Staff and Board

Rebecca Catelinet is a native of Johnstown PA and has been the Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Rural Arts Alliance since November 2009.  She earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Clarinet Performance and a Master’s Degree in Music Education from Carnegie Mellon University and taught music for several years in the Johnstown and Pittsburgh Public Schools.

She has spent most of her career working with non-profit organizations. Her work history includes positions at the Johnstown Area Heritage Association, Laurel Arts in Somerset, Arcadia Theater in Windber, the Keystone Chapter of the American Red Cross and the Johnstown Free Medical Clinic. She has created and managed a variety of arts presenting and education programs and is a strong advocate for the arts in this region.

She has 2 sons – Philip who is a senior systems analyst at a law firm in New York City and Michael who is a mechanical engineer working in Baltimore MD. Both of them are also musicians, each playing with a community orchestra. Becky continues her involvement with music as a member of several community bands in the area and teaching private clarinet lessons. She has recently retired from her position in the clarinet section of the Johnstown Symphony Orchestra after 45 years.

Lindsay Anne Herring is a creative journalist, folklorist, and programmer. Her work focuses on the intersections of dining, exhibitions, performance, food justice, and social movements. She has a Masters of Arts in Food Studies from Chatham University and a Bachelor of Arts in Musical Theatre and Dance from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Lindsay grew up in Creekside, PA, and now lives in Pittsburgh with her partner, Devin and dog, Banjo.

Rick Bryant is the executive director of the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts.

Rick joined the paid staff of the CPFA as its director of visual arts in 1999, though his involvement with the Festival dates back to 1984, when he first volunteered on the Trash Crew. Rick was named Executive Director of the CPFA in 2005.

Born in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania, before the county hospital moved to State College, Rick attended public schools in State College, and afterward the University of Virginia, where he earned a bachelor’s degree from the School of Architecture in 1979.

After college he toiled away in the insurance business and pursued professional education, earning a Chartered Property and Casualty Underwriter designation in 1986. He completed the Pennsylvania Rural-Urban Leadership Program in 2013.

In addition to serving as a long-time Festival volunteer, he has volunteered for many community organizations. He has served on many committees and boards including the board of the Art Alliance of Central Pennsylvania, the State College Board of Health, the Board of Deacons of State College Presbyterian Church, the Community Advisory Board for Penn State’s Center for the Performing Arts, and the State College Historic Resources Commission. He currently serves as the chair of the State College Design Review Board and as the Board President of the Pennsylvania Rural Arts Alliance.

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Teresa Baughman has worked in the performing arts industry for 26 years at The Palace Theatre in Greensburg, PA, a 1369-seat historic venue owned and managed by Westmoreland Cultural Trust.  As Director of Operations & Programming, she books national touring shows for the Trust and coordinates  100+ rentals each year with outside promoters (Live Nation, Elko Concerts, Latshaw Productions, Drusky Entertainment, etc.) and regional organizations (including Westmoreland Symphony Orchestra, River City Brass, Stage Right, Laurel Ballet).  She oversees box office, marketing, technical and custodial personnel.  Prior to assuming responsibilities in programming (2007) and operations (2013), she held positions as Marketing Manager, House Manager and Ticketing Representative.

Teresa holds a degree in Journalism from Duquesne University and studied Musical Theatre at (then) Point Park College, during which time she worked in the Pittsburgh Playhouse Box Office in Oakland.  Prior to entering the entertainment industry, she worked in radio for stations in Greensburg and Johnstown.

She currently serves as Secretary on the Board of Directors of ConsERT (Consortium of Eastern Regional Theatres), and served six years on the Board of Directors of Pennsylvania Presenters (including two years as Secretary).  Teresa has served actively on the Board of Directors of Greensburg Civic Theatre for 30 years (including past terms as President and Secretary), and formerly served as a Board member for Westmoreland Arts & Heritage Festival where she chaired the Entertainment Committee for several years.

