The USITT National Office welcomes two new members to our staff. Lea Ann Quimby, Office Administrator, and Mark Blackmon, Director of Marketing & Public Relations.
Lea Ann came to USITT as Office Administrator from a local funeral home where she held dual roles as the Office Manager and Licensed Funeral Director for several years.
Born and raised in the Syracuse area, she continues to live and raise her family in the same town she grew up in.
She has been married for 17 years and has two daughters, ages 15 and 9. Lea Ann, her daughters, and husband love to go camping, travel, and enjoy downhill skiing.
Lea Ann attended the 58th Annual Conference & Stage Expo in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, in March.
“What a wonderful experience,” Lea Ann said. “I am excited to begin this new chapter in my life with USITT.”
Mark Blackmon joined USITT in April as Director of Marketing and Public Relations. He brings with him more than 20 years of experience in developing and implementing marketing, promotional and audience development strategies for the arts and higher education.
A longtime advocate for integrating new technology into the marketing matrix, he co-founded Chanticleer Productions, one of the first companies to develop a new media infrastructure for producing interactive programming that would otherwise have been cost-prohibitive for small businesses and non-profits.
For many years, a sought-after voice on theatrical audience development, he created the marketing plans for some of the most loyal subscription audiences in the industry. He also has launched national visibility campaigns for a variety of colleges and universities.
Immediately prior to coming to the Institute, he was the Director of News and Public Affairs for Monmouth University.
