President

Jim is a captain for Southwest Airlines and has been with the airline for 21 years. He received a B.S. in Aerospace Engineering from UCLA and was commissioned in the United States Navy through ROTC. During his 12 years in the Navy, Jim deployed to the Western Pacific, Indian Ocean, and the Persian Gulf.  He also received a master's in Aeronautical Engineering, graduated from the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School, and served the last four years as a developmental test pilot before transitioning to the airline industry. Jim is an avid piano and guitar player and has played guitar or bass in the pit orchestra for CFTC since 2018. His initial involvement with CFTC was through his two sons, who performed in four summer musicals. He and his wife, Suzanne, have worked behind the scenes in everything from set builds and strikes to ushering and concessions and nowadays have taken on show production. 

Artistic Director

Amanda is thrilled to lead the City of Fairfax Theatre Company as its Artistic Director after being involved in productions for the past few years. Amanda is a director, performer, and producer and holds a BA in Theatre and Dance from James Madison University. Directing credits include CFTC: Beauty and the Beast (WATCH nomination), The Importance of Being Earnest; NextStop Theatre: The Giver; DC 1 Minute Play Festival; Forum Theatre: Color Lines (Young Playwright's Theatre 20th Anniversary Festival), The Shipment (Asst. Dir.); James Madison University: Awake and Sing!, They're Playing Our Song. Recent performance credits include: CFTC Cabarets, Martha in Heathers (Dominion Stage).  In her non-theatre life, Amanda works in Development at George Mason University's College of Visual and Performing Arts. 

Producing Director

Jasmine is SO thrilled to join the fabulous company of CFTC as their new Producing Director! Last year, she embarked on a journey to dedicate more of her time and talents to the amazing theatre community that has brought her so much fulfillment, love, and joy since 2015, and she is so incredibly excited to apply the skills she has acquired since then to support this wonderful organization! She is so grateful to the CFTC Board for this opportunity, to her stellar circle of friends for believing in her when she considered applying, to TAP for the administrative experience and support that gave her the confidence to believe in herself, and to God for continually presenting new ways for her to give back to something she loves so much – the performing arts. Jasmine spends her workdays at the Encanto immersive experience in Tysons, but in her down time, you’ll catch her at karaoke (any and everywhere), finding ways to advocate for historically underrepresented communities, or supporting our incredible theatre community in all its wonderful forms.

Vice President

Renee is the Director of Policy Communication and Outreach at the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy.  In this role, she oversees nationwide public awareness and education campaigns to increase workplace success for people with disabilities. She is a graduate of the University of Florida where she earned a Master of Arts in Mass Communication with a specialization in Public Relations. Renee was heavily involved in athletics, music and theater when growing up and thoroughly enjoys parenting two boys with deep interests in these areas.  She has served as a baseball coach and Fairfax Little League board member and is thrilled to now be a part of CFTC.  She has witnessed this mighty theater company connect people of all ages, including her son Noah, and looks forward to helping CFTC continue to creatively expand while showcasing Northern Virginia’s finest talents!

Secretary

Stacey is the proud Founder and CEO of C4 Performing Arts in Fairfax, VA. She is a passionate and dedicated performing artist, arts educator, and arts advocate. Stacey studied at the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in New York, earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Theater and Dance from James Madison University, and a Master of Fine Arts degree from The George Washington University. As a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated, Stacey always seeks opportunities to serve in her community by constantly working with her students to not only fill them with a love and appreciation for the arts but to  cultivate in them a strong sense of family and social responsibility as well as empower them to become the leaders of tomorrow. Stacey, a long-time supporter of CFTC is thrilled to be a new member of the CFTC Advisory Board and is grateful for yet another opportunity to harness the transformative power of the arts to make a positive impact and change in the world!​

Wendy Basinger is proud to serve on the Board of Directors of CFTC, having watched her oldest daughter sing, dance, and flip her way across the stage in several CFTC productions. Wendy holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in music performance (piano) from James Madison University and has taught private piano lessons and group piano classes for over twenty years. As parents of a child with Down syndrome, she and her husband are passionate about advocating for people with disabilities and spend much of their non-CFTC time joyfully volunteering with Challenger baseball and Special Olympics. Her greatest productions to date are her four amazing children.