Professionally on the local level, she is active with Laurel Highlands Visitors Bureau, Westmoreland County Chamber of Commerce, and Westmoreland Heritage.

A native of Westmoreland County, PA, Mary Briggs returned to the area in 2013 from Arlington, Virginia where she worked as an artist, a fiddler, and an arts manager at Arlington Cultural Affairs. Beginning at Arlington Cultural Affairs in 1989, she managed services to artists, developed programs to support folk and traditional arts for Arlington’s diverse population, and created projects that reflected history, culture, and the evolution of local communities. After moving to Pennsylvania, she worked for Folk Arts, PA, then an office under the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, and was on the faculty at Goucher College in Towson, MD as an adjunct lecturer before joining forces with Jen Costello to create You Are Here: a place for art in Jeannette, PA, now in its fifth year.

Dr. David Ferguson is the Assistant Dean in the College of Fine Arts at Indiana University of Pennsylvania where he oversees programs in the departments of Art and Design, Music, and Theatre, Dance, and Performance.  Prior to his appointment to that position in 2012, he was on faculty in the IUP Music department teaching trumpet and courses in music education since 2001.  Ferguson taught in the public schools in from 1994-2000 in Decatur Illinois where he taught high school and elementary band and strings.  Dr. Ferguson earned a BM in Music Education from Millikin University in Decatur Illinois, and an MME and EdD in Music Education from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Dr. Ferguson remains active as a performer with the Hoodlebug Brass Quintet (the quintet in residence at IUP) and the Westmoreland Symphony Brass Quintet and with various jazz groups around the area.  He also conducted the Indiana Symphonic Winds through the IUP Community Music School in 2014-2015 and continues to be a guest conductor for county and district band festivals. His compositions and arrangements for brass quintet and trumpet ensembles are published by Toronto-based Eighth Note Publications.  Ferguson is president of the Indiana Arts Council and is active in the organization of the Delaney Chevrolet Westsylvania Jazz and Blues Festival held the Saturday of Memorial Day Weekend in Indiana PA, where he can also be found playing bass with the Dad Band.  David is married to Laura Ferguson (who is an IUP Music Education professor and jazz vocalist) and they have two children, Ella and Xavier.

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Lisa is a Constituent Outreach Specialist for the Honorable Donna Oberlander, of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. Lisa has been active in numerous civic and charitable organizations. In 2002 Lisa and her father in law, John Kerle co-founded Charitable Deeds and Services. Charitable Deeds and Services is comprised solely of volunteers and serves Clarion, Forest, and Venango Counties. Lisa currently serves on New Bethlehem Borough Council and was elected Council President in 2020. She is an appointed Board Member of the Redbank Valley Municipal Authority and serves as Chairman. She has also served in leadership roles in other community organiztions, and currently sits on other nonprofit boards in the community.
Her past work history has included work in Human Resources at Major Brand Tire where she worked in the family business. Lisa was a Human Resource Consultant for Terra Works, Inc. in Clarion, PA.
Lisa is a 2011 graduate of Clarion University with a degree in Business Management and Industrial Resources.
She is the committee chairperson for New Bethlehem Borough for the Republican Party of Clarion County. She travels the county and campaigns for local, state, and federal government.
Lisa is consistently adding resistance to her life. She works with a personal trainer five days a week lifting weights. Inside of the gym she loads her body with over 1000 pounds a week. The past year Lisa has started a new journey in Brazilian Jiujitsu. Lisa likes to get outdoors to hike and camp to see the beauty the outdoors has to offer along with the peace and tranquilty that it brings to her. Lisa has a passion for cooking and baking. She loves to prepare a good meal for friends and family to enjoy over a glass or two of good wine and great conversation. She loves to travel domestically and globally. Her favorite countries have been Costa Rica and Italy. Her dream is to spend a year in Europe traveling.
Lisa has two children, Jennifer 24; and Taner 22. Lisa feels fortunate that they both still like to hang out and spend time with her. They have two fur babies; Gracie and Lucy.

