Our People | Yadkin Arts Council | Board Members

JOHN WILLINGHAM

President

John Willingham was born and raised in Winston-Salem, the City of the Arts. He will tell you that his keen interest in the arts has absolutely nothing to do any artistic ability of his own. He does, however, have a deep appreciation for those special individuals with an ability to create something that stirs feelings and emotions.

John loves a good painting, a moving stage performance or a melodious concert. Through years of exposure to the arts, he has come to appreciate good art and to value it.

His strong commitment to the arts has led to his presidency of the Yadkin Arts Council and a membership on the board of the North Carolina Arts Council

For the past eight years, John’s focus has been to provide a venue where the arts can thrive, a place where artists feel welcome and want to express themselves, a place where audiences eagerly come to learn and appreciate. The Yadkin Cultural Arts Center is such a place.

John moved his fourth-generation company, Indera Mills, to Yadkinville beginning in 1990 and completed the move in 1998. His wife, Donna, was born in Yadkin County and the two work side by side. As the owner of a company previously located in Winston-Salem for three generations he felt a responsibility to lay down roots here coupled with a desire to give back to the community that welcomed him and Indera Mills.

The Yadkin Cultural Arts Center is John Willingham’s dream come true. His hope is that its place in the community will forever be meaningful.

Phone: 336-468-0317
Email: john@yadkinarts.org

SARAH SMITH

Executive Director

Sarah was born in Maryland but became a North Carolinian at a very early age. After growing up in Matthews and the Lake Norman area she moved to Winston-Salem in her high school years. In college she earned a degree in graphic design and spent time as a freelance artist. In addition to creating art professionally she also enjoys dabbling in visual arts as a hobby.

Sarah’s love for art includes music, which led her to work at The Garage, an iconic music venue in downtown Winston-Salem. While there she assisted in the daily business operations while honing her bartending skills.

This led her to an opportunity to join the Winston-Salem and Forsyth County Arts Council at the Milton Rhodes Center for the Arts and the Hanesbrands Theatre. She has spent the last 7 years doing everything from box office, concessions and facilities management to marketing and client relations. Most recently she was the House and Events Manager where she worked with various theater groups and private community rentals doing anything from performances, art shows and festivals to fundraisers and weddings. Sarah also helped develop the annual Arts Council Summer Parks Series, which is now in its third year.

Sarah started her position with the Yadkin Arts Council in the summer of 2018. Although she is still new to Yadkinville she is excited for this opportunity to contribute to and engage with the Yadkin arts community.

Phone: 336.679.2941
Email: sarah@yadkinarts.org

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RON STACKER THOMPSON

Artistic Director

Ron Stacker Thompson has been a producer on such diverse films as “A Rage In Harlem, “Deep Cover,” “The Cemetery Club,” “Sister Act 2” and “Hoodlum.” He has worked with such stellar talent as Whoopi Goldberg, Maggie Smith, Laurence Fishburne, Ellen Burstyn, Danny Glover, Christina Ricci, Jeff Goldblum and Andy Garcia. He is also an award-winning TV and film writer and producer.

It is in theatre where Thompson developed his unique ability to successfully blend all aspects of his talents. As founder and Artistic Director of the Oakland Ensemble Theatre he produced and directed over fifty plays, many of which he wrote.

Thompson has always been deeply involved in education, teaching subjects ranging from literature and poetry, urban and ethnic studies to speech, theatre, dance and multi-cultural philosophy. He is presently a professor at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, where he is chair of the Screenwriting Discipline.

Phone: 336.679.2941
Email: info@yadkinarts.org

JESSICA GRANT

Director of The Willingham Performing Arts Academy

Jessica Grant, the daughter of Jim and Patty Grant, is a native of Yadkin County and was raised on the stages of Yadkin, Forsyth, Wilkes and Surry Counties. She graduated from Lees McRae College with a bachelor’s degree in Performing Arts Studies with an emphasis in Musical Theatre. She received her masters in directing from Roosevelt University Performing Arts Conservatory in Chicago.

After teaching and directing along the East Coast for seven years, she has returned to the piedmont and is thrilled to find a home with Yadkin Arts Council.

