Synchronicity Announces New Staff And Board

Synchronicity Theatre has announced their appointment of the new staff and board.

Dynamic arts administrator & educator Dawn Eskridge joins Synchronicity Theatre as the Donor & Patron Services Manager, while Taryn Carmona remains with the organization in a new, expanded position, as the new Education Director. Additionally, joining the Synchronicity staff is Marketing & Communications Director Jasmine Reese. The new board members include Terry Burrell, Rob Clark, Daphne Mintz, Seda Pazarbasi, Jason D. Rosenberg, Rahsaan Shears, & Dr. RJ Verwayne.

The new staff leadership continues the theatre's healthy culture and distinguishable legacy and dedication to representation that inspires powerful discourse, sparks imaginations, and provides tools to translate that inspiration into action. The staff additions represent strategic growth for the organization as we continue to invest in our education programming, and bring our external communications in house while expanding our overall marketing and patron experience.

The new additions to the board demonstrate our continued commitment to dynamic board members who come from a variety of sectors, including artists. The makeup of our board continues our long-time commitment to diversity across ethnicity, age, professional experience, sexual orientation and perspectives. This is our largest 'incoming board class' in recent years, and will be our largest overall board to date.

About the New Staff:

DAWN ESKRIDGE- DONOR AND PATRON SERVICES MANAGER

Synchronicity welcomes Dawn Eskridge as the theatre's Donor & Patron Services Manager. For the past two years, Dawn has served as the Production Manager for the Southeast Emmy® Award-winning High School Musical Theatre Awards: The Shuler Hensley Awards, produced by the ArtsBridge Foundation in Atlanta, Georgia. Previous roles include Production Manager for the Department of Theatre and Performance Studies at Kennesaw State University and Director of Ticketing for Victory Gardens Theater in Chicago, Illinois.

With over 20 years of diverse theatre, education, and administration experience, her core competencies include Project and Event Management, Strategic Planning, Program Creation and Management, Staff and Student Development and Training, Budget Management, and Data Analysis.

She received her B.S. in Theatre Education from Florida A & M University, and a Master's degree in Public Administration with a concentration in Non-Profit Management from Kennesaw State University. Passionate about improving opportunities for underserved youth, Dawn recently developed arts programming for the ArtsBridge Foundation in partnership with the YMCA of Metro Atlanta.

JASMINE REESE- COMMUNICATIONS AND MARKETING DIRECTOR

Joining the Synchronicity Theatre as the Marketing and Communications Director, Jasmine Reese is a communications strategist with expertise in digital marketing, brand development, strategy and planning, and public relations. She is responsible for developing communication strategies that help advance the Theatre's efforts to catalyze broad impact through the sharing of effective ideas and practices. These strategies include publications, partnerships and relationship development, Web marketing, social media, media outreach, audience development, and increasing brand presence.

Prior to joining Synchronicity, she was the Strategic Communications Specialist at Alabama State University in Montgomery, AL, where he helped raise the college's profile and led the crafting of its first strategic plan for athletics. Previously, she was the Communications Liaison of college public relations at Alabama A&M University, and the Sales and Promotions Director at Tennessee State University.

Jasmine earned a Master's of Science in Communications Specialist and Marketing from Alabama A&M University, and a B.S. in Mass Communications and Integrated Marketing from Tennessee State University

Taryn Carmona- EDUCATION DIRECTOR

Taryn Carmona has over 18 years along of hands-on experience and a passion for educating and inspiring students through the arts She has been fortunate to have had the opportunity to perform, teach, and work administratively in the theatre before and since graduating with a BFA (musical theatre, 2007) and MBA (management, 2009).

Since moving to Atlanta she has been blessed to have many opportunities to work in arts education and management, including as the head of the Atlanta Jewish Academy Theatre department, and as the founder of 360 Arts Blvd, Inc., an organization dedicated to uplifting creative entrepreneurship by supporting both young and professional creatives. Her work with refugee and group home girls and challenging populations has inspired me to become a mentor to young students well after they have left her classrooms.

