Our Board
Patrick Barlow is retired as the Professional Development Director for Madison Area Technical College. In his work as director of the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning, Patrick supported about 3000 full and part time faculty, staff and administrators in their personal pursuit of professional development. He has also advised and worked with College Leadership to develop college-wide training, learning and support. Patrick continues to teach as an adjunct faculty member, direct plays, and present workshops on teaching and learning.
Prior to this position Patrick was a faculty member in Speech and Theatre at Madison College for 13 years. He has produced and directed over 175 productions in that time, taught speech and theatre and served as the Artistic Director of that theatre. Before that he was a high school theatre/speech teacher/director and Forensics Coach in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. Prior to that Patrick was pursuing a career in acting in a variety of East Coast theatre companies.
In retirement, Patrick is working on a book about teaching. He is traveling with his wife, spending time with children and grandchildren, presenting workshops and speeches, and serving on several Boards.
Rachel Werner is the digital editor of "BRAVA," a Wisconsin-based magazine created by women for women. She is also a 2016-17 national WomenRide4Change Ambassador and a 2017 World Food Championship judge. She enjoys overseeing culinary, arts, style, and live event coverage in her current roles and has previously contributed print, photography and video content to Madison Magazine, Entrepreneurial Chef, Hobby Farms Magazine and Urban Farm. Follow her adventures around the country '@therealscript.'
Jo is a lifelong resident of the Madison, Wisconsin area, and has been married to her husband for over twenty-five years, and they have two adult children. Jo has been fortunate enough to donate to, volunteer, and advocate for many valuable non-profit groups in the Madison area. Over the years, Jo has shown her commitment and investment in the community through her helping actions—theatre being one of her passions. She has eagerly accepted opportunities to work behind-the-scenes with Edgewood High School’s musical productions, served on the Madison Ballet advisory board, and volunteered backstage for the many years of Madison Ballet performances in various capacities.
The theatre holds a special place in Jo’s heart, and she believes that the fine arts provide a crucial outlet for individuals of all ages to express their talents, creativity, and achieve personal goals. Jo says “The theatre is an integral part of a well-rounded education, and the lessons learned on stage and after the curtain closes carry real-world applications.”
At the age of twenty-one, Jo developed a vision for a jewelry suite that would specialize in personal service, quality, value, and exquisite jewelry. She soon found a business partner, and in 1986 they founded BR Diamond Suite, Inc. Building the business from the ground up, Jo cultivated a deep understanding of the value of leadership and hard work. Now, over thirty years later, the business continues to grow and currently employs a talented team of thirteen.
While Jo’s entrepreneurial acumen is clear, the relationships she develops with her clients is what truly energizes her. Jo’s experience working with a broad array of individuals has proven that no single approach or solution is right for everybody. As president of BR
Diamond Suite, Inc. for over thirty years, she has been able to think creatively and use her resources to assist clients both personally and professionally.
Diane Bless is Professor Emeritus - University of Wisconsin-Madison in the Departments of Surgery Division of Otolaryngology and Communicative Sciences and Disorders. Diane has a particular passion for all things having to do with voice production. Although not a performing artist she has a passion for working with singers and actors, and focused her career on assessment and treatment of voice disorders across the age spectrum. She is the former Director of the UW Voice and Swallow Clinic. Her publications include numerous research articles and book chapters pertaining to voice topics, co-authored texts on voice therapy and phonosurgery, and training programs for visualizing the larynx. She has presented hundreds of workshops and scientific presentations nationally and internationally, and has been the recipient of multiple awards including: an endowed chair in otolarynology established in her name; Honors of the American Speech-Language Hearing Association-the highest honor bestowed by the Association for outstanding clinical, academic, and professional service; and the Frank R. Kleffner Lifetime Clinical Career Award for outstanding contributions to clinical science and practice in communication science and disorders. Diane served on Advisory Boards for both the Voice Foundation and the NIH-NIDCD. Now that she is retired she is delighted to be able to participate on the Capital City Theatre board of directors, and to spend more time with her family and friends, performing arts, cooking, ceramics, outdoor activities, and travel.
Bonnie Abrams retired from the University of Wisconsin-Madison as the Undergraduate Admissions Coordinator for the School of Music and served as Assistant to the Director under John Stevens.
She received a Bachelors degree in the School of Journalism from UW-Madison. Her favorite past time growing up in Washington DC was playing the violin and staying up late watching old movie musicals with her mother who shared in that love.
She has performed with Madison Theatre Guild, Children’s Theater, Middleton Players Theatre, Mesoghios Dancers, Noor El Sahara Dance Troupe, Edgefest Follies, and in The Nutcracker under the direction of JoJean Retrum.
She has held positions as President, Who’s New in Madison; Publicity Chair, Middleton Players Theatre Board; Co-Director, Noor El Sahara dance troupe.
Christine Garlough is a Professor in the Department of Gender and Women’s Studies at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. She has served as Associate Chair and Director of Graduate Studies of this department, as well as Director of the Center for South Asia. She currently sits on the Steering Committees for Interdisciplinary Performance Studies and the Center for Visual Cultures. She conducts three streams of active research constellating around issues of theater for social justice, feminist theory, and grassroots activism. For over twenty years, she has worked in Gujarat, India with women’s groups who use street plays, poster work, and oral narratives to address exigencies in their local communities, from domestic abuse to economic inequity. Recently, she has created the South Asian Feminist Activism Archive (SAFAA) – a digital archive dedicated to the preservation and public availability of historical and contemporary feminist protest materials from India and Nepal (http://safaa.womenstudies.wisc.edu/). In the United States, she has worked with South Asian feminist groups who develop public performance art to make claims about issues of immigration, social justice and human rights. In addition, she has written about political and philosophical issues at the intersection of feminist ethics of care and acknowledgment.
Rob Palmer is the Vice President of Government Relations for WPS Health Solutions, and he represents WPS to the Wisconsin Legislature and the U.S. Congress, state and federal agencies, and military beneficiary associations. A native of Plainfield, Ind., Rob and his family moved from Warner Robins, Ga. to Oregon, Wis. in 2015.
Rob earned a master’s degree in international affairs from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University in Massachusetts. He also earned a master of public affairs degree from the School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University and holds bachelor’s degree in political science from The Citadel, the Military College of South Carolina.
John Stampen serves the Wisconsin Manufacturing Extension Partnership (WMEP) as their Vice President of Marketing & Business Development. John is primarily responsible for leading the WMEP’s marketing communications, business development and strategic planning efforts.
John earned a Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, a Master’s degree in Business, and a Master’s degree in Educational Psychology-Cognitive Science, from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
John grew up and lives in Middleton with his wife and better half Pam. John and Pam have two children, Jake and Tucker, who are both pursuing artistic careers. John enjoys being a “back of the pack” athlete who gets his money worth at local races around town.
Mona thrives on creating what’s new and different, that's why she is thrilled to be on the CCT board, it's new and different! A lifelong fitness professional, her first foray into entrepreneurship started in 2007 when she opened melt, llc a still thriving personal training and group exercise studio in downtown Madison. Her melt tagline “defrost your mind. discover your body” reflects her belief that change comes when you have the courage to trust yourself, because you are perfect exactly as you are. Having survived two life threatening episodes of breast cancer, Mona is living proof that you don’t have to have it all figured out to move forward.
Mona Method is her latest vehicle of self discovery in the power of connecting mind, body and spirit.