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) Chair

Silke, who often goes by “Marisela” (her middle name), was miscast as Herodius in The Glory of Christmas at the age of twelve. Despite this unfortunate formative experience, her interest in live theatre was ignited. Fast forward several decades, Marisela and her husband, David, lead a play reading group at the New York Avenue Presbyterian Church in Washington DC. In addition to working on her first play about the cultural revolutionary, Walter Rodney, Marisela has written a children’s book. Pick Me! is about a doodle whose self-confidence begins to corrode when he is repeatedly rejected for adoption. Marisela also occasionally dabbles in poetry. Her haiku about the reopening of the de Young Museum was the winner of the San Francisco Examiner’s  haiku competition. Marisela is the Director of the Office of Compliance Initiatives at the U.S. Department of Labor and a graduate of Rutgers College and Cornell University. She is the proud mother of two boys, Dax and Kai, and two dogs, Quib and Dusty. Marisela and her family live in West Springfield, VA.

House Operations Chair

Lori has been working in Fairfax County Public Schools for 25 years. She is a graduate of Towson University and earned her Masters of Education with an emphasis in Instructional Technology from George Mason University. She started her career as a 4th and 5th grade teacher, and has been working for the past 18 years as the Science Tech Resource Teacher at Daniels Run Elementary School located in the City of Fairfax. Ever since her daughter Samantha was cast in CFTC’s musical “Hairspray,” she has seen first-hand the amazing CFTC productions and is thrilled to be more involved in the organization. When she’s not working at Daniels Run, driving her two children to all their activities or volunteering with CFTC, she likes to play soccer, spend time with her husband, and try to tire-out her Vizsla, Rooney.

Marketing Chair

Rebecca is an art director in her Real Life, and has a background in scenic art and design for Florida's theme parks. Originally from the Great White North (aka Canada), Rebecca graduated with a B.F.A. in Film Production from Toronto Metropolitan University. She also holds an A.S. in Entertainment Design and Technology from Valencia College in the Great Muggy South (aka Florida). She is passionate about theatre, epic fantasy films, mac and cheese, her beloved dogs, her equally theatre-obsessed husband Adam, and her soon-to-be theatre-obsessed son Levi.

At Large

Sharon Kim Petersen (prior President, prior Chairman) is the Managing Partner for Chap Petersen & Associates, PLLC. The firm's primary area of practice is litigation. She pulls a giant lever to turn the gears of the machinery on and keeps the hinges oiled. Prior to this venture with her business partner husband, she practiced elder law and estate planning for over 10 years. A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania (BA) and the American University Washington College of Law (JD), she tries to carve out time to write, make music, and perform while helping her four+ children navigate the beginnings of life and her parents navigate the difficulties of aging and disability. She is also an Independent Consultant with Arbonne International where she finds much satisfaction in connecting people and finding solutions for a healthy lifestyle. When she gets the chance, Sharon's other love is playing violin and grooving with GMU's pep band, Doc Nix and the Green Machine. She firmly believes that children of all ages and at heart, can feel valued and experience healing when they are able to express themselves through the arts.

Volunteer Chair

Dr. Russo moved to the City of Fairfax in 2016 and was inspired to join CFTC’s Board as Volunteer Chair after performing in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat in 2017. She and her family participate in numerous productions throughout the year, including the summer musical and CFTC camps. Her passion for the arts began during her childhood, where she performed extensively in dance, figure skating and piano.  While in college, she performed and traveled with The Dartmouth Glee Club and her a cappella group.  In 2019, she was appointed to the City of Fairfax Commission on the Arts. She is committed to increasing the presence of performing arts within the city. Dr. Russo is also an endodontist in private practice in Burke, VA, and holds a doctorate from the University of Connecticut School of Dental Medicine and a Master’s degree from the University of Maryland – Baltimore.

