Ms. Maxey holds a BA in Theatre Arts and is a theatrical director, acting coach, composer, singer, dancer, and choreographer. She has directed youth drama classes and is founder of Back River Drama in Duxbury, MA. Heather has coached numerous young performers in acting,  singing and dancing techniques. She has overseen the production and direction of five summer musicals in Duxbury including High School Musical, Oklahoma, Sound of Music, Shrek, and The Lion King. Ms. Maxey portrayed Olivia in Twelfth Night, and Flo in Come and Go. In 1988 she won the Kirk Douglas Best Actress Award at St. Lawrence University. In 2023 Heather produced an original musical Sounds Like Essex, as well as the 2nd Annual ETC’s Talent Show. She also produced Sounds Like Us in 2024.

Ms. Burke is a seasoned senior executive with over 25 years of experience in the computer software industry. She holds an MBA from Southeastern Oklahoma State University and is known for her leadership, innovation, and advocacy throughout her career. Early in her career, she was Publicity Director for the Oklahoma Shakespeare Festival, a celebrated cultural event that attracts thousands each year for its performances, workshops, and educational programs. In addition to her corporate achievements, Christine and her fiancé transformed the former Cabins by the Lake into Lady on the Lake—a collection of charming, year-round rental cottages in downtown Essex that offer guests a welcoming retreat in the heart of the community. A passionate advocate for animal welfare and education, Christine serves on the board of A Place for Peanut, a horse rescue organization dedicated to giving equines a second chance.

Ms. Poppino is a summer resident in Essex, NY. During the winter she resides in Schenectady, NY, where she serves on the Board of Trustees for the First United Methodist Church and is President of the Thursday Musical Club. She has directed/designed several plays and two musicals for Essex Theatre Company. Her most recent plays are Almost, Maine by John Cariani in 2022 and Be Here Now by Deborah Zoe Laufer in 2023. She has served on the Board of Trustees of ETC in one capacity or another since 1993 when the Company was formed. She holds a BA in English from Oberlin College and a MA in Teaching from SUNY Albany and has completed post-graduate studies in theater at SUNY/Albany.

Mr. Wardell lives in Essex, NY, and is a retired computer consultant. He has been lighting/sound designer for many ETC productions and attends St. John’s in Essex.

In 1903, Ms. Allen’s grandmother came to Essex, and every generation since then has summered in Essex. Recently widowed, she and her husband made Essex an important part of their lives for almost 45 years. Until recently, she was a board member of CFES-Brilliant Pathways in Essex. Currently, she is a Trustee at the Adirondack Foundation. Ms. Allen received a Masters of Social Work from Boston University and a BA from Wells College. She worked for many years in private practice and as a School Counselor at a private day school in Weston, MA. She has served on many non-profit boards in the Boston area. For the past decade plus, she has been a Gallery Instructor at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.

Mr. Clark is an actor, singer, and musician. From making home movies as a kid, singing and playing guitar in a punk band in high school, he has always enjoyed being onstage and working behind the scenes. Alex lives in Plattsburgh and works from home for a non-profit dedicated to reducing the early death and disease attributable to smoking by ensuring that people have access to legal, safer alternatives to cigarettes. For the past year, he has been practicing sculpture and collage.

Ms. Krenz is a musical director, singer, and songwriter. She was born and raised on the plains of North Dakota. While earning a degree in marketing from  the University of North Dakota, Celeste was writing songs and working toward a music career that would span 25 years. With the release of 11 albums, Celeste established herself as a staple of the American music scene. Her first CD garnered national attention with her debut album, “The Edge of the Storm”. She has also garnered national attention with her second release, “Slow Burning Flame”, produced by Bluegrass legend Tim O’Brien. The album reached #11 on music trade magazine GAVIN’s Americana Chart and remained on the chart for 11 weeks in the top 20.

Mary is a senior level professional with diverse experience in the financial services and health care industries, spanning Human Resources, Talent Acquisition and Leadership, Customer Service, Implementation, Operations Technology, Client/Relationship Management, and extensive Global Operations. She currently works as a consultant in HR Strategy and Operations supporting various businesses including CarGurus and Massachusetts General Hospital. She worked with Fidelity Investments, Merrimack, NH, from April 1999 to June 21, 2025, and is now retired. She received her M.B.A. from Boston University, May 2023, with High Honors and a B.A. in Social Work, Siena College, May 1990, Summa Cum Laude. She teaches as an adjunct professor at Champlain College and has served for two terms on the school board for the Town of Litchfield, NH.

Mr. Smiles is an arts innovator and nonprofit advancement leader whose career bridges major cultural institutions and creative startups. After decades leading successful fundraising campaigns, Mike founded Smiles Studio LLC to explore the intersection of art, performance, and media through driftwood sculptures, oil paintings, and his “lunchbox” smartphone prop camera kits designed to inspire community storytelling and play.

His work builds on years advancing joy and creativity at Paul Newman’s Hole in the Wall Gang Camp for seriously ill children, revitalization campaigns at Union College and Mystic Seaport Museum, and early innovations in peer-to-peer fundraising technology to expand donor engagement.

Since moving to Essex and Vermont in 2015, Mike has served as Director of the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum and later as Director of Development at the Shelburne Museum, where he helped launch its first $25 million endowment campaign. Together with his brother, Andrew, a former Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation program officer, he has led philanthropic partnerships supporting the Reteti Elephant Sanctuary in Kenya, Giving Compass, VolunteerMatch, and national initiatives promoting mindfulness in underserved urban schools.

A lifelong maritime enthusiast, Mike remains deeply involved in his local communities, volunteering with the Essex Community Fund, St. John’s Episcopal Church, the Crater Club, Champlain College’s career mentoring program, and Hula Lakeside in Burlington. He holds an MBA from the University of New Haven and a BA from Beloit College.