Hillbarn Theatre Board of Directors

Mary Bates, President, a native Californian and raised her four daughters in the Bay Area. She began her life-long passion of working and volunteering in the leisure field more than 30 years ago. She has worked for a myriad of organizations including private, public, commercial and non-profit entities. Ms. Bates' community and professional involvement includes the American Red Cross ( as a volunteer instructor for the past 33 years), Girl Scouts of America, Rebuilding Together, Kiwanis Club and is a graduate of the San Mateo Leadership Program. She is a member of the California Parks and Recreation Society, the National Parks and Recreation Association, and is the San Mateo County CARD (Collaborating Associations Responding to Disasters) Executive Board Treasurer. Mary currently resides in the City of San Carlos and has been employed by the City of Foster City Parks and Recreation Department for the past 10 years.

Richard Biederman, Secretary, resident of Foster City for 32 years, works in the Office Products Industry.  Married with two daughters, he was appointed by the San Mateo Board of Supervisors to the San Mateo Parks and Recreation Commission and served as a commissioner for 12 years, 3 of which as chair, and participated in the formation of the San Mateo County Parks Foundation.  Rich is an avid volunteer and has served on the Board of Trustees of his synagogue for 14 years (Temple secretary for two years and as the Brotherhood President for two years), on the City of Foster City Parks Committee for 16 years, on the Library Ad Hoc Citizens Advisory Panel, on the Foster City Technology Committee, and on the CCAG bicycle advisory committee where he successfully pushed through a $150,000.00 grant for Foster City to repave the bicycle pedway that circles the city.  Rich is currently the Northern California district sales manager for Staples Business Advantage, managing their Business to Business operation in the North, West, and South Bay and he also volunteers at SFO in their Travelers Aid program.

Dave Hall, a resident of Belmont, graduated from San Francisco State University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Radio-TV, and a Masters in Drama.  Teaching became Dave’s major endeavor and while associated with the San Carlos School District he taught drama classes/play production and incorporated his background in TV by conducting classes in TV Production-script writing, boom and switcher operation, and student productions.  Dave is a former board member and president of Hillbarn theatre having served in the mid-1990’s.  He has served as organist and/or choir director sin Several Bay Area churches such as St. Stevens in Stonestown, St. Matthew’s in San Mateo, and Immaculate Heart of Mary in Belmont.

Ms. Lee Foster, who served as Hillbarn's Executive Director for eight years, is certainly no stranger to Hillbarn Theatre. In addition to being a board member since 1997 she is the co-founder of Barnraising '98, one of the founders of the children's Conservatory and the impetus behind the successful fundraising and revitalization effort. She also grew up at Hillbarn Theatre watching many, many productions after her father, T. Jack Foster, Jr., gave the land to the theatre in 1968. Lee spent 18 years as an executive in marketing and sales in such notable travel companies as Cunard Lines, Seabourn Cruise Line, Crystal Cruises, Saga Holidays, Silversea Cruises and, for nine-years, Royal Cruise Line. In addition, she headed up the value-priced tour division (operated by Saga Holidays) for the Smithsonian Institution called Smithsonian Odyssey Tours. In her role as Manager of the Smithsonian division she coordinated the efforts to define the market segments, to create product to meet the needs of the defined customers and developed in conjunction with the Smithsonian Associates division the successful marketing mix that thrives to this day. Operationally, she also had overarching responsibility for the reservation and sales function of this product and the day to day operations of the tours including quality levels. Lee's background in marketing and sales of a "service" product--that demands bodies in beds--has great crossover with theatre marketing requiring people in seats. She had been anxious to leave the travel industry in pursuit of a General Management opportunity that would allow her to use her marketing and sales skills and to develop other skills as well. She is also a graduate student in the top 10% of her class at the University of San Francisco and completed her EMBA in May, 2002. She graduated from the Arts Leadership of the Future program in December 2002, and will complete their graduate program in July 2005. She won the Foster City Honors Award in 2003 and ArtShare's Diamond Award in 2005 for her success with Hillbarn Theatre. She received special recognition and resolutions from Assemblyman Gene Mullin, Senator Jackie Speier, and Congressman Tom Lantos as a result of her receipt of the Diamond Award.  She is the 20th Annual BRAVO! winner awarded to her on June 14, 2008.