Through the years she has gained valuable knowledge in instruction and arts management and, more so, an unwavering appreciation for the sweat equity it takes to produce not only beautiful works of art, but strong, beautiful, well-rounded individuals as well. In 2016 she founded 360 Arts Blvd, Inc., helping creatives have the confidence to live out their dreams. 360artsblvd.com

Taryn, now transitioning into the education director position, has been a part of the Synchro family since 2011 as an actor and teaching artist for the Playmaking for Kids program- a program she helped develop and launch. With this new position, she will continue to take Synchronicity's education programs and impact to the next level, across the Greater Atlanta area.

About the New Board Members:

Terry Burrell- Actor, Writer

Terry Burrell is a nationally recognized actor who calls Georgia home. Her one-woman show "ETHEL" was last seen at The Alliance Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia in the Spring of 2016, not to mention, she offered a dynamic one woman show as part of our 4x4 productions presented last fall at Synchronicity. We are excited to have a locally based artist considered for our board.

Terry's long, varied theatrical career includes Broadway runs of Three Penny Opera; Thoroughly Modern Millie; Swinging On A Star; Into The Woods; Just So Stories; Dreamgirls; Honky Tonk Nights; Eubie; and the London 1998 original cast of Show Boat.

Terry has also in NYC Off-Broadway, and on national tours, including: Almost Heaven; Lady Day; Taking A Chance On Love; And The World Goes Round, Copacabana; Grand Night for Singing; Bubbling Brown Sugar; Showboat, and Eubie.

Regionally, Terry has worked on many stages, including at most of the theatres in Atlanta, including Ethel; Ever After; Angry Raucous And Shamelessly Gorgeous; Hospice/Pointing At The Moon; Lady Day At Emerson's Bar And Grill; Candide; Cinderella And Fella; Crowns; Man Of La Mancha; Up From Paradise;Sophisticated Ladies; Ain't Misbehavin'; A Christmas Carol; Oklahoma; The Women Of Brewster Place; Thunder Knocking At The Door; Cinderella; Smokey Joes Café; Time And Again; Jar The Floor; Brownie Points; Mahalia, Boys From Syracuse; Sheila's Day; Da Kink In My Hair. Terry has also performed in concerts with the Duke Ellington Orchestra Venice; Oslo Norway Jazz Festival; and the Portland Oregon Jazz Festival.

ROB CLARK- Senior Manager, Protiviti

Rob Clark is a Senior Manager at Protiviti's Atlanta office and part of their Risk & Compliance practice. He has practiced as an attorney for 11 years and specifically focused on regulatory compliance for the last 7 years.

Rob's experience includes advising banks, lenders, loan servicers, and other financial services institutions on multi-state and federal lending and loan servicing laws. Prior to joining Protiviti, Rob served as outside counsel while working in a law firm, and as an internal compliance manager for an international mortgage, real estate, financial, and technology services public company. Prior to attending law school, Rob worked in a variety of social work settings including community mental health and homeless services.

Rob is married to former Synchronicity Board member, Elizabeth Gingold Clark and has enjoyed supporting Synchronicity for years. In his free time, he enjoys playing and recording music.

DAPHNE MINTZ- Playwright

Daphne Mintz is an Atlanta-based playwright, dramaturg, and producer dedicated to the mission of developing new works. As a proud supporter of the Jo Howarth Noonan Foundation, Daphne is especially supportive of works featuring protagonist roles for female-identifying actors over age 40. You can learn more about her work as a playwright by visiting: https://newplayexchange.org/users/30000/daphne-mintz

Currently, employed by Honeywell, Daphne works as a Product Manager where she focuses on solving problems with software solutions. Check out her professional journey on her web page, www.daphnemintz.com or on LinkedIn. A lover of education, Daphne has earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English with a concentration in Creative Writing and Minor in History, a Master of Science degree in Human-Computer Interaction, and in 2020 received a Certificate in Software Engineering. (Yes, there is another website in progress!). A lover of music, Daphne plays the cello, and recently has taken up electric bass lessons. She has extended her love of music to her work as a playwright by joining up with composer Mark Swanson to collaborate on her play, Her Last Expedition (featured in the 2021 Stripped Bare Arts Incubator Project line-up!)

Daphne is a proud member of the Dramatist Guild of America, the Literary Managers and Dramaturgs of the Americas, Working Title Playwrights, Women in Tech, and Ladies that UX.

