Board of Directors
FAUQUIER COMMUNITY THEATRE
BOARD MEMBER BIOGRAPHIES 2025 – 2026
Jennifer Ayers (Board Chair)
Jennifer is a sought-after voice/acting coach last seen at FCT as Sophie in Mamma Mia!. Credits include: Eva Peron (Evita), Narrator (Joseph), Cinderella (Into the Woods), Laurey (Oklahoma!), Hero (Much Ado), Julie (Carousel), Sarah (Guys & Dolls), Irene (Dolly!), Dorothy (Millie), Philia (Forum). Favorite role in life: wife & mother of two. Jennifer started acting at FCT as a child and now wants to give back to the theater and community by mentoring and began serving on the FCT board in July 2023.
Maggie Swan (Vice-Chair)
Maggie’s love for theatre began when she was attending Junior High School in Twinsburg, Ohio. In High School, she started with acting but found herself becoming interested in the production side of theatre to include directing, producing and designing sets. She became a Thespian and was the Vice President of the Thespian Society. Her experience in the theatre helped her in college and in her career as a Nursing Home Administrator. Things like speaking to large groups, advertising, leading others and management. She married an Army officer and moved to Little Rock Airforce Base in Arkansas. There, she became involved with the theatre company on base and worked with the families and military staff putting on plays. During Desert Storm the person playing Victor Hugo in “Les Mis” was deployed. The result was that she was thrust into the role of Victor Hugo’s great aunt. Later, Maggie became involved in her church teaching and leading youth ministry. She started doing plays with the youth and adults during the holidays and vacation bible school. She has directed, produced, designed sets, coordinated summer camps for kids and teens and sat on the board for many years as a member, vice president and president of theater companies. She started her first year as a board member at FCT in July 2023.
Sherry Bendt (Treasurer)
Sherry Bendt is a retired senior staff accountant, who was with Updegrove, McDaniel, McMullen & Chiccehitto, PLC, a local CPA firm in Warrenton, for 24 years. Sherry has been with FCT in many capacities over the last 34 years. She has performed in over 25 shows, as well as produced, stage managed, and crewed on at least 10 other shows. Sherry is currently serving on the FCT board as Treasurer, and is an active member of the FCT Artistic Committee.
Elizabeth Steimel (Secretary)
Elizabeth Steimel has been performing in shows since she was 7 years old. She has performed in 45 (going on 46) shows throughout different community, school, and student-run theatre organizations. Elizabeth received her Bachelor’s degree in Media Studies with a Minor in Drama from the University of Virginia. She is currently working in Sales Operations and as a Vendor Onboarding Manager at Carahsoft Technology Corporation in Reston, VA.
Val Kuperman (Member-at-Large)
Val Kuperman was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, but grew up in various parts of the United States, including New York, Texas, and California. He currently calls Northern Virginia home. As a professional freelance Electronic Dance Music (EDM) DJ with over 20 years of experience, Val has captivated audiences across the U.S. and internationally, performing at everything from small-scale club environments to massive warehouse events. Professionally, Val is a Federal Contractor specializing in Cybersecurity, with a career spanning from technical phone support to Network Administration, Cybersecurity Supervisor, and Application Penetration Tester. He holds active certifications including PenTest+ and CEH (Certified Ethical Hacker). Additionally, Val is passionate about 3D printing and has created over 20 custom-scaled Iron Man suits, along with hundreds of helmets, props, along with creative and practical solutions. Outside of his technical expertise, Val has a strong passion for cosplay and acting. He built a reputation by performing at birthday parties, weddings, and community-sponsored events as Captain Jack Sparrow, with occasional appearances as Spider-Man and Sherlock Holmes. 2025 marks the beginning of his theatre journey, having been cast in Inherit the Wind (at FCT) as well as the following sold-out Jersey Boys run (also at FCT). Theatre has been his long-time dream and now it’s become a reality. In addition to performing on stage, he is skilled in marketing and promotion (with a B.A. degree in Communications) and has continually assisted in promoting FCT’s current and future shows. Val was elected to the FCT board in August 2025.
Melissa Cockrell (Board Member)
Melissa has been involved in theater since she was seven, gaining experience both on stage and backstage through school and community productions. Her favorite roles include Aquata (Disney’s The Little Mermaid), Wilson (Annie Get Your Gun), Kate (Pirates of Penzance), and Ensemble (Chicago). Melissa earned a bachelor’s degree in communications with a concentration in Public Relations, as well as an MBA focusing on Project Management, from Mississippi State University. She is currently employed in IT Project Management in Washington D.C. Melissa was elected to the FCT board in August 2025.
Drew Fleming (Board Member) Drew owns his own Real Estate Appraisal Business. He is at present the leader of an Americana Band “Uncle Drew and The Scoundrels”. He has performed with the band throughout Northern VA since 2020 as well as being a songwriter, and recording artist. In 2018 Drew performed on stage for the 1st time with FCT in Big Fish, Since then he has co-directed Shoah as well as The Greatest Generation, ran lights for She Loves Me, ran sound for Night Must Fall, Co-directed and stage managed for Evita, and is in an advisory position for Annie Get Your Gun.