Janis Kiesel and her husband, Art, are residents of Foster City. After attending their first performance at the Hillbarn Theatre, they became season ticket holders and have been attending performances ever since. Janis has a Masters of Science degree in Accounting from Oklahoma State University. She is a Certified Public Accountant and is Vice President-Financial Services at a real estate development company. Janis is actively involved in the community through her membership in the Foster City Lions Club. Janis is a Past President of the Lions Club and is currently serving on the Board of Directors. She received the Lion of the Year award for outstanding service to the Club and the community. Janis would like for more people to experience the enjoyment of attending the Hillbarn Theatre.

Christine Krolik is a Vice-Mayor for the Town of Hillsborough. She recently served as Finance Director for CA State Senator Jackie Speier's campaign for Lieutenant Governor, then as Senator Speier's District Director. Previously, Ms. Krolik co-chaired the 2002 Measure B Bond campaign for the  Town of Hillsborough, and was co-chair of Hillsborough Concours, a fund-raising organization for the Hillsborough City School District. Prior to that, Ms. Krolik worked in professional theatre as an actor, director and producer in San Francisco and New York City. She holds a BA in English and Theatre Arts from Arcadia University, and is a graduate of the conservatory at Circle-in-the-Square School of the Theatre.

Mary Moore has been a working actor in the bay area for the last fifteen years.  Her acting credits include principal roles in television programs, television commercials, voiceover, corporate films and a variety of special projects.  Professional affiliations include: The Screen Actors Guild, The American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, Theatre Bay Area and Theatre Communications Group.  Ms. Moore supports community theatre throughout the Bay Area by performing in plays, musicals, concerts and fundraisers.  She has worked and volunteered as an acting instructor with Full Circle Productions and the Aftra Conservatory in San Francisco.  Mary has a Bachelor of Arts in Linguistics from California State University at Fullerton and a Masters Degree in Counseling Psychology from Our Lady of the Lake University in Texas.  She and her husband of twenty years live in Burlingame.

Frank Niccoli has been a landscape contractor since 1979.  He studied Horticulture at Cal-Poly, San Luis Obispo and at the College of San Mateo.  He is the Director of Resource Management for the California Landscape Contractor’s Association, is on the Board of Directors for the Association of Professional Landscape Designers and is an adjunct instructor of Horticulture at Foothill College.  He wrote the curriculum and teaches a 33-week course in Integrated Pest Management at Foothill College and he teaches 11 week courses in the following subjects: Turf Management, California Natives, Plant Material, and Landscape Lighting.  He also has taught unlicensed operators pro bono for 7 months on how they can study for and pass the contractors licensing test.  His company manages large estates using IPM strategies.  He is a published author of many articles on horticulture and is a published poet.  His many speaking engagements include Gamble Garden Center, Common Ground in Palo Alto, The San Francisco Symphony Fundraiser, The San Francisco Flower and Garden Show, The California Native Plants Society, Strybing Arboretum, and many gardens clubs in the area..  His passion is managing landscapes using integrated pest management system and sustainable practices of landscaping.

Ronnie Rosen is a native Californian and Foster City resident for 31 years.  1n 1976, she was one of the first women volunteer firefighters for the Foster City Fire Department.  She has been active in many volunteer efforts throughout the Peninsula and has appeared on stage at Hillbarn Theatre.  Ronnie Rosen’s latest volunteer effort involves the rescue of ex-racing greyhounds through the Golden Gate Greyhound Adoption group here in the Bay Area.  Ronnie is president of Rosen & Company, a construction management company.

Jack Tawasha began his involvement with Hillbarn theatre in 2005 through his daughter’s participation as a budding actress.  Jack is a Vice President-Investments at a national securities firm in San Francisco and manages investment portfolios of high net worth families and individuals.  With baseball as a “true love,” Jack is a former high school coach and began the Tawasha Baseball Academy which has seen over 140 players, ages 8-20, involved from the entire Bay Area.  He has also served on the board of the Burlingame AYSO (American Youth Soccer Organization) and along with his wife, Maria, and their children, Joseph and Isabella, have live in Burlingame.

LeighAnn Weiland, Vice-President, is a Patent Attorney at Hewlett-Packard Company supporting HP's Global Alliances group. Prior to her time with HP, Ms. Weiland was General Counsel to VidaMed, Inc, a subsidiary of Medtronic Corp. and Chief Patent Counsel to NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Ms. Weiland is active in Foster City Rotary and is a Paul Harris Fellow within Rotary International. She is a past president of the National Contract Management Association. Ms. Weiland holds degrees in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from Loyola University, Los Angeles; Philosophy from California State Polytechnic University; and Law from University of LaVerne. She is a member of the State Bar of California and is licensed to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.


