Our governing board is elected each January and serves terms of one year.
Board Officers
Ted Nowlin, President
Ted is a Graphic Designer at Horizon Hobby and lives in Monticello with his wife Kelly, and their twin boys, Preston and Payne. The whole family is involved in theatre one way or another. Ted began his acting career with MTA in 2011 in Dearly Departed. He has directed On Golden Pond, and plans on directing more plays in the future. He has been on the board for the past few years. He can be found at the theatre acting, directing, building sets or parking cars.
Katie Culpepper, Vice President
Katie currently works for Carle Clinic. She has been involved with MTA's summer youth musicals, volunteering her time with us for the last several years. Katie recently co-produced the 2021 Summer Youth Production of Chicago - High School Edition and the 2022 Summer Youth Production of Disney's Beauty and the Beast. This year, she is gearing up to direct the 2023 Summer Youth Production of Matilda.
Chelsea Mueller, Secretary
Chelsea currently works as the Director of Outpatient Services at Heritage Behavioral Health Center in Decatur. She and her husband Jeremy have lived in Monticello for the last 7 years, and have been welcomed by MTA ever since. Chelsea and Jeremy welcomed their son, Graham, into the world in October of 2020 and cannot wait to introduce him to the world of community theater. Chelsea's first show with MTA was playing Myrtle Mae in Harvey, and has been involved in several other shows including Dial M for Murder, The Curious Savage, and The Glass Menagerie. She joined the board in 2022 and looks forward to learning and helping MTA continue to host amazing productions for the community.
David Ehrhardt, Treasurer
David has enjoyed helping MTA for years, usually by building sets or parking cars. Now as treasurer, he hopes to bring the experience of owning a company to help update and organize the financial aspects of MTA.
Thurman Culpepper, Building Trustee
Thurman works in IT at Parkland and also at CU Woodshop Supply doing a little bit of everything from maintenance to IT to shop work. He has helped build sets for the summer musicals for the last three years and built the set for Into the Woods at Monticello High School. He has done some acting in college. His main hobbies include spending time in his personal woodshop and playing games with his family.
Carl Sebens, Building Trustee
Carl is a long-time member of MTA, beginning with his first show in November of 1978. In addition to working with MTA, he has worked with Decatur’s Theatre 7 and Richland Community College. Favorite directing efforts include The Nerd, The Glass Menagerie, Steel Magnolias, and Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolfe. Favorite onstage credits include ‘Norman’ in On Golden Pond, and ‘Matthew Harrison Brady’ in Inherit the Wind. He enjoyed assuming multiple personalities in the MTA production of Greater Tuna.
Colleen Kilian, Marketing Coordinator
Originally from Chicago, Colleen has made Central IL her home for over 30 years and now resides in Monticello with her husband Sean and sons Lucas and William. Colleen is known in the area for her many years of coaching/officiating volleyball and her day job as the Systems Administrator for the City of Champaign. Even though she is newer to the theater scene, Colleen is excited to bring her years of experience running a variety of different youth and professional programs to the theater...but leaves the acting to her son Lucas, who has appeared in the past 3 youth summer productions and is currently a freshman at Parkland College majoring in Theatre. She even got the rest of her family involved in the theatre with William acting in the 2021 Summer Youth Production of Chicago - High School Edition and Sean helping with the lights for several shows! Colleen also co-produced the 2021 Summer Youth Production of Chicago - High School Edition, the2022 Summer Youth Production of Disney's Beauty and the Beast, and will be producing the 2023 Summer Youth Production of Matilda.
Other Board Members
Kelly Barbour-Conerty, At-Large Board Member
Coming soon!
Lana Ross, Ex-Officio Board Member
Lana is a long-time member of the Monticello Theatre Association. Lana remembers the day she found the Camp Creek Playhouse still smoldering from the fire which destroyed it in 1999. She is very proud of implementing the KIDS’ programs, beginning with the first workshops in 2011 which have led to a robust summer program for our kids! Lana also served MANY years as MTA's treasurer!
Janet Roy, At-Large Board Member
Janet has lived in Monticello for her whole life, minus the first 3 glorious years she lived in Cisco. She can’t act, she can’t direct but she loves watching theatre and helping out in the community. Known as Mom, Nana, friend and Insurance Agent at Loman-Ray in Monticello.
Christina Smith, At-Large Board Member
Christina is a wife and mother of three grown daughters (senior at SIUE, freshman at SIUE, and junior at Monticello High School). She works full time at Flora Gems in Champaign as the Director of Inventory. She also manage the details for her and her husband's mask business, Unsub Masks, and their non-profit charity haunted house, Nightmare at Fox Hill. In her spare time, she enjoys relaxing with a good Netflix series, helping family and friends, being crafty, and reading.
Steve Wadleigh, At-Large Board Member
Coming soon!
Gil Yohnka, Past President
Gil is a retired Champaign Police Lieutenant and has lived in Monticello with his family for more than 25 years. His wife Peg is also a MTA member and a frequent volunteer. Gil became involved in community theater in 2011 and has since appeared in many shows in the Champaign area, including Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Anything Goes, Fiddler on the Roof, Guys and Dolls, The Snow Queen and the Goblin, Miracle on 34th St, Les Miserables, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, Legally Blonde, The Producers, Bleacher Bums and 1787. Gil has also appeared on the MTA stage in Rumors, A Week in Mercy Falls, Tales of a 4th Grade Nothing, The Foreigner and directed Stealing Home.