Milwaukee Chamber Theatre Elects New Trustees, Board Officers

MILWAUKEE – At the organization’s Annual Meeting on July 21, the Milwaukee Chamber Theatre elected five new Trustees to join the Board.

The five individuals elected to a three-year term on the Board of Directors are:

• Dan Brandt
• Jeffrey Coleman
• Lauren Lasry
• Justin Roby
• Michael Sheppard

A full biography of each candidate is at the end of this release.

“We are thrilled to welcome five amazing community leaders to the Board of Trustees for Milwaukee Chamber Theatre,” said Amy Salat, Managing Director. “These new Trustees bring a wealth of experiences and connections that will continue to position MCT as one of Milwaukee’s leading arts organizations.”

In addition, the Trustees elected new Board Officers for a two-year term. The new officers for Milwaukee Chamber Theatre are:

• President – Marina Krejci
• President-elect – Jason Rae
• Treasurer – Jason Kuwayama
• Secretary & Past President – Emily Shircel

“We are so thankful to these individuals for stepping up into leadership positions with Milwaukee Chamber Theatre,” said Brent Hazelton, Artistic Director. “Their collective experiences will be crucial as we continue to re-imagine what the theatre looks like in a post-COVID world.”

Dan Brandt is a Senior Vice President at First Midwest Bank. Since 2007, Dan has worked in varying roles within Commercial Real Estate Lending in Southeast Wisconsin. Dan resides in Bayview with his wife and three children.  Most recently, Dan served on the Board of the Bayview Community Center, where he served as Treasurer and as a member of the Loan Committee for a local Community Development Fund, Legacy Redevelopment Corporation.  Dan looks forward to joining MCT’s board and hopes to grow his appreciation for theatre.

Jeffrey Coleman is a Professor at Northwestern University in the Department of Spanish & Portuguese. Previously, he was a Spanish Professor at Marquette University where he specialized in Contemporary Spanish and Catalan theatre and published several articles on immigration, race, and national identity. Coleman is committed to theater philosophically as a vehicle for community unity and improvement.

Lauren Lasry serves as Chief of Staff at Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin. Prior to that, she served as Communications Director for the Milwaukee County Executive where she developed media and public engagement strategies around ongoing county work with racial equity and shared revenue. Previously she served as Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s Deputy Press Secretary, where she managed media and public events for education, climate and cultural affairs announcements. Lauren loves musical theater, the Bucks, and summer in Wisconsin.

Justin Roby is the Director of HIV Care at Diverse and Resilient and an agent of change in the community. With over 12 years of experience in youth development and health services Justin is a strong advocate for the LGBTQ community and health equity. Justin feels theater is an underrated vehicle to communicate life’s challenges and is eager to support the community through MCT. Justin has been spent time with the Boy & Girls Club, Heal the Hood MKE, and BESTD and is currently a Ph.D. candidate at Cardinal Stritch University.

Michael Sheppard is the Managing Partner & Founder of IronwoodDrive Financial Group and is responsible for driving IFG’s mission by providing thought leadership and strategic direction. He has over 14 years of experience as a financial advisor and managing director. Sheppard comes from a military family, and he attributes his discipline and servant leadership to his late parents and sisters who raised him since the age of 12. He spent time with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Omaha Beef before finding his passion of helping others in the financial services industry. Milwaukee is now where Michael proudly calls home.

Milwaukee Chamber Theatre

Founded in 1975, Milwaukee Chamber Theatre (MCT) produces intimate, high-quality, professional theatrical works of literary merit that engage and challenge the audience, while employing and nurturing principally local theatre artists. MCT performs at the Broadway Theatre Center in Milwaukee’s Historic Third Ward and is a proud Member Group of the United Performing Arts Fund. For more information, visit milwaukeechambertheatre.org.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. It has not been verified for its accuracy or completeness.