Jessie writes, “Theater, done well, is wonderful hard work for the body, mind, and heart. It is a creative adventure like no other.”

In the 10 years of her career, Jessie has directed over 40 shows working with performers age 3 to 83! Musical theater is her passion and stage movement is her joy! She has directed and choreographed traditional favorites (Singing in the Rain, Guys and Dolls and Oklahoma!, The Importance of Being Earnest), contemporary works (Thoroughly Modern Millie, Little Shop of Horrors, 39 Steps and Noises Off), and original works including: Eastland: A New Musical.

She loves to see performers grow as they discover the power and fun of working as part of a collaborative team. She is thrilled to serve as a catalyst for our community of performers and technicians as they continue to work together singing, dancing, acting and laughing a lot as they bring stories to life on the Willingham Stage.

Phone: 336-679-2941
Email: jessie@yadkinarts.org

LUKE MILLER

Head of Movement Studies Willingham Performing Arts Academy

Managing Director of Willingham Performing Arts Academy
Luke Miller was born and raised in Yadkin County. He graduated from North Carolina State University with a bachelor’s degree in Developmental and Educational Psychology with a minor in Theatre, where he worked as a costume, makeup, and hair assistant for the undergraduate productions.

While studying at NC State, he was a teacher and choreographer for the Academy for the Performing Arts in Apex, as well as the choreographer for his a cappella group, The Grains of Time. After graduating, he moved to New York City where he trained at Broadway Dance Center for two years.

Luke is very excited to return home to help the performing arts community grow and learn. He loves working in a collaborative environment where hard work and determination are not only valued, but craved. Luke writes, “The more work you put in, the more fun you should have. Performing on stage should truly feel like so much fun, it doesn’t even feel like work at all—and that’s what you get when working with the Willingham Performing Arts Academy alongside the Yadkin Arts Council.

Phone: 336-679-2941
Email: luke@yadkinarts.org

CHARLIE KLUTTZ

Head of Vocal Studies Willingham Performing Arts Academy

Edward Charles Kluttz III (Charlie) was born and raised in Concord, North Carolina. Kluttz graduated from Concord High School in 2010 and moved to Winston-Salem, NC to study Vocal Performance at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. While at UNCSA he studied under the direction of Glenn Siebert, James Albritten, and Steven LaCosse. In 2011 Kluttz began performing roles in local community theatre such as: Hero (Forum, Little Theatre), Professor (South Pacific, Piedmont Opera), and Lucas (Addams Family, Theatre Alliance).

In 2012 Kluttz began music directing shows in the Winston-Salem area. Music direction highlights include: La Cage Aux Folles (Theatre Alliance), Yes, Virginia (Little Theatre), Billy and the Golden Pencil (Peppercorn Children’s Theatre), and extensive work with Spring Theatre from 2012-2015. While working in the Winston-Salem community he quickly developed a passion for teaching young artists and continues to do so today through various educational programs.

In late 2016 Kluttz joined the Yadkin Arts team as Music Director for the 2017 production of “Guys & Dolls”. Since then he has continued teaming up with Jessie Grant and Luke Miller to bring incredible live theatre to Yadkin County, most notably with: “Peter & The Starcatcher”, “Beauty and the Beast”, “The Addams Family”, and “Thoroughly Modern Millie”. Kluttz finds himself right at home with Grant and Miller as they continue to challenge, inspire, and empower members of their community through artistic enrichment.

Kluttz currently serves as: Director of Vocal Studies (Willingham Performing Arts Academy), Musical Theatre Instructor (Acting Out!, UNCSA), Musical Theatre Instructor (Encore Performance Group, Juxtaposition Studios), and as a private lesson instructor.

Kluttz looks forward to continuing his work with the Yadkin Arts Council and the Willingham Performing Arts Academy. He knows that the most important task we are charged with is to inspire and prepare future generations to use the performing arts as a way of expression, communication, and empowerment. Kluttz considers himself blessed to be working with such a talented team and looks forward to the incredible work that is yet to come.

