DON BETZ (President) originally from Rochester, New York, has been in Wilmington for the past 30 years working in Manufacturing, Financial Services and Local Government while raising four children with his wife Valerie. Don is a Vietnam Veteran having served three tours with the U.S. Army and was awarded a Bronze Star for his service. He is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Wilmington with a degree in Business Administration. Don and his family were relocated to Wilmington from New York with Federal Paper Board Company.  Later he joined A.G. Edwards & Sons as an Investment Broker.  He returned to the manufacturing sector with M. J. B. Manufacturing Company in textiles and later purchased and published Wilmington Magazine.  Concurrently he served as a member of the Wilmington City Council for a period of sixteen years with five consecutive two-year terms as Mayor of the City of Wilmington.  During this period, Don was a member of the Greater Wilmington Chamber of Commerce, the Wilmington Industrial Committee of 100 and President of the Kiwanis Club of Wilmington.  Prior to his current appointment as Executive Director for the Lower Cape Fear Water & Sewer Authority, he served as Town Manager in Holly Ridge and in North Topsail Beach. He joined the Thalian Association, Inc. board in 2005.  Don’s only contribution to the performing arts was his best actor’s role as Mr. Wilson in Harvey, forty years ago!

TROY RUDESEAL (Vice-President)  has been involved in over 200 theatrical productions over the last 20 years and has experience in all aspects of theater including acting, directing, scenic design and construction in amateur, regional and professional theatre.From 1993-1995 he toured the country performing and directing youth theatre based out of Montana and New Hampshire. He spent ten years working with and directing "Summer Stage", a summer long youth camp providing children hands-on training in all areas of theatre.After moving to Wilmington, He served as the Technical director for Opera House theatre Company from 1996-1998, spent 3 seasons with the acting company on The North Carolina Shakespeare Festival, and served as the Artistic Director for Big Dawg Productions 2001-2003. Most recently Troy went back to college and is now a critical care RN in the Medical ICU at new Hanover Regional Medical Center. He began performing and directing for the Thalian Association in 2004 and enjoys lending his technical talents to the Association whenever possible.

KATHERINE DURAY RUDESEAL (Vice-President) is a graduate of the University of Maryland with B.A. in Art and Minor in Art History. After moving to Fayetteville, NC in the early 90’s she became heavily involved with the local Arts Council, Cape Fear Regional Theatre and the Carolina Civic Center. She worked as a performer and professional singer at night and landed a day job as a K-8 Art Teacher.She relocated to Wilmington 12 years ago with her husband Troy. Katherine has worked since then as an Art Director, but continued to perform in her spare time. She has been in over 25 productions on the main stage at Thalian Hall, in both leading and supporting roles.  Five years ago, she and a business partner formed Phoenix Rising Agency, Inc., a full-service advertising agency. Katherine is involved with many local civic organizations including, Rotary, Cape Fear Sales and Marketing Executives, Historic Wilmington Foundation, American Heart Association and many more! After going into volunteer overload last year she decided that she needed to focus on just those organizations that she was most passionate about. Which is what brings her to the board of the Thalian Association.

HELEN BRUMBAUGH (Vice-President) has been a resident of Wilmington since 1986. Helen attended East Carloina University and worked for Weyerhaeuser for 15 years before joining J.P. Goforth as his onsite manager at Landfall in 1986. In 1990 she started Old South Building Co. and served as President until she retired in 2003. Helen is a  licensed N.C. general contractor and a ASID, allied interior designer and is currently the owner of Decors By Helen, doing upscale design projects in the Wilmington area.  Helen has also done design projuects in NYC, Miami, Chicago, Sedona, Seattle,  and several European countires. Helen co-chaired the first two Coastal Classic Golf Tournaments and the 1990 Designer Showhouse for the Historical Society, She has worked on numerous Landfall Foudation Galas and is the current Vice President of World Premier Theatrical Productions. She chaired the "POMPEII, THE MUSICAL"  Gala Premier Opening and the Bacchus Ball . Helen was a member of the Thalian Board in the early 1990's and rejoined the board in 2006. She is married to Clay, an attorney with the law firm Brumbaugh, Mu and King. She has one child Richard LaMotte of Jacksonville, NC.

JERRY FLAKE (Treasurer) is the owner of Cape Fear Title Agency, Inc. He has worked as a vounteer for the Thalian Association for six years and currently serves as Chairman of the Thalian Association's Southern Coastal Bluegrass Festival. He is a member of Wilmington East Rotary and serves as the clubs sergeant of arms. He has served the Episcopal Diocese of East Carolina as a youth leader, vestry member, convention delegate, and member of the diocesan Executive Council. He was a past member of the Greenville (NC) Jaycees. Mr. Flake is married to Donna Flake, also a member of the Thalian Association board, and they have one daughter, Catherine, a senior at John T. Hoggard High School.

