Board of Trustees: Get Involved!
Trustees play an active role in shaping the theater’s direction by providing governance and support. Trustees spend an average 8-10 hours a month addressing the non-profit management of the institution. Trustees also provide direct support to the theater through fundraising and participation on committees. We are always looking for individuals with a passion for performing arts, and we welcome applicants of all backgrounds and abilities. We are currently seeking expertise and experience in accounting or finance, law and policy, human resources, diversity and inclusion, architecture and/or construction, theater technology/equipment, fundraising, and non-profit management.
Interested in joining the Board of Trustees?
If you are interested in joining this dynamic group of community volunteers and helping Puppet Showplace Theater achieve its mission, learn more here or reach out to board@puppetshowplace.org.
About the Board
Puppet Showplace, Inc. is a not-for-profit corporation as defined by Chapter 501(c)(3) of the United States Internal Revenue Code. As a nonprofit, the theater is governed by a volunteer board of trustees who are empowered by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to act as fiduciary stewards of the organization.
JOHN LECHNER, President
Needham, MA — John is an author, illustrator, designer, animator and puppeteer. A graduate of Carnegie Mellon University, he has worked at the children’s media company FableVision since its inception, creating educational films, games, and websites. He has also written and illustrated four books for children, including A Froggy Fable and Sticky Burr. As a puppeteer, John has performed at the Puppet Showplace Slam, as well as other venues across the region. He is also the longtime president and newsletter editor for The Boston Area Guild of Puppetry.
AMY WEST, VICE PRESIDENT
Roslindale, MA — After nearly two decades as a communications manager in the nonprofit, government, and academic sectors, Amy is currently a freelance theater professional, puppeteer, nonprofit consultant, and seller of vintage items and collectibles. She performs at puppet slams nationwide, including the Puppet Showplace Slam, Puppets Come Home! (Coney Island USA), Puppetzilla (Los Angeles), Shadows Across the Globe (San Diego), the Wham Bam Puppet Slam (Asheville NC) and Virtual Puppet Con (Puppeteers of America Northeast Region). She is also a puppet designer (most recently for Fresh Ink Theatre) and is a member of the Puppeteers of America, UNIMA-USA, and the Boston Area Guild of Puppetry. She earned a Graduate Certificate in Puppet Arts from UCONN; an MA in Mass Communication from Emerson College; and a BA in English from SUNY Geneseo.
RACHEL ROCCOBERTON, Treasurer
Arlington, MA — Throughout her career, Rachel has danced many parts including administrative assistant at a burgeoning community arts center, ballet/jazz/modern teacher for children and adults in under-served communities, community theater choreographer and director, coordinator of children’s performing arts programs, puppet choreographer, show producer, program developer, technician and stage manager, fundraiser, volunteer fairy, and passionate performing arts advocate. Utilizing these experiences to produce events that draw people together, capturing the imagination, and creating empathy for shared experiences, her work elevates those who are not always considered “dancers” and stories that are not always seen in movement. It is her fervent belief that the arts can change people and communities by drawing us closer together through shared experiences.
Elizabeth Ascoli, CLERK
Brookline, MA — Elizabeth is currently the Executive Director of the Brookline Education Foundation. She has a background in education, and taught middle school English and Social Studies in New York City. After graduating from Haverford College, Elizabeth thought she wanted to work in the arts, and interned at a few theater companies in New York. She is thrilled to join the Puppet Showplace Theater's Board of Trustees, which she feels is a great coming together of two of her passions—the arts and education. She's also had a lifelong obsession with the Muppet Show and the muppets on Sesame Street.
Ursula August
Newton, MA — Ursula's two young children attend puppet shows weekly and are burgeoning puppeteers! Ursula holds a M.Sc. in urban studies and planning, with a focus on community building through culture and art, from MIT. She also holds a M.Ed from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, with a focus on storytelling, media and art in pedagogical and andragogical educational settings. Ursula’s passion for education extends into public health, and she has been developing media literacy curriculums, instructions, and tools for the City of Boston for the last 13 years. She currently works as a Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at an independent school in Newton.
Sam Hickson
Dorchester, MA - Originally from Maine, Sam moved to Boston in 2019 and currently works for GenUnity, a nonprofit that brings residents together across difference to build trust, collective knowledge, and power to drive change on the issues most impacting our communities. He earned a BA in Hispanic Studies and Theater & Dance Studies from Wheaton College, MA, where his capstone project was a 20-minute puppetry and clowning performance. After graduating, he taught English in Brazil on a Fulbright scholarship at the State University of Southern Maranhao (UEMASUL), where he also directed students in an adaptation of Eugene Ionesco's The Rhinoceros including cardboard puppets. Since then, he has worked for Bread & Puppet Theater, ImprovBoston, Kidstock! Creative Theater, Hill House Inc., Northeastern University, and the Massachusetts Alliance of Portuguese Speakers (MAPS). His professional background is in nonprofit development and fundraising.