Phone: 336-679-2941
Email: charlie@yadkinarts.org

TIM HARRISON

Technical Director & Sound Engineer

From Yadkinville, NC, Tim got his musical start with the piano and brass instruments at an early age. He was a member of the Forbush High School Marching Band, Wind Ensemble and Jazz Band where he played different instruments in each (Sousaphone, Trumpet, French Horn & Trombone). He was also the winner of the John Phillips Sousa award his senior year of high school. As a member of the Pride of the ACC Marching Tarheels, he attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. With his dad’s influence, he began playing the upright bass at the age of 18, never turned back and has played with various Bluegrass, Country & Rock groups over the past 30+ years. He is a founding member of the Triad’s popular Bluegrass/Americana group None of the Above which formed in 1995 where he has also been the sound engineer for the band. He has had the privilege to appear on over 15 recordings projects with various groups over the years. One project, an all-male acapella shape-note recording, was selected to be stored at the Smithsonian Archives in Washington, DC. Since the Willingham Theater open in 2012, Tim has served as the resident sound engineer.

timvharrison@gmail.com

ERIKA FRAZIER

Executive Assistant & Box Office Manager

Erika Frazier graduated from Appalachian State University in 2017 with a degree
in Music Industry Marketing and Management and a concentration in Vocal
Performance. She has always been a supporter of the arts; both visual and
auditory and is thrilled to bring her love of them with her to the Yadkin Arts
Council.

Erika fell in love with the Yadkin Arts Council for the first time in January of 2018
while she was working as the Program Assistant for the Blue Ridge Music Center
during the annual Sounds of the Mountains celebration. She bonded with
members of the community, staff, and genuinely fell in love with the venue; so
when the opportunity for Executive Assistant presented itself, she knew had to
apply, because Yadkinville was where she wanted to be.

Erika currently resides in Downtown Winston-Salem and enjoys her beautiful daily
commute to Yadkinville which now feels like a home away from home.

Phone: 336-679-2941
Email: erika@yadkinarts.org

DALTON SWAIM

The Center Bistro Head Chef

Phone: 336-679-2941
Email: info@yadkinarts.org

JODY POUNDS

Food Services Director

Jody started as a volunteer with the Yadkin Arts Council the summer of 2009. By early 2010 she became a part-time staff member and hasn’t looked back. She spent the intervening years focusing on the Visual Arts Department which culminated in her becoming the Director of Visual Arts in 2015.

That all changed in July of 2017 when President John Willingham offered her a new challenge. He wanted to change the direction of our on-site restaurant and asked her to take on the management of that transition. She now happily spends her days developing and branding our newly named restaurant, The Center Bistro.

Born and raised in a small town in Indiana, she came to North Carolina via Florida. She and her husband bought a home and moved to Yadkinville in 2004. Between the flatlands of Indiana and the swamplands of Florida, both are very happy to call North Carolina home.

Phone: 336.679.2941
Email: jody@yadkinarts.org

LISA DRUM

Artist Services & Red Wall Gallery Curator

Born and raised in Yadkin County, Lisa was recognized as a creative at a very early age, ultimately majoring in art at UNC-Greensboro. Returning to Yadkin County after graduation, she devoted her first career to creating and implementing one-to-one Database Marketing Strategy and Tactics for a Fortune 100 company.

After retiring from her first career in 2012, Lisa came back to her art roots with her Studio at the Yadkin Cultural Arts Center: Lisa Reavis Drum Studio – Dream Create – Blue Skies.

She has very happily spent the last few years exploring creative expression through pet portraits, multi-media art, and occasionally writing and acting with a local improv group – The Country Ham Players. She has immersed herself into the life of the Yadkin Cultural Arts Center, serving on the board of Directors, attending most Center Events and volunteering her marketing, business and art skills on an ongoing basis. Her studio is a visual riot of color and disarray as she is always in the process of painting pet portrait commissions, trying new art techniques, working on Arts Council projects and developing new arts and crafts classes to teach at the Center (usually all at the same time :).

Phone: 336.679.2941
Email: lisa@yadkinarts.org

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JAMES SHEEK

Facilities Manager & Director of Development

Phone: 336-679-2941
Email: james@yadkinarts.org

AMOS WESTMORELAND

Welborn Gallery Curator

Phone: 336-679-2941
Email: info@yadkinarts.org