Our Board
Mark Barbash
Board President
Mark is Founder / Director of the Ohio Economic Development Institute, the professional development program for economic developers, with 30+ years of economic development experience in the private, nonprofit, local, state and federal governmental levels. He currently teaches in the John Glenn College at The Ohio State University. His career has included Director of Development for Mayor Michael B. Coleman, Chief Economic Development Officer for the State of Ohio, along with service on for three Governors and on Capitol Hill. Mark’s work has included a wide range of support for the arts, including economic impact research on nonprofit theater, financing of historic theater revitalization, and serving on the Board of Director for CATCO in Columbus. Mark has been a musical theatre fanatic since his days in the chorus and stage crews in his hometown of Madison, Wisconsin. His high school theater work earned mark the National Thespian designation. He is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin – Madison with a degree in Political Science. He lives in Bexley, Ohio with his wife, Mary Cartter Barbash, and his theatre-going partner daughter Rachael Barbash.
Tony Heaphy
Past Board President
Tony Heaphy is President of Good Food Restaurants, a growing, family-owned regional restaurant group with 21 restaurants across seven brands in Ohio and Indiana. Locally, Good Food Restaurants owns Sycamore in German Village, and Beer Barrel Pizza & Grill, with locations in Easton, Hilliard, and Dublin. Prior to that, Tony was Director of Marketing and Communications for Baltimore Center Stage, one of the nation's oldest and most prominent regional theatre companies. At Center Stage, Tony led public relations and marketing for a range of projects including the development and world premiere of Marley (One Love), the first original musical based on the life of Bob Marley; the PBS documentary A Raisin in the Sun Revisited, a collaboration between Center Stage and PBS Arts; and the theatre's $35 million capital campaign. Tony holds degrees in theatre and art history from the University of Michigan, and an MBA from Johns Hopkins University.
Marcy Schaffir
Past Board President
Marcy Schaffir is the founder of Schaffir Consulting and provides strategic planning guidance to retail and nonprofit organizations. Her 35-year retail career included being President of Lane Bryant and leadership roles at LBrands, Ann Taylor, and Saks Fifth Avenue. She is a lifelong lover of the arts and has been involved as a performer, director, producer, board member and board leader. Marcy served as the board President of Short North Stage from 2018-2020 and the founding board Vice Chair of the McCoy Center for the Arts in New Albany from 2007-2012. Marcy is currently leading the Nominating and Governance Committee at Short North Stage. Marcy received her undergraduate degree in psychology from Brown University. She co-founded a theatrical group at Brown, The Musical Forum, that still thrives on campus today. Marcy lives in downtown Columbus with her husband, Jonathan. Her grown kids live in New York City. She loves to visit them and see Broadway shows.
Peter Yockel
Founder
Peter Yockel graduated from Miami University of Ohio and got a masters degree in international affairs from American University. He has 30 years of experience as community organizer and cross-cultural consultant for the US Peace Corps. He was a lead producer for the musical Nefertiti, and a member of the Lovewell Theatre Project, for which he co-authored two original musicals. He is a member of the Board of the Lovewell Institute.
Rick Gore
Founder
Rick Gore was a writer with National Geographic Magazine for more than 25 years, before focusing full time on theater. While at National Geographic he produced more than 60 feature articles, serving much of his career there as Science Editor. Before joining the National Geographic staff he worked with the original Life and Newsweek Magazines. In recent years he has co-written and produced several musicals. He is a member of the Lovewell Theater Project, which is dedicated to the origination of new musicals. He served on the board of the Woolly Mammoth Theater Company of Washington DC for six years, as well as the North American Company and the Lovewell Institute. He attended Northwestern University, earning a Masters of Journalism degree. A founding member of Short North Stage in 2010, he has served as Executive Producer for every season production since Follies in 2011.
Mark Gibson (Retired IT Executive)
Secretary
Mark Gibson recently retired from Nationwide Insurance in Columbus, Ohio with 19 years in IT engineering and executive management roles. Prior career highlights include technology leadership roles at J.P. Morgan Chase and AT&T Solutions as well as an early career in radio broadcasting. Mark is an alumnus of Miami University of Ohio with a degree in Computer Science. In addition to serving on the board, Mark also consults and assists technical operations and facilities management teams in the theater. He and his spouse, Allan Crooks, reside in Worthington and are thrilled to be a part of the Short North Stage community.
Marc Sigal (Retired Lawyer)
Marc holds a BA in Psychology and a MSSA in Clinical Social Work from Case Western Reserve University. His practice of social work was focused on serving the elderly. He also holds a law degree from Cleveland State University, and he is a licensed attorney in both state and federal courts in Ohio. His legal career was spent in state service.
He has a strong love of music, the visual arts, and theater. He attributes his strong love of music to the fact that his mother was a classically trained pianist. He inherited her sense of rhythm, and she encouraged his love of music and musical theater.
He and his wife are also avid supporters of the arts, as it is the arts that create a civilized society.
