Welcome to 5 new board members

The Playwrights’ Center welcomes five new board members: Mary Gearen, theater arts; Charlyne Hovi, owner, Visual Arts; Ann McCague, chief compliance officer, Piper Jaffray; Carla Paulson, community volunteer; and Steve Richardson, director of the arts, Carleton College.

ABOUT THE NEW BOARD MEMBERS

Mary Gearen received a B.A. in Theater from her home state of Ohio’s College of Wooster, an M.A. in Theater History, Literature and Criticism from the Ohio State University, and an M.F.A. in Theater Performance from the University of Cincinnati, College-Conservatory of Music. She has enjoyed a 30+ year career in professional theater as an award-winning and nominated actor, director, and producer. She is a member of Actors’ Equity Association and continues to enjoy commercial and film work as well as directing and producing. She has directed, performed, and produced in Munich, Vienna and Salzburg, and from coast to coast including Off Broadway in NYC, and in Boston, Michigan, Ohio, Chicago, Door County, Minneapolis and Los Angeles. She has been honored to appear as a guest artist, and has given workshops, in acting and directing. She has served as an adjunct professor at University of Cincinnati, College-Conservatory of Music and as a Visiting Assistant Professor at Miami University of Ohio. Mary serves on the board of the Trueblood Performing Arts Center on Washington Island in Door County and the advisory board for the College of Arts and Sciences at University of St. Thomas. She was previously on the board of Theatre Latte Da. Mary founded MBG Productions, Inc. She enjoys putting people and projects together and exploring edgy new ideas. She loves to travel, play guitar, and mom to her daughter Molly.

Charlyne Hovi was born and raised in Fargo, ND where her great-grandmother had the first boarding house in the city of Fargo. Her education took place at the high school and college alma mater of her mother where she graduated from Oak Grove Lutheran High School in Fargo, N.D and is a college graduate of Concordia College, Moorhead, MN. She has held positions as an Art and English teacher in the Edina school system, a stockbroker with Merrill Lynch, and a banker with Marquette Bank, Minneapolis. Char opened Visual Arts in 1992 as a result of a good friend suggesting she put her financial and creative sides together in a business. Her daughters have also become entrepreneurs, two in California and one locally. Char has been active in all levels of community service, including the Governor’s Task Force for Minnesota Arts Education, MN Women’s Trade Mission to Egypt, serving on the boards of CarePartners and the Children’s Cancer Research Foundation (CCRF), the board of Ballet of the Dolls dance theater, Tyrone Guthrie Circle Committee and the vestry of St. Martin’s By the Lake Episcopal Church.

Ann McCague has served as Managing Director and Global Head of Compliance for Piper Jaffray Companies since 2005, a career path she has been on for the last 32 years. Ann is frequently asked to participate on industry conference panels and is a member of several regulatory and trade association committees. Ann, who grew up in Los Angeles, California, jumped at the chance to move to Minnesota in 1994, when she and her husband Scott were both offered the opportunity to relocate and enjoy the quality of life that the Midwest, and particularly Minneapolis, had to offer. Ann and Scott are the proud parents of two sons, Erik (21) and Peter (16). After the move to Minneapolis, Ann completed her undergraduate work by graduating from Augsburg College with a B.A. in English, minoring in Communications. As an Augsburg alumnus she later earned an M.A. in Leadership. Aside from her family, Ann’s interests include stage and theater (as a patron), travel, reading, and virtually anything outdoors.

Carla Paulson served for over 35 years in a variety of communications and human resources executive roles in the computer, utility and financial services industries. She recently retired as Executive Vice President of Human Resources at Bremer Financial Services, a regional banking and financial services organization jointly owned by employees and a charitable foundation. Throughout her career, Carla also focused her energy and passion on several nonprofit organizations. For over 25 years she has been a member of the Minnesota Region Board of Directors of the American Red Cross where she chaired numerous committees and served as Chair of the Board. She is also a founding member and former National Chair of the Tiffany Circle Society of Women Leaders which has raised over $70 million for the American Red Cross in the past 7 years. She also served on The Loft Literary Board of Directors; the Guthrie Circle Development Committee; HealthPartners Executive Compensation Committee; and as a mentor at the University of Minnesota's Carlson School of Management. Carla holds a Bachelor's degree in Journalism and a Master's degree in Human Resources, both from the University of Minnesota.

Steve Richardson was named Director of the Arts at Carleton College in 2007. At Carleton, he is charged with programming the interdisciplinary Weitz Center for Creativity and facilitating innovative curricular collaborations both among the arts departments and between the arts and other disciplines.  Previously, Richardson was the long-time Producing Director of Theatre de la Jeune Lune, creating work in the Company’s award-winning downtown Minneapolis theatre as well as in partnership with artistic institutions around the community and the country including the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, Minnesota Orchestra, Minnesota Dance Theatre, Yale Repertory Theatre, American Repertory Theatre, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, and the La Jolla Playhouse.  Under his leadership, Jeune Lune won the 2005 Tony Award for Excellence in Regional Theatre. Steve is a frequent guest speaker at other colleges around the country, a grant panelist, and has served on the Boards of Pangea World Theater, the Warehouse District Business Association, the Alliance Francaise of Minneapolis and St. Paul, and the Northfield Arts and Culture Commission.  In 1999 he was named one of CityBusiness’s “40 Under 40.”  Steve lives in Orono with his wife Sarah and two daughters.