Meet the Board

President - Rebecca Kite, a percussionist and marimbist, is an international performing artist and educator who has appeared in concerts, clinics, and workshops across the United States and in South America, Europe and Japan. She has been on the faculty of the University of Maryland, Miami University, and the University of Minnesota. Locally, she teaches private percussion and marimba lessons in her own studio and has appeared in First Night Leesburg and Warrenton and performs her school assembly program, Marimba! in area elementary schools. In her volunteer activities, she served on the Board of Directors of the Percussive Arts Society (an international organization of more than 8,000 members) for four years the Lucketts Community Center Advisory Board (best known as the organization that presents the annual Lucketts Fair) where she was president from 2004 to 2006. Kite is also on the Virginia Commission for The Arts Touring Program roster as a concert marimbist.

Vice-President - Ken Shall is a Registered Financial Planner with First Financial Group in Reston VA. In addition to his Financial Knowledge, Ken has over 10 years experience in Project Management. His interest in the arts is primarily of helping the boards run more effectively, and promote awareness for the group. He has been a member of the Sterling Playmakers for the last 6 years. While he has primarily worked behind the scenes, he has appeared on stage in South Pacific as Commander Harbison, and the role of Pig Pen in You’re A Good Man Charlie Brown. In addition he produced Charlotte’s Web. While serving on the board of directors for the Sterling Playmakers he has served on the IT, Ways and Means, and Publicity committees. As a result, he convinced the BOD that they needed to join the Loudoun Chamber of Commerce, which has added some name awareness and increased attendance at shows. Ken has also been a resource for Open Circle Theatre in Silver Spring.

Treasurer - Julie Metz has more than 25 years of experience in accounting, auditing and operations, including fifteen years at Fannie Mae. She has a BS in Accounting from George Mason University, an Executive MBA from George Washington University, is a CPA in Virginia and is a member of the American Institute of CPAs and the Institute of Internal Auditors. Julie lives in Lucketts.

Secretary - Heather Valdez Stillings has performed on stages across the country. After earning both her BA and MAT at Austin College in Sherman, TX, she taught high school theatre for three years in a Dallas suburb, during which time she performed on several Dallas area stages, including Dallas Children's Theatre, Theatre Three, and Plano Repertory Theatre. After a national tour with DCT, she moved to Leesburg, Virginia, and continues to perform regionally on stage and in film. Also a director, teacher, and acting coach, Heather is active with the Franklin Park Arts Center, and has served on the Loudoun Arts Council since 2005.

Carla Deniz is the executive director and violist of Moonlit In The Sun. Carla received her music degree from George Mason University in 1993 where she won the George Mason University Concerto Competition. She has been performing throughout the D.C. Metropolitan area since 1990, including performances at the Barns of Wolf Trap and the Kennedy Center. Carla has studied under Richard Parnas (recent principal violist of the National Symphony Orchestra) and Doris Lederer, violist of the Audobon String Quartet. She is currently a section violist in the Loudoun Symphony and performs locally with the viola quartet, Bratschewurst. Carla is on the music faculty at the Wakefield School in the Plains, Va; and provides violin and viola lessons from her private studio in Leesburg VA. She has been a member of the Loudoun Chamber of Commerce and Business Networking Institute, and is currently a member of the eWomen Network.

Linda Ifert is the Theatre Technical Director at the Reston Community Center where she has worked for 27 years. She is also a Lighting Designer, and her work has been seen, in addition to the Reston Community Center, at local dinner theatres as well as the Allenberry Playhouse in Pennsylvania, for the Fredericktowne Players at The Weinberg Center in Frederick, Maryland, and for the dance program at George Mason University. Linda lives in historic Leesburg.

Jeanne Niccolls recently retired after working in museums for nearly 30 years. Now she does some museum consulting, volunteers with the Virginia Association of Museums and serves on the Western Loudoun Artists Studio Tour planning committee and the Friends of Franklin Park Arts Center board. She lives outside Round Hill.

Jane Rodgers currently serves as the Vice President of the Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation. She is responsible for creating and implementing programs that serve over 70,000 children annually and building strategic partnerships with state governments, corporate partners and individuals to raise the financial support necessary to sustain these programs. She joined the Foundation staff in August 2007 as the Director of Strategic Initiatives, Prior to joining the Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation, Jane had been with Boys & Girls Clubs of America since July 2000, most recently serving as the Senior Director of Government Relations and previously as a Regional Service Director responsible for building community and organizational capacity for local Boys & Girls Clubs.

Jane began her career working for the Department of the Navy’s Morale, Welfare and Recreation Department. During her 14-year career with the Navy, Jane held a variety of positions including Head of Community Recreation for Navy programs worldwide. A graduate of Florida State University, Jane currently resides in Leesburg, Virginia with her husband Steve and their son Sam.

Teresa Smith is a General Music teacher at Fairfax County Public Schools where she has worked with Kindergarten through sixth graders students for six years. She is an active board member of the Virginia Organization of Kodály Educators (VOKE), an organization whose mission is to enrich the quality of life of the people of the USA through music education by promoting the philosophy of Zoltán Kodály. As a recent graduate of George Mason University, with a Master’s degree in Arts Management, she recently accepted the position as Executive Director with the Youth Orchestras of Fairfax (TYOF).

Teresa is originally from Nebraska where got her undergraduate degree and taught music for four years. She has taught private piano lessons for six years and looks forward to relocating her studio to Ashburn where she resides with her husband Cap and their puppy Sadie.