PAM DUNCAN (Secretary) relocated to Wilmington in 2005 after a 21 year career with Nortel Networks.  Her most satisfying position as Director of Event Marketing ended with her retirement in July of 05.  Since she enjoyed event organization and marketing, being a volunteer with the Thalian Association seemed the perfect fit.   The first couple of years she was so busy she was voted Volunteer of the Year in 2007 and was asked to be on the board.   In 2007 she started her own consulting business specializing in administrative project management.  Pam has a daughter in Wilmington and a son and grandson in Washington.

ELAINE WERNER was born and raised in Swansboro, NC, moved to southern California with her parents in the early 60's and attended the University of Southern California in LA. She enjoyed a thirty year career with Merrill Lynch & Co. and became a VP in the Capital Markets Division serving as an equity sales/trader for institutional accounts. She was married and has a son who also decided to move back to NC after she retired in 1996. Since coming to Wilmington, Elaine has served as a volunteer and board member for the Cameron Art Museum, a two-term board member and secretary for the Landfall Foundation and more recently served as president of the Board of Directors of World Premiere Theatrical Productions, Inc. who produced the premiere of POMPEII, THE MUSICAL in 2005. She looks forward to serving with the board of Thalian Association and hopes that she can make a difference.

LAURENE PERRY relocated to Wilmington primarily for the vital theater community that thrives here.  Laurene has 40 years of experience in all aspects of theater including acting, directing and choreographing in amateur, regional and professional venues. Her work has been seen on Long Island and in New York where she received a Theater Association of the State of New York award for her direction. As one of two originators of The Independent Players in New York she produced 7 consecutive shows and served as a trustee, officer and President of The Theater Guild of Oceanside on Long Island. Two short plays of her direction have been finalists in the prestigious Strawberry One Act Festival in NYC and have been published in The Best Plays of the Strawberry One Act Festival, vol 1 and 2.  She has served on the Thalian Board of Directors since 2005, and, since 2006 has been The Thalian Association’s  Vice President for Productions.

JIM PRIDEMORE has served on the Board of Directors of Thalian Association, Inc. for 40 years and has been President five times. He was a founding member of The Arts Council of the Lower Cape Fear and worked with the City to convert the USO building into the Community Arts Center. While President of the Arts Council he started the Piney Woods Arts Festival. Eleven years ago he created the Orange Street ArtsFest. Over the years Jim has been active in the Chamber of Commerce, Azalea Festival and United Way. He is owner/President of Sound and Telephone Systems in Wilmington, and WDRL-TV in Ronanoke, Virginia. He began his business career on the television staff of the United Nations in 1954. He was associated with WWAY-TV for seven years and was Vice-President and General Manager of WGNI and WWAV Radio for many years.

CURT H. STILES, Ph.D. is a professor of strategic management in the Cameron School of Business of the University of North Carolina Wilmington, where he teaches in the fields of strategic management, corporate governance, and international business. Prior to joining UNCW in 2003, he taught at Seton Hall University in New Jersey. In the New York City area, his activities ranged from lecturing in United Nations programs to developing student programs for Wall Street’s investment community. He is a member of the New York Society of Security Analysts and was a founder of the national student research competition co-sponsored by NYSSA and selected Wall Street investment firms. Dr. Stiles is the editor of two scholarly books, the author of dozens of research papers published in academic journals, and a reviewer of research papers for elite academic journals. Before moving to the East Coast, he was a professor and department chair at California State University and the University of Southern California. While living in Orange County, California he served on the finance committee of Ballet Pacifica in Laguna Beach. He joined the Thalian Association, Inc. board in 2004 and has served a term as Vice President. Curt has begun, and continues, to research the history of the Association and is the author of the Resolution by the NC General Assembly, naming the Association as “The Official Community Theater of North Carolina”.

FRANK MCNEILL was born and raised in the Wilmington, NC area. He served in the NC Army National Guard where he attained the rank of Captain, Signal Corps. He is founder (1954) and CEO of Communication Specialists Company, engaged in mobile radio communications, radio paging and Internet service provision, with offices in Wilmington, Raleigh and Jacksonville, NC. He has served as president of both the Wilmington Exchange Club and the North Carolina Exchange Clubs. He is a past president of The Arts Council of the Lower Cape Fear, Friends of Public Radio (WHQR) and The Thalian Association, Inc. as well as a past member of the Board of Trustees of The Thalian Hall Commission and Thalian Hall Center for the Performing Arts, Inc.