Neda Izadi
Neda Izadi, born in Tehran, Iran, is a puppeteer, puppet fabricator, director, playwright, and art educator. She earned her BFA in Puppetry from Sooreh University in 2010 and her MFA in Puppetry from the University of Connecticut in 2020. Neda has collaborated with numerous artists, bringing a unique blend of creativity and expertise to her work. Her projects have spanned various cultural contexts, enriching the global puppetry and theater scene. Neda has taught a wide range of workshops and courses in puppetry, theater, and visual arts, inspiring and mentoring young artists to explore and develop their own artistic voices. In addition to her artistic and educational endeavors, Neda is a passionate human rights advocate. She uses her platform to promote social justice, working to amplify marginalized voices and encourage positive change through the arts.
Jim Kiely
Medford MA — Jim has worked in life sciences for nearly 25 years, and he currently serves as a senior director at a Boston-area oncology company. Earlier in life he worked in public-service nonprofit management, which included positions in the children’s division of the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health, at the Boston AIDS Consortium of the Harvard School of Public Health, and at Boston Urban Gardeners. With his husband Marc, Jim also owns and operates Arlington’s 13FOREST Gallery, which features the work of over 100 Boston-area and New England artists. Jim’s academic background is in art history and philosophy, and he has studied landscape architecture at the Harvard Landscape Institute (now part of the Boston Architectural College). He has been fascinated by and has made puppets since he was a child. Suspension of disbelief, the simplicity of well-crafted materials, and the allure of a good story are what draws him to puppet performances. In the end, Jim believes, Puppet Showplace Theater is an organization that unites communities, celebrates humanity and appeals to everyone’s need to visit the sphere of sheer imagination.
Amber Lara
Chicago, IL — Amber is a young professional living in Chicago, IL. They are a lover of music, women’s basketball, books, and passionate about connecting individuals. Amber was first introduced to puppets through PBS’s children programming and is excited to support the art space as more than a patron. In their free time Amber enjoys traveling, coaching youth basketball, and learning Spanish.
Verónica Rodriguez-Ballesteros
Newton, MA — For this native of Madrid, Spain, Theatre and Education are the two passions of her life. Verónica has taught theatre, languages and literatures at Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Harvard University, and Boston University, where she is currently a Senior Lecturer. She holds two BA degrees from Universidad Complutense de Madrid (in English Philology magna cum laude, and in Comparative Literature), and an MA in Theatre and Cultural Studies. For her PhD studies in History and Theory of Drama at Complutense University, Verónica specialized in the theatre of Anton Chekhov. Instead of a dissertation, she wrote a theatre play, Chekhov in the Garden, which became a finalist in the prestigious Spanish playwriting prize Born, and was premiered at the prominent Teatro Español de Madrid in 2008. Apart from theatre and education, this madrileña loves learning languages, and learning about absolutely everything, from neuroscience to puppetry!
Sarah Sonnenfeld
Brookline, MA — Even though her two small children are (still) mostly terrified, Sarah Sonnenfeld is captivated by the creativity, artistic depth, and sense of wonder from visiting the Puppet Theater Showplace. Sarah has been a consultant and business owner and currently works at Flagship Pioneering. She holds a BA from Harvard and an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth and is proud to have sat on non-profit boards including Hebrew College, a 100 year old educational institution and rabbinical school in Boston, and Natan, a giving circle supporting Jewish and Israeli social innovation.
Julia Swanwick
Stoughton, MA — Julia is an arts enthusiast, Human Resources executive, advisor, and angel investor. She previously served on two non-profit boards, Burbank Community Theatre (Founder and President) and Musicians at Play (Founding Secretary). She has earned a Bachelor's degree in Marketing Communications from Emerson College in Boston, Master's degree in Business Administration from the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, and a Graduate Certificate in Executive Coaching from William James College in Newton. Julia and her two kids make puppets out of all sorts of materials and put on shows at home. She is thrilled to support the Puppet Showplace Theater so that it may continue to bring joy, wonder and inspiration to people of all ages.
Nigel Tamton
Jamaica Plain, MA — Nigel is the father of two nascent puppetry aficionados who make a weekend trip to the Puppet Showplace Theater as often as their parents will let them. In his spare time, Nigel is an attorney specializing in complex civil litigation matters for a wide range of clients, including in the healthcare, technology, financial services and insurance industries. Nigel also has an active pro bono practice that focuses on wrongful conviction and asylum cases. Nigel previously worked as a studio musician and as a kindergarten teacher, but was not particularly good at either of those jobs. He is a New York native and a graduate of Boston University and Columbia Law School.
Chikae Yamatin
Brookline, MA — Chikae is a high school math educator who has taught in the Boston Public Schools, as well as in international schools overseas. She loves solving escape rooms with her family and has visited escape rooms all over the world! She has a Bachelor’s degree with a double major in Philosophy and Mathematics from Wesleyan University and a Master’s in Education from UMass Boston. From the Puppet Playtimes to the vacation camps to the amazing shows, both of Chikae’s children love the fantastic offerings from the Puppet Showplace Theater.
Paul Vincent Davis, Trustee Emeritus
Brookline, MA — Paul Vincent Davis is widely recognized as one of the foremost hand puppeteers in the country. In addition to performing, Paul has taught puppetry at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and Boston Museum of Fine Arts. And for seven years he served as a faculty member and on the Board of Overseers for the Institute of Professional Puppetry Arts at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre Center.
