Board Nominees
Meet the candidates nominated for AACT’s Board of Directors. Each nominee brings a unique perspective, deep commitment to the arts, and a passion for community theatre. Learn more about their backgrounds, experience, and the regions they represent.
Meet the Newly Elected 2025 Board Members
The AACT Nominating Committee proudly presents the following individuals:
Congratulations to the six candidates elected for the AACT's upcoming Board year of service. Results will be voted on at the Board of Director's Meeting on June 27, 2025 in Des Moines, Iowa.
They will begin their duties effective September 1st, 2025
Chris Hamby
📍 Peoria, Arizona – Region VIII
Chris Hamby is an award-winning director and the C.W. McMillin Executive Director for TheaterWorks. During his 15 years with the organization, he previously served as the Education Director and Artistic Director. He has been honored with an outstanding service award by the Arizona Thespians for his work for high school theatre students. Chris was awarded with the Governor's Arts Award in the Artist category for his body of work in 2020. Additionally, he was named the Home Town Hero-Trailblazer for his accomplishments in the City of Peoria, AZ. He was acknowledged as an Arizona Arts Hero by OnMedia in February 2024. Additionally, he served as a grant reviewer for the National Endowment for the Arts in 2023 & 2024. Most recently Chris was honored to be selected as a Virginia G. Piper Fellow, one of the top honors for a valley non-profit leader. He is currently part of the Shannon Leadership Institute’s 2025 cohort. Chris also sits on the Board of Directors for AACT. He is currently the Chair of the Nominations Committee.
DORINDA TonER
📍 Vancouver, Washington – Region IX
Dorinda has been performing on stages across North America for 40 years. She studied Theater/Directing at University in her native country, where she is also a multi-album Canadian Recording Artist. She is a proud Board Member for the American Association of Community Theatre (AACT). She has twice been the facilitator of the AACT Community Theatre Management Conference (West Coast) and is delighted to serve on the Editorial team and to have contributed as a guest columnist for AACT’s national ‘Spotlight’ magazine. Dorinda is a past Vice-President of PATA (Portland Area Theatre Alliance) and currently serves on the board of OCTA (Oregon Community Theatre Alliance). A multi award winning actress, Dorinda was thrilled to play ‘Beverly’ in Kerrigan & Lowdermilk’s The Mad Ones Virtual Broadway Lab in 2020. A prolific director, she has won several awards for her work, including Portland Broadway World’s Best Director and Best Play in 2021 for A Feminine Ending and the Willamette Weeks Best Play of 2019 for How I Learned to Drive. Dorinda enjoys Intimacy Directing for stage actors and has level 2 certification with the IDC (Intimacy Directors & Coordinators). Dorinda is a Certified DEIB (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging) Human Resources Specialist. She has been the Producing Artistic Director of Twilight Theater Company in Portland, Oregon since May 2016 and believes strongly that community theatre changes lives.
Kay Armstrong
📍 Dallas, Texas – Region VI
Kay has served on the AACT Board of Directors off and on since 1997 and currently serves as Board Secretary. She was AACT VP of Festivals for 4 years and Chair of the Festival Commission for 4 yrs prior to serving as VP. Recently she has completed 8 yrs again as Commission Chair. She trained as an adjudicator under Annette Precunier and David Young (author of “How to Direct a Musical”). She has adjudicated 18 state and regional festivals as well as 5 secondary level festivals. She is currently serving her 10th yr as an adjudicator for Broadway Dallas’ High School Musical Theatre Awards which selects students for the NYC Jimmy Awards (82 high schools throughout the northern half of Texas). Kay was Exec Dir for Oklahoma Community Theatre Assn for 10 yrs, organizing and overseeing 5 state and 3 regional AACT festivals, establishing an annual youth conference as well as a grants & scholarships program. In addition, she served on the state arts council’s theatre grants panels as well as an audition panelist for Oklahoma Summer Arts Institutes. As Exec Dir of the North Tx Dance Council for 3 yrs, she organized and managed 2 annual outdoor dance festivals with numerous stages for several days each and additional performance programming. She was Business Manager for Contemporary Theatre of Dallas for 3 yrs and during that time she was also appointed to the Grants Panel for the Dallas Commission for the Arts.
LYLE TATE
📍 Houston, Texas – Region VI
Lyle Tate has been active in community theatre for the past 26 years. A Mississippi native, Lyle moved to Houston, TX, in 2013 and volunteers with Baytown Little Theatre (BLT) in Baytown, TX, serving as an actor, director, and member of the Board of Directors. Lyle holds a B.A. in English, a M.S. in counselor education and student affairs in higher education, and is a Ph.D. candidate in organizational leadership, studying how the theory of positive authentic leadership impacts affective commitment among community theatre volunteers throughout the country. Lyle works with the University of Houston College of Optometry as Director of the Office of Student Services. With BLT, Lyle’s most recent roles include “Mitch” in Tuesdays with Morrie, “Harold Hill” in The Music Man (BroadwayWorld Houston nomination), “Mysterious Man” in Into the Woods (BroadwayWorld Houston nomination), and “Nick” in The Guys (TEXFest Best Actor & AACT Region VI Best Actor awards). Lyle is a trained adjudicator and festival commissioner with the American Association of Community Theatre.
Scot McDonald
📍 Valparaiso, Indiana – Region III
Scot PJ MacDonald serves as the Venue Director of the historic Memorial Opera House in Valparaiso, Indiana. Under his leadership, the Opera House has flourished as a vibrant hub where creativity thrives and everyone feels welcome—whether on stage, behind the scenes, or in the audience. Scot is deeply committed to inclusive programming and creating opportunities that reflect the diverse voices of the community. In addition to his work in Indiana, Scot is a member of the Board of Directors for AACT where he currently serves as Treasurer on the Executive Committee. A passionate advocate for the arts, he believes in the transformative power of community theatre to bridge divides and foster meaningful connection.
Steven Butler
📍 Sarasota, Florida – Region IV
Mr. Butler serves on the Board of Directors for the American Association of Community Theatre (AACT) and its respective committees: Play Selection, Nominations, Finance, and International Festival. As a director and arts advocate, he understands the importance of the arts and value of theatre itself. Currently, Mr. Butler is the Convention Manager for the Southeastern Theatre Conference (SETC). Prior to that, he served as the Execute Director for the Florida Theatre Conference (FTC) and Artistic Director for the Sarasota Players (Sarasota, FL). Mr. Butler is the Founder of Actors’ Warehouse (Gainesville, FL) which was honored to represent the United States at Mondial Du Théâtre International Amateur Theatre Festival (Monte Carlo, Monaco).
Slate of Officers
Kris Geddiee - President
Kay Armstrong - Secretary
Lou Ursone - Vice President
Scot MacDonald - Treasurer