Scott Pierce (Board Member) In his professional life, Scott Pierce is the Director of Global Field and Partner Enablement for Bizagi, a leader in the low-code process automation software world. Additionally, he is a partner in the research-based consultancy Broad Run Consulting, LLC, which specializes in identifying and fixing human performance problems related to commercial go-to-market teams. Outside of work, he’s the fortunate husband to Hilary and the outmanned dad to their nine children and two grandchildren. Hilary and Scott are founding members of Journey Church in Vint Hill, where Hilary started and co-leads their annual free Clothing Give-Away in the Fall. Scott and his family have been involved with FCT since 2006, when several of Pierce kids were cast in Oliver! and the Director “volunteered” Scott for a walk-on role (Mister Percy Snodgrass, who would often take the odd glass). Hooked by the experience, he’s now been on stage or backstage for over 20 FCT productions, not counting the ones his wife and children have done and he’s come along for the ride (to drive to and from rehearsals, to build sets, to paint sets, to strike sets, etc.). Favorite FCT experiences for Scott include Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour® Dreamcoat, It’s a Wonderful Life, Jesus Christ Superstar, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, and Tuck Everlasting. Scott’s been on the Board of Directors since 2021, when then-Board Chairman Mike Markley convinced him to join.
Sheryl Solow (Board Member and Immediate Past Board Chair) Sheryl Solow’s career as an educator extends over 40+ years, serving as a Teacher, Principal, Curriculum Supervisor, Staff Developer, IB Coordinator, Assistant Superintendent, and Educational Consultant in PA, CO, and VA. She served on the board of Arts Councils in Bucks County, PA and Montrose, CO. Sheryl spent 3 years as a Board Member and 9 months as President of the Magic Circle Theatre, a community theatre in Montrose, CO, where she was a Production Coordinator for The Road to Mecca (2014) and Assistant Director of Talley’s Folly (2015). Currently she is a member of the Regency Players, a community acting club, where she serves on the board and has performed in nine shows, as well as directed three productions since 2015. Sheryl volunteered for FCT’s summer drama camps from 2016-2019 and 2022. Sheryl was delighted to co-produce Lion in Winter and serve as props manager for Rabbit Hole at FCT. Sheryl served on the Artistic Committee of FCT from 2017- 2022. She became the Artistic Committee Chair, leading the committee from 2018-2022. She currently serves as the FCT Board Chair. Dr. Solow received a B.S. in Education from Temple University, M.Ed. and C.A.S. in Educational Leadership from Arcadia University, and Ed.D. in Educational Leadership from Lehigh University.
Mike Markley (Past Board Chair)
Michael Markley is employed as an engineer and technical manager for the Federal government. He is currently a Chief of Licensing for operating nuclear reactor facilities in the Southeast U.S. and was previously the Acting Deputy Budget Director for his agency. Mike has a B.F.A. in Painting and Printmaking from Virginia Commonwealth University, M.A. in Arts Management from George Mason University, and is the principal of Lynrose Arts Consulting. He also has M.S. degrees in engineering and technical management from Georgia Tech and Johns Hopkins University, respectively. Mike has served on the FCT Board since 2013 and has been the Board Chairman since 2014. He leads the FCT Board’s Strategic Plan development process, theatre renovation, writing grants, and is an occasional actor onstage. From 1998-2012, he served on the Board of Directors of the Windmore Foundation for the Arts, Inc., and was its Vice President in 2011-2012. As Director of Development, he guided Windmore in forming the Crossroads Youth Orchestra. Mike is also a Destination Imagination (DI) enthusiast, having been a team manager for Fauquier County elementary and middle school DI creative problem-solving teams for seven years, a DI Instant Challenge Appraiser for two years, and a Challenge Master for 2017. Mike served on the Virginia Commission for the Arts (VCA) Region IVB Grant Advisory Panel for General Operating Support and Project Grants from 2011-2013. In 2019 he was appointed as a commissioner for the Virginia Commission for the Arts which is guided by 13 commissioners appointed to five-year terms by the Governor and confirmed by the General Assembly. Mike also engages with state elected officials to encourage their support of arts funding and policies that benefit the arts including participating in Arts Advocacy Day at the State Legislature in Richmond.
Rick Davis (Advisor) Rick Davis is a Professor of Theatre, Dean of the College of Visual and Performing Arts, and Executive Director of the Hylton Performing Arts Center, of George Mason University (GMU). Prior to joining GMU, Rick was the Resident Dramaturg and Associate Artistic Director of Baltimore’s Center Stage, Associate Director and co-founder of the American Ibsen Theater in Pittsburgh, and taught drama at Washington College. Dr. Davis has also published four books including Calderon de la Barca: Four Great Plays of the Golden Age; his co-translations of Ibsen with Brian Johnson, Ibsen: Four Major Plays, Vol. 1; and Writing About Theatre. With composer, Kim D. Sherman, he was the librettist for the opera, Love’s Comedy, and the oratorio, The Songbird and the Eagle, commissioned by the San Jose Chamber Orchestra. Dr. Davis received his B.A. from Lawrence University and his M.F.A. and doctorate degrees from the Yale University School of Drama.