Staff

Joe Duffy, Associate Artistic Diretor, brings 25 plus years of performing arts and production experience to our team on over 100 productions having started in the business as a print and runway model, continuing on into Commericials and Television. He choreographed Grand Hotel for Hillbarn and was recently hired as Associate Artistic Director/ Resident Choreographer. After years of training and work in NYC, East Coast, Canada and Europe, he now calls the Bay Area home. He served as Assistant Director/ Choreographer on Gershwin: Of Thee I Sing/ Let 'Em Eat Cake and Stravinsky's Le Rossignol for Director Patricia Birch and Music Director Michael Tilson Thomas and was Playright/Director on Deck the Hall, the 25th Anniversary all for San Francisco Symphony at Davies Symphony Hall. He worked on the Broadway National Tour of PARADE for director Harold Prince and composer Jason Robert Brown and Choreographed the Off-Bway productions of I Got Merman with Japanese Director Amon Miyamoto and Sacramento! 50 Miles for New York's Children's Music Workshop. Other National credits include: Babes in Toyland, Gypsy and Square Eyes to name a few. Internationally, he has directed in Europe for RTL television and live events for several venues and productions including the long running production of GREASE where he was Dance Supervisor and Swing for 11 roles (700+ performances!) and was a featured vocalist at The Pablo Casals Music Festival in Puerto Rico.. His work also was seen on PBS from The Kennedy Center in the late eighties and early nineties, where he worked with Fred Waring and Shawnee Press Inc. For The Prince Music Theatre in Philadelphia, he served as Associate Choreographer on The Snow Queen and Candide (Barrymore Nominations). Regionally, he choreographed Sweeney Todd for which he received the Dean Goodman Choice Award and a BATCC Nomination for Best Choreography, Gershwin, by George! (Delaware Opera). In the spring, he will stage The Music Man here and Pippin for Foothill Music Theatre.  He is on Faculty with our Theatre Conservatory where he wrote and directed Spellbound! and set direction and choreography for School House Rock!, LIVE.  He has freelanced with many Bay Area schools and theatre companies including 11 productions at AMTSJ since 2001 and many area audiences may remember his critically acclaimed performances as the Emcee in TOSPS and BBBay's productions of CABARET.  He is a proud member of The Actors' Equity Association, the union for professional actors and stage managers.

Stephen D. Maddox, Interim Managing Director & Development Director, has over thirty years of experience in the nonprofit sector. Stephen's educational background includes Texas Tech University and continuing edification from Loyola University (Chicago) and locally from Foothill and De Anza Colleges. His volunteer experience led to professional growth in fundraising that has encompassed all aspects from direct mail, volunteer recruitment / management, and event planning to capital campaign management, foundation and corporate granting, and planned giving. He was associated with the Linus Pauling Institute of Science and Medicine for eleven years and worked with Peninsula Civic Light Opera (now Broadway by the Bay) as Development Director, Saratoga Drama Group, the International Enneagram Association as Executive Director, and with Lubbock Community Theatre. Stephen volunteers as Team Manager for the San Francisco Fog Rugby Football Club and volunteers his fundraising skills on an as needed basis with nonprofits.

Toni Tomei, Artistic Director, studied theatre in New York at The Neighborhood Playhouse School of theatre and at the H. B. Studio.  In Los Angels, she was a member of the esteemed theatre company, The Colony, where she was seen in the World Premiere of a musical adaptation of Ray Bradbury’s Dandelion Wine.  She has performed in New York and Los Angeles and has numerous performance, stage managing, design and directing credits on the San Francisco Peninsula.  She has received a S. F. Bay Area Drama Logue Award for her performance as Madame Rose in Gypsy at Peninsula Center Stage and her Hillbarn production of Dracula garnered three Dean Goodman awards for direction, lighting and scenic design.  Toni has also received Hillbarn Subscriber Choice awards for her performance as Dolly Levi in Hello, Dolly!, and for her direction on Rumors.  Toni has produced over 25 productions for Hillbarn Theatre.  Of those, she has directed several Subscriber Night Celebrations, and the productions of 1776, Forever Plaid, Dracula, Anastasia, and The Foreigner.