VIVIAN PARLIER-BURNETT served as President of The Thalian Association from 2002-2005 . Parlier-Burnett is a current member of the Wilmington Executives Club, The Lower Cape Fear Historical Society and Residents of Old Wilmington. She has served as past chairperson for the Celebrate Wilmington! Executive Committee and is past executive officer for Sales and Marketing Executives of Greater Wilmington. She has served as fund-raising captain for the Louise Wells Cameron Museum and served on the grassroots grant committee for the Arts Council of the Lower Cape Fear. Parlier-Crouse is a founding member and served as president of The Foothills Theatre, Foothills Arts Council in Elkin, NC, Friends of the Theatre in Lexington, NC, and is a founding member of The Triad Theatre League in High Point, NC.

DONNA FLAKE (Volunteer Coordinator) is the director of the medical library here in Wilmington at Coastal AHEC. She has worked in medical library all her life, and has special interest in international medical librarianship. She organized and continues to direct a partnership with her library, and a medical library in Latvia, and another medical library in Moldova. She has two master’s degrees- one in Library Science, and another in Health Administration.  Ms. Flake loves theatre and enjoys working on the Thalian Association Board as its Volunteer Coordinator.  She served on the Executive Board of Leadership Wilmington, and was the first recipient of the Leadership Wilmington Alumni Award.  Donna and her husband, Jerry, own Cape Fear Title, Inc., and they have one daughter – Catherine.

CYNDI MCNEILL has been a resident of Wilmington for 20 years. She attended Louisburg Jr. College, Pembroke State University and Cape Fear Valley School of Medical Technology.  After working in Medical Technolgy specializing in Chemistry for 15 years, she was an account manager for a local pharmaceutical company.   She has been a volunteer in the community for several organizations.  She chaired the Artist of the Month program for Cape Fear Academy for three years.  She was a previous board member of Cameron Art Museum.  She co-chaired Pompeii the Musical Gala Premier Opening and the Bacchus Ball.  She is on the Board of Visitors for UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center. She is married to Ronnie McNeill, owner and operator of Liberty Healthcare Services.  She has one child, Erin Elizabeth of Wilmington. 

HANK MILLER serves as a Senior Broker and Director of Business Development for Cape Fear Commercial. A licensed real estate broker, his primary role is to enhance company profitability through business development with new and existing clients. Mr. Miller focuses on ensuring a clear, growth oriented strategic direction, and attaining the highest levels of quality services and customer satisfaction. Since joining the company in 2002, Mr. Miller’s involvement has been multifaceted including development, construction management, landlord and tenant representation, and consulting services.  A sample of projects include development and construction of headquarters for two regional banks; development, leasing and construction for a Fortune 100 manufacturing company, tenant representation for a regional law firm; and real estate consulting services in a bankruptcy case involving the successful disposition of prime residential resort property. A native of Wilmington, Mr. Miller received a B.S. in Business Management from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. He is very active in civic and community organizations in Wilmington and throughout the State. He has served as a member of the Southeastern North Carolina Economic Development Commission, member of the Board of Directors of the Greater Wilmington Chamber of Commerce and member of the Board of Directors of the Charlotte Partnership and North Carolina Citizens for Business and Industry. Mr. Miller is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Cape Fear Council of Boy Scouts, former member of the Thalian Hall Center for the Performing Arts Board of Trustees, the Leadership Team of the Partners for Economic Inclusion, and is a Past President of the North Carolina Azalea Festival. He lives in Wrightsville Beach with his wife Maggie.

DONN ANSELL has been involved in Wilmington theater for more than 35 years.  In December 2006, after a 22 year career in Talk Radio he retired only to return to TV as host of Byline: Wilmington a weekly interview show on CBS-10 WILM.  In addition to producing & directing a number of theatrical productions, theatergoers have seen Donn in such varied roles as  Willy Loman in Arthur Miller's masterpiece Death Of A Salesman, Norman Thayer On Golden Pond, as 'Scrooge' in the original holiday musical, Ebenezer: A Christmas Carol and as Maurice in Disney's, Beauty & The Beast.  More recently Donn played Joe Keller in another Miller classic, All My Sons.   “It is a privilege to serve on a board that represents such an historic place in the history of theater in Wilmington, North Carolina and the  movement of Community Theater in America.”

DORONDA STROUD-GARM relocated to Wilmington in 2000, after traveling extensively while practicing nursing. She is a native of Kinston, NC and a graduate of East Carolina University. She has participated in special projects for the Thalian Association and Landfall Association, served as Secretary of the TA for the past 2 years, and was owner of Divine Dining personal chef service. Doronda has been involved in musical performance with local churches. She is enthusiastic about the direction and drive of the TA and the local arts community, and looks forward to continuing service on the Board.