SEDA PAZARBASI (se-DA pa-ZAR-ba-shih) - President, Ignite Insights Consulting

Seda Pazarbazi is the President and Founder of Ignite Insights Consulting assisting strategy, marketing and advertising teams in accomplishing their objectives through subject matter expertise, custom research and data analysis.

Seda is the former Vice President of Strategic Insights & Analytics at the American Cancer Society where she led research for the brand, incorporating key trends, analytics, market and consumer learnings into strategy and growth. She is also the former Global Marketing Strategy and Insights Director at The Coca-Cola Company. Prior to this role, she was the Multicultural Marketing Center of Excellence Director at Coca-Cola North America. Previously she was the Strategic Brand Planning and Research Director for BBDO. She has also held roles of increasing responsibility in various research positions with organizations including Nielsen and Citibank.

She holds a Master of Business Administration in marketing and e-commerce, as well as a Bachelor of Science in engineering and business administration. Seda lives in the Virginia Highlands area of Atlanta with her husband, three young kids, a puppy, and two leopard geckos.

JASON D. ROSENBERG- Partner, Alston & Bird

Jason is an intellectual property partner at Alston & Bird where he leads the firm's Trademark & Copyright Group. A 1997 graduate of Emory University, he went on to earn his law degree in 2001 from Northwestern.

He has been honored to serve as pro bono counsel to Synchronicity on some recent IP matters. His wife Jennifer, whom he met during law school, is also an attorney in Atlanta. They have two daughters in high school, Madeleine and Addison, and live in Sandy Springs.

Though his whole family are life-long theatre fans, Jason's only acting experience was in his high school's production of Joseph & the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Though his performance was wholly forgettable, he can still recite all 29 colors of the coat.

RAHSAAN SHEARS- Principal, KPMG

Rahsaan Spears, a KPMG Principal, leads strategic programs with a human centered approach to deliver business impact in an ever changing digital economy providing the leadership required to enable her clients to achieve and exceed their strategic imperatives. A leader in KPMG's Transformation Delivery practice with 20+ years of experience Rahsaan brings the breadth of her experience, business savvy and creativity to the table to solve her client's greatest business challenges.

As a Consulting professional, Rahsaan has overseen strategic projects in various functions with top global companies. She has led over 52 program delivery teams supporting global implementations, transformation initiatives and other digital strategy efforts.

As an account leader, Rahsaan has overseen strategic realization in the areas of IT, Customer Care, Sales & Marketing, Compliance, Supply Chain and Process Optimization. Projects have included finance transformations, product launches, regulatory compliance initiatives, and large-scale systems implementations.

Dr. RAUSHANNAH JOHNSON-VERWAYNE- Founder, Standard of Care Psychological Services, LLC

Dr. Raushannah, also known as "Dr. RJ" is a licensed clinical psychologist and the founder of Standard of Care Psychological Services, in Atlanta, GA. Dr. RJ focuses on the assessment and treatment of common disorders such as depression, anxiety and trauma. She integrates education of the brain and body connection and explains neuroscience in a relatable manner.

She is a proud alumna of North Carolina A&T State University and earned her doctorate degree in Clinical Psychology from the Georgia School of Professional Psychology. She is the "go-to" professional for any and all topics pertaining to mental health. She has appeared as the expert psychologist on the Lifetime series Killer Kids, Oxygen Network series Snapped: Behind Bars, and on several episodes of the docu-crime series For My Man on TV One. She is the host of "Wellness Wednesday" for KPRS Hot 103 Jamz in Kansas City, and she has authored several blogs and articles for a variety of publications.

As an African-American woman, Dr. RJ recognizes the unique impact of stress on her demographic. Author of the number one new release in clinical psychology, Stress, Lies and Vacancy: The Self Care Guide to Refill Your Empty Vessel and of the recently published book, Overwhelmed: The Self-Care Guide for College Students, Dr. RJ's experiences and transparency provides self-help for people of color to reduce common stressors in their lives that have long term effects on the body and brain. Dr. RJ's favorite quote is "Self-care isn't selfish. You can't serve from an empty vessel".

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