha Barrios*

Co- VP Social Outreach: Mar Howard*

Co- VP Social Outreach: Amanda Schnetzer*

Secretary: Julie Parolisi*

Artistic Liaison: Emily Jefferson

Morgan Bennett

Chuck Blanchard

Sara Borrelli

Kelly Fijolek

Sarah Freedman

Lara Wilhelm Harrison*

Scott Hudson

Stephanie Jeffery

L B Jeter Jr

Matt Johnson

Josh Johnston

Amanda Kendall

Lisa Lee

Jacqueline Mackewicz

Corale Madden

Leah Mora*

Adam Mora Jr., MD

Tim Mullins

Stephanie Nelson*

Sarah Salmon

Jennifer Garratt Saltsman

Shanti Shahani

Evan P. Singer

Deborah Stanford

Jasmine Tobias

Kyle Turner

Board of Advisors

Mickie Bragalone

Jane Kennedy Greene

Sharron Hunt

Vibeke Jarnum

Christa Sanford

Todd Ranta

Emeritus

Members

Chair Emeritus: Melissa Deakins

Chair Emeritus: Laurie Sands Harrison

Chair Emeritus: Julie H. Kosnik

Chair Emeritus: Carole Jordan

Chair Emeritus: Carol March*

Lorlee Bartos

Joan Becker

Nancy Carlson

Mary Covington

Yvonne Crum

Paul Daugherty

Betsy Fijolek

Rocky Howard

Emily Jefferson

Margaret Keliher

Tara Lewis*

Jim Markus

Peter Martin

Teresa Parravano

Sally Schopmeyer

Elizabeth Showalter

Laurie-Jo Straty

Craig Sutton

Bill Travis

Karen Travis

Board Liaison

Mickie Bragalone -

Office of Arts and Culture

* Executive Committee

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