Karen Hill (Director, Human Resources)
Karen Hill is currently a Director of Human Resources at ATS Ohio. Prior, Karen held various Human Resources roles in the Manufacturing and Retail Industries including PPG Industries, Lane Bryant, Express, Bath and Body Works, Victoria’s Secret and Mast Industries. Karen is a lover of the arts and entertainment industries and is thrilled to be a part of the Short North Stage board. She received her undergraduate degree in psychology from Capital University, has a Masters in Business Psychology from Franklin University and has been a Columbus area resident for over 20 years. She currently resides in Worthington. Karen served as the Executive Director of Poly Columbus for ten years
Jim Farmer (Retired Corporate Lawyer)
Jim Farmer is a retired corporate lawyer who spent the latter part his career at the Taft Law Firm and the earlier part of his career at Borden negotiating and documenting multi-million dollar business acquisitions and divestitures. Since retiring, he has devoted much of his time serving as an officer and board member of several civic organizations including the Short North Civic Association, North Community Counseling Centers, the Dublin-Worthington Rotary Club and now, the Short North Stage. He is humbled and excited to be asked to be a part of an organization that has created one of the region’s finest theater companies and looks forward to helping it achieve all if its future goals and plans. Jim obtained his Juris Doctor and Master of City and Regional Planning degrees from the Ohio State University, and his Bachelor of Arts from Cornell University.
Jason Tostevin (Lane Bryant)
Jason Tostevin is head of communications and engagement for iconic American heritage brand Lane Bryant. He has previously led brand, marketing, communications and creative teams for both corporations and agencies. Jason is a writer and director whose short films and screenplays have been presented and awarded at festivals around the world and featured in outlets including the New York Times and Short of the Week. He is co-founder of Nightmares Film Festival here in Columbus, ranked the number one genre fest in the world out of 9,000 on submission platform FilmFreeway. Jason lives in New Albany with his wife, Christy, their two children, and their pit-mix, Milo.
Laura Courtney (Retired Retail Executive)
Laura retired from Victoria’s Secret in 2014 as a Regional Manager where she oversaw operations for 10 districts and 100+ stores. After a 27 year career in retail management, Laura took on the challenging and rewarding role as co-owner and Studio Director of the Central Ohio studio Dance 614 from 2013 - 2017. She is currently the Administrative Director for The WELL Center for Movement and Dance, home to professional dance company, Whirlwind Dance, and the pre-professional dance program, The WyND. Whirlwind Dance is a Columbus-based dance organization that develops and nurtures the art of movement and provides platforms for local and international artists.
Laura studied vocal performance at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, Michigan, where she was a member of the acclaimed, vocal jazz ensemble Gold Company. She also attended the prestigious Phil Mattson School of Music in Spokane, Washington.
Laura enjoys frequent trips to NYC to catch the latest Broadway shows, and is an avid supporter of the local art scene including Broadway in Columbus, BalletMet and Columbus Jazz Orchestra. She lives in Hilliard with her husband, Bob and enjoys spending time with her daughter, Rachel (professional dancer and frequent SNS performer), her three “niece-daughters”, and five grandchildren.
Nikolina Sevis (Ruscilli Construction)
Nikolina Sevis is a Project Executive at Ruscilli Construction Company specializing in institutional and corporate projects. Prior, Nikolina was a Director of Projects for Facilities Design and Construction Department for the Wexner Medical Center and Health Sciences at The Ohio State University. While at OSU, she spent nearly 18 years in various roles focusing on Arts and Sciences and healthcare projects. She grew up in Columbus and is a proud alumnus of The Ohio State University School of Architecture. She is passionate about architecture, the arts, and fashion design. Nikolina lives in New Albany with her husband Chris and their 2 sons.
Not pictured:
Gregory Zunkiewicz
Jen Robinson
Lee Paragas
Christiana Moffa (Steiner and Associates)
Christiana Moffa is a native of Columbus, Ohio where she attended Westerville North High school and took part in their show choir and musical theatre programs. After graduating from Miami of Ohio (where she also did lots of singing!) she spread her wings and spent 20 years away, honing her professional and vocal chops in Chicago, Los Angeles, and Atlantic City, NJ before returning home in late 2014. During that time, she recorded and produced her own cabaret album, performed at intimate jazz clubs, joined musical theatre groups focused on workshopping new shows, and made a lot of friends in the industry.
Career-wise, Ms. Moffa has spent the majority of her 25+ years in commercial real estate, with a focus on retail and hospitality. She has worked for shopping center developers and noted nightlife companies, currently representing Steiner + Associates as the Property Manager for two prominent High Street properties, the Gateway – University District and University Square, both affiliated with Campus Partners and the greater revitalization project taking place around the central entertainment area supporting The Ohio State University.
As a board member for Short North Stage, she brings not only her love of live theatre but also her creative business and event mindset, enthusiasm, and collaborative nature.