Janice is the president and founder of Lend A Box, which provides environmentally friendly concierge moving and storage solutions to clients in the greater Washington, D.C. area.  Together with co-founder Stephanie Zimmermann, Ms. Gambaccini has created a thriving company in a niche market that did not previously exist on the east coast, achieving 70% growth year over year and growing the Lend A Box team to over 30 employees.  She began that role in August of 2011. Prior to Lend A Box, Ms. Gambaccini practiced law for ten years in Washington, D.C. and Cleveland, Ohio, with a focus on health care and employee benefits.  Ms. Gambaccini is committed to supporting the local community through the promotion of the arts and through her company, which supports local food banks, disaster relief, and shelters.  She received her BA from the University of Virginia and her JD from the George Washington University School of Law.

Remeja Murray was born and raised in New Haven, CT and graduated from Boston College with a BA in Psychology and a minor in African American Studies. She also has a Masters in Business Administration from the University of Phoenix and a certification in Human Resource Management from NVCC. Remeja currently works as a Human Resources Business Manager for VITAS Healthcare Corporation and also owns a small business called SewDiva where she designs custom clothing, does alterations, and conducts private sewing lessons. Remeja co-founded the People's Performance Company at Boston College and is a member of the Creative and Performing Arts Company of Prince William County where she has served as the costume designer for the past ten years and an advisory board member for two years, designing the costumes for The Wiz, Black Nativity, and Raisin in the Sun. Ms. Murray recently was the costume designer for CFTC's production of Clybourne Park. Her hobbies include sewing, interior decorating, reading, exercising, line dancing, mentoring, acting, volunteering and serving others and is a proud mother of two, Brendan and Brianna and an American pit bull named Dior.

​Mindy is a children's media professional, with over 17 years of experience, both in front of and behind the scenes of audio entertainment. Since 2001, she has been the host of the Gracie Award-Winning Absolutely Mindy Show on SiriusXM’s Kids Place Live. Spending over a decade serving as the channel’s Program Director, she was responsible for programming initiatives, promotions, and live events. In early 2017, she co-founded Tinkercast, a company specializing in quality audio entertainment for kids and families. Through Tinkercast, she co-created and co-hosts the top rated kids and family podcast, Wow in the World, which is distributed by NPR. Mindy has a B.A. from the University of South Florida.

Leslie Woods began her career in public policy advocacy and served the Presbyterian Church (USA) for ten years as the Representative for Domestic Poverty and Environmental Issues. She holds a Bachelor of Arts from Randolph-Macon College and a Master of Arts in Religion from Yale Divinity School. Growing up, Leslie was a “theater kid” and never really grew out of it. She came to volunteer with CFTC because her son got involved in the summer performance camp in 2019. For 5 years, he has been doing shows with CFTC, both during the regular season and summer camp. Joining the Advisory Board seemed a great way to support this organization that has been pivotal in building my child’s confidence and giving him a community of accepting adults and kids.

Administrative Assistant

Kate has lived in Fairfax City her entire life, and she spent much of her childhood involved in local arts organizations. Before taking on her new role amongst the CFTC team, she had already helped with the production of several of their past performances, although her assistance was mostly behind-the-scenes. Now a college graduate, she continues to work behind-the-scenes to make sure that CFTC can continue to provide our Fairfax community with deeply meaningful theatre opportunities and experiences. 

Director of Education

Sierra has been working with CFTC since she was 11 years old as a camper, actor, designer, camp counselor, teaching artist, director, and is proud to now serve as CFTC's Director of Education. Outside of CFTC, she is the theatre arts teacher and director at Franklin Middle School. Sierra holds a degree in Theatre Education from Ball State University. Her favorite CFTC credits include: Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer (Director), Christmas Carol (Mrs. Cratchit, Costume Designer), and Annie Get Your Gun (Children's Ensemble- her first show ever!)

Marketing Manager

Kat (they/them) is a DMV transplant from Cleveland, Ohio who has been working with CFTC since Fall of 2022. When not working alongside Rebecca on marketing CFTC shows and programs, they’re surrounded by Girl Scout cookies for their Day Job. While they’ve enjoyed being on stage in the past, their real passion lies behind the scenes working on costumes and sets and spreading the word about the value of live, community theatre. They also boast the title of #1 fan of their rescue cat, Basil. Non-theatre passions include their yearly reading goals, Dungeons and Dragons, singing loudly in the car, and disability advocacy.

They hold B.As in Political Science and International Relations from Kent State University and attended Goldsmiths University of London where they pursued an M.A in Human Rights, Culture and Social Justice.