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Kristie Taylor is a native of Western Pennsylvania. After receiving a public school education, she attended Pennsylvania state universities earning a Bachelor’s of Education, a Bachelor’s of FIne Arts, and a Master’s in Educational Leadership. As an educator and theatre artist, Kristie has been an active member of the local arts community, a high school teacher, and a school leader.

During her time in education, she has worked to enhance the lives of her students and communities by implementing and supporting arts programs.

In addition to producing and directing numerous theatrical productions for elementary and high school students in the region, Kristie has performed and directed theatrical productions at the Sawmill Center for the Arts, the Reitz Theatre, the Marlin Opera House. Kristie volunteers for First Class Children’s Foundation, and she is a board member of Alium Spiritum, a nonprofit committed to making classical music more accessible to youth.

Kristie completed the Pennsylvania Rural-Urban Leadership Institute in 2020, and she is an active member of Penn State’s Inter-generational Network and ThinkTank.

Andrea Verobish is a Constituent Services Representative for Congressman Glenn “GT” Thompson (PA-15).  Andrea holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science and a Master of Public Administration degree, both from Gannon University in Erie, PA. In high school and college Andrea participated in several bands, primarily playing the euphonium.  She completed a year of service as an AmeriCorps member immediately after graduating from college.  Over the past ten years she has worked in local, state, and federal government.  Andrea lives in Duncansville, PA with her husband Don and their two daughters.  She is a former president and active member of the Hollidaysburg Area Women’s Club.  She is also a Blair County Republican Committeewoman and recently completed the Anne B. Anstine Excellence in Public Service Series.

Sam Wagner has been the Assistant Director of Communications at Mount Aloysius College since 2011.

• Award-winning marcomm professional with more than 6 years of experience leading corporate marketing and internal communications in higher education and for profit/nonprofit organizations.
• Leader of creative teams and multimedia divisions. Conceptualize and orchestrate marketing campaigns and collateral that effectively reinforce and build brand images.
• Expert in the technical and conceptual sides of content development. Proven ability to reach record -high marketing campaign response rates and lead driven and successful creative teams.

Skills

• Marketing Strategies & Campaigns
• Internal Corp. Communications
• Creative Team Leadership
• Product Positioning & Branding
• Web & Print Content Development
• Departmental Management
• Videography/photography
• Graphic Design
• Publication Design
• Web Design

Awards

• Joseph W. Donovan Young Professional Rising Star Award (CUPRAP [PA-OH-MD-NJ-NY], For success as a young professional in higher education marketing), 2015
• CUPPIE Award for Video Marketing (CUPRAP, “Why MAC?” Directed/filmed), 2015
• Top 100 Higher Ed Website in the USA (Enrollment Power Index), 2011
  Film Festival Awards (Director, “Ghosts: The Musical,” selection at the Manhattan Film Festival, Las Vegas Film Festival, Hoboken Film Festival, Buffalo Niagara Film Festival, L.A Cinema Festival,
  Accolade Film Festival), 2010-12

Arts Experience: Acted, directed, stage managed or played in the pit for 40 productions in the past 10 years. I have sound and stage designed. I am a founding member of Rail City Improv. I perform occasionally as an acoustic duo with my wife. I freelance (graphic design/video/web design) for non-profits on a monthly basis.

Volunteer Work: Central PA Humane Society (print campaigns and design work for “Pints4Pets” and “Holiday Campaign”), Cresson Volunteer Fire Department (video campaign/website), American Rescue Workers Hollidaysburg (video campaign), Logan Police Department (logo vectorization), Cresson Lake Playhouse (webmaster, board of directors – 2013-14), Altoona Community Theatre (webmaster, board of directors – 2012-14), Rails and Ales Brewfest (run/plan all marketing efforts).