An 11- to 16-member board of directors oversees the CET program, focusing primarily on policy decisions, budget, communications and long-range planning. It’s a working board, and its members serve as volunteers in all aspects of the year-round and summer program. Board meetings take place the 2nd Tuesday of each month.
Are you ready to be a part of our working board?
Anyone with initiative and enthusiasm is encouraged to apply! We are especially looking for people with:
– knowledge in law or grant writing,
– passion for kids and theatre, or
– time to give during the day or during the summer,
but are open to anyone with the time and energy to put in some hard work.
Apply here!
2023-2024 Board Members
Elizabeth Schaefer, Chair
Elizabeth Schaefer has served on the CET Board since 2021. She has lived in Salem for the past 17 years with her husband, three daughters, four cats, and one dog. CET has become a summer tradition in the Schaefer household, with her youngest daughter ecstatic to finally be old enough to participate this upcoming season. Her oldest two have loved attending CET – making new friends and growing in confidence through the years. Elizabeth has been a teacher for 25 years, and currently teaches 6th grade. She loves road trips and playing board games with her family. When she has spare time, she enjoys reading, puzzles, and watching movies.
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Kristi May, Secretary
Kristi May (she/her) joined the CET board in 2021. She is a native Salemite, and while she never participated in CET, she was fortunate to have CET’s founder, Phyllis Quanbeck, as a teacher at South Salem High School. Kristi has served on PTA, music department and choir boards in Salem-Keizer since 2007. She has worked in admissions at OSU and most recently in Human Resources for a local fruit processing company. Kristi enjoys cooking, practicing yoga, reading, traveling, and watching Beaver baseball. She lives in Salem with her husband and their CET & theater obsessed daughter, and their beloved dog. Her son is a current student at OSU. Kristi is so happy to support music & fine arts education and has found CET to be a place of acceptance, education & creativity for all participants.
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Cheri Lentz
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Jana Avison
Jana Avison is a Salem native and was a CET kid herself in the 80s. She spent eleven years working for the Salem Keizer School District as a middle school English teacher and a district project coordinator. Now a stay at home mom, Jana lives with her husband and two kids in South Salem. Her favorite ways to fill her days are with reading, walking her Goldendoodle and cheering on her kids at Blanchet games. She loves CET and watching the way a variety of kids thrive with the opportunities to be themselves and explore different interests.
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Jed Kercher
Jed Kercher has been in Salem for 26 years. A graduate of Western Oregon University and currently is acproject manager for K&E Excavating. He has two children that have both been involved with CET for over 10 years now. He is married to Jennifer Kercher who has been teaching music in the Salem area for 20 years. Jed has been involved with multiple productions at Pentacle Theatre over the last 10 years. In his spare time, he enjoys riding his motorcycle and camping. This is Jed’s third year as a member of the CET board.
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Steve Nass
Steve was born and raised in South Salem and graduated from Willamette University where he played football for the Bearcats. He has served on numerous non-profit boards and various other volunteer committees. Steve began his professional career with a small, local community bank as a commercial loan officer and after 12 years, made the switch to non-profit administration. He has spent the last 10 years with Catholic Community Services, most recently serving as Chief Financial Officer. Steve lives in South Salem with his wife and two daughters, enjoys golfing, skiing, camping, traveling and kitchen/bbq exploration. After five years of watching his oldest daughter fall in love with CET, he made the leap to do more for the theater community and joined the CET board in 2023.
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Dani Potter
Dani (she/her) has been with CET since 2003. First as a student, then TA, teacher and now serves as the Technical Director and Board member. Outside of CET, Dani serves as the Director of Student Leadership for Oregon Thespians, a member of the Board for Pentacle Theatre and has been the Theatre teacher at McMinnville High School since 2017. Dani enjoys reading/listening to autobiographies, hanging out with her tiny dog Cooper and playing Pinochle.
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Leon Widdall
Jill Sorensen, Treasurer
Bio coming soon!
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McKenzie Upkes, Past Chair
McKenzie Upkes joined the CET Board in 2019. She is a full-time parent and a bookkeeper on the side. McKenzie has worked with other non-profit organizations in Salem, including three years working with Salem Youth Symphony and seven years as the Treasurer of Salem Classical Fencing. She has two children who will both be participating in CET in 2020. She is excited for the opportunity to contribute to an amazing organization that provides a unique environment for children to learn and grow through the Performing Arts.
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Ashley Duenas, Chair Elect
Ashley Dueñas joined the board in the fall of 2022. While growing up, she experienced the performing arts as a ballet and tap dancer, and later minored in dance in college. She has volunteered with non-profit summer camps serving children impacted by HIV/AIDS and has years of experience in early childhood education, leading to her Master of Arts in Teaching. She has dedicated the past decade of her life to raising her own children and volunteering in their schools. During her time spent at CET through her son’s participation, Ashley has loved observing students’ enthusiasm, inclusivity, creativity, and overall positive energy as they walk the halls and engage in their classes. In her free time, Ashley enjoys spending time outdoors with her husband and three children, traveling, camping, paddle boarding and skiing.
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Kent Wilson
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Ashley Casebeer
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Dana Lyons
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Kate Snow
Kate Snow joined the board in the fall of 2023. Kate’s been connected to the program since the 1980’s, when she was a CET student of Tom Hewitt and Tom Ulmer, under the direction of Phyllis Quanbeck “Q”. CET played a positive, formative role in her life, and she is grateful it continues to thrive, as her kids are current CET students who love the program as much as she does. Kate received a BA from Pitzer College in Claremont, CA, and an MBA from the University of Oregon, she owns a landscaping business with her husband that operates out of Eugene, and practices as a CPA in Salem. Kate is happy to support theater, art, music and dance in our community, and appreciates CET’s dedication to enriching and inspiring life-long creativity and appreciation for the arts.
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Claire Snyder
Claire is a lifelong resident of Salem, Oregon, and has been active in local theater, both onstage and off for over 15 years. Additionally, she brings with her experience as a costumer, teacher and mom of two at CET. Outside of theater work, Claire is an instructional assistant at a local charter school, and works to provide freelance IDEA training (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility) in the Salem-Keizer area. She is looking forward to this opportunity to serve in a new way locally, and give back a small portion of the meaningful experience that CET provides for her children and local artists.