Staff

INTRODUCING OUR STAFF . . .

The Garfield Center for the Arts at the Prince Theatre has six paid staff positions – three full-time and three part-time.  This team is responsible for providing the organizational infrastructure required to run the theatre and to support all program initiatives.  It also supports the Board of Trustees and manages the cadre of actors and program volunteers whose contributions make the center what it is today.

L to R: Lucia Foster, Butch Clark, Sam Howell and Liz Gross

LUCIA FOSTER, Producing Artistic Director, is the educational and artistic director.  She joined the Garfield Center in 2006 as the artistic director and became the executive director in 2010.  Other roles include producing, education, fundraising, communications and marketing, and community relations.  A resident of Kent County since 2001, Lucia has also taught at the high school level, acted in numerous productions and directed many others.  She is a Lecturer in Drama at Washington College.  She has been involved with theater, youth and community development for most of her adult life and has been on stage since early childhood.  Prior to moving to Kent County, Lucia served as a High School Drama Teacher in Santiago, Chile; Co-Manager of a creative Theatre for Development project in The Gambia, West Africa; and Co-Founder, Designer and Manager of the Girls’ Theater Project and the Creative Literacy Program at the Grant Street Settlement House on New York City’s Lower East Side.  Born in Durham, North Carolina, Lucia was raised in Washington, DC and Bangkok, Thailand and is a high school graduate of the International School of Bangkok.  Fluent in Spanish and conversationally competent in Thai, she holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill and a Master of Arts degree in Theatre for Development, King Alfred’s College, Winchester, England.  Email: lfoster@garfieldcenter.org

KATHRYN BURSICK, Managing Director, is the chief administrative officer.  Her key roles include financial management and general administration, as well as supporting the Board of Trustees, fundraising, communications and marketing, community relations, and facilities and personnel management.  A resident of Kent County since 2007, she most recently served as the Assistant Director of the Rose O’Neill Literary House at Washington College, where she coordinated literary events and cultural programming for the student body and Chestertown community and served as the assistant editor of the Literary House Press.  She was a founder of the Chestertown Book Festival and served as its board president in 2009 and 2010.  She holds Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts degrees in English literature from Franklin & Marshall College and Washington College.  Email:  kbursick@garfieldcenter.org

SAM HOWELL, Theatre Manager and Volunteer Coordinator, is responsible for keeping the theatre running smoothly.  This includes preparing for and managing the logistics associated with every event.  She recruits, trains and schedules volunteers, both at the theatre and off-site as needed, such as the Chestertown Farmers Market.  As a member of the marketing committee, she also handles publicity, press releases and email blasts.  Sam serves as an off-site educator with our after school drama program at the Kent County Schools and is an on-site educator with Playmakers’ Summer Camp, focusing on set design, construction and digital design.   A native of Kent County and graduate of Kent County High School, Sam holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Illustration from the Pennsylvania College of Art and Design.  Email: showell@garfieldcenter.org

LIZ GROSS, Financial Specialist, functions as chief financial officer.  She handles the accounts, ensures that funds are deposited and that bills are paid in a timely fashion.  She also reconciles bank accounts, prepares and sends invoices, prepares financial reports, monitors the use of grant and contract funds, and monitors income and expenses in relation to the annual approved budget.  She also coordinates the audit and provides office management support.   A Canadian, who has lived in the United States for the past twenty years, Liz moved to Chestertown from Baltimore in 1999.  She is a retired oceanographer with a long career in management with an international research organization.  In addition to her work at the Garfield Center, Liz owns and operates E&G Associates, a financial management consultancy and is also treasurer of the National Music Festival.  She and her husband, Grant, have a merged family of five children and many grandchildren. Email: lgross@garfieldcenter.org

ANDY GODDARD, Event Coordinator, is responsible for coordinating theatre rentals, concession management, and facilitating special events. She is a Washington College graduate and long-time proprietor of the now defunct Andy’s, a favorite Chestertown restaurant, bar, and music venue.  Little known fact: she spent several years in Baltimore managing a pawn shop on ‘The Block’ prior to returning to the Eastern Shore in 1987 and opening Andy’s.  She currently divides her time between the Garfield Center, promoting several regional bands, and all things local.  Email: agoddard@garfieldcenter.org

BUTCH CLARK, Technical Director, is the man behind the curtain at every production.  In addition to designing and running sound and lights, he builds most of the sets used in the theatre. And he does all of this while holding down a full time job with the US postal service and volunteering for many other productions, concerts and public events held across his home county.   Honored as the Chestertown Tea Party Grand Marshall in 2011, Butch also made his stage debut to a delighted audience at the 2011 Women Helping Women fundraiser.  Here’s a secret not many people know – approximately 95% of the lighting and equipment used in the theatre is on loan from Butch Clark!

Staff Only