Aimée M. Petrin (she/her)
Executive & Artistic Director
Aimée has been with Ovations since 2006 and feels blessed to work in such a creative community alongside incredible colleagues, a committed board, fascinating artists and partners near and far who believe in the power of performance to transform lives. She is grateful to regularly serve alongside inspiring peers on local, regional and national arts boards and grants panels. She is currently a member of the University of Southern Maine Board of Visitors and previously served on the board of the Association for Performing Arts Professionals, the Bates Dance Festival Advisory Board, the Maine Arts Commission, Arts Presenters of Northern New England and as an advisor to the National Dance Project. Aimée is energized most by spending time with her kiddo.
Casey Oakes (he/him)
Associate Director
Casey grew up in Maine and returned to the state after a decade of work and study throughout the United States and Ireland. Highlights of his career include Cape May Stage, Gloucester Stage, Good Theater and the Bowdoin International Music Festival. Casey currently serves on the board of directors at the Portland Conservatory of Music, Visit Portland and previously the Portland Ballet. He is a graduate of the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Washington and completed a Master’s in Nonprofit Management at the Muskie School of Public Service. Casey is fueled by an intense passion for the arts, recognizing their profound capacity to unite people and drive toward a more equitable tomorrow. He loves tasty restaurants, long hikes, strong martinis, and great movies. He lives in South Portland with his dog Storm and wife Tanay. He has been with Ovations since 2019.
Mary Campbell (she/her)
Office Administrator
Mary is a long-time employee of Ovations and has held several roles since joining the organization in 2005. Mary has dedicated her life to non-profit work and her past tenures include work at Maine Public, Hebron Academy, and Vermont Law School. Mary is a graduate of Saint Joseph’s College of Maine and currently serves on the Alumni Board of Directors at the College. She lives in Cumberland with her husband Will and their fat cat Chloe, and has two grown daughters. In her free time Mary likes to craft, read and bake.
Katie Day (she/her)
Director of Communications
Katie grew up in Maine, participating in all kinds of sports, including collegiate track and field at the University of Southern Maine. Prior to joining Ovations in 2019, Katie worked with MoCo Arts in Keene, NH, a nonprofit dedicated to transforming lives through theater and dance. It was there that a love for performing arts marketing was discovered and nurtured. Katie lives in Biddeford with her wife and 2 cats, and is always looking forward to the next set of outdoor activities the change in seasons bring.
Katelyn Manfre (she/her)
Director of Community Programs & Partnerships
Katelyn came to Ovations in 2021 after a busy professional life in theater, education and arts administration. She spent 15 years acting, teaching and generally immersing herself in the performing arts scenes of New York City and Washington D.C. Most recently, she served as the Humanities Program Coordinator for the Folger Shakespeare Library, curating outreach events across the institution. She holds a B.F.A. from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts and an M.F.A. from the George Washington University. Katelyn grew up in southern New Hampshire and is thrilled to be settled in Maine with her husband, daughter, and occasionally chaotic dog, Hooper. She is always on the hunt for great new hiking spots, dining experiences and board games.
Liz Schildkret (she/her)
Director of School & Family Programs
Liz came to Ovations in 2022 from Washington, D.C. where she served as Assistant Manager for Theater Education at the Kennedy Center. As a theater educator, Liz specializes in drama-based instruction and has worked with students and teachers in theater, music, language arts, social studies, science, and math, as well as English Language Learners. She holds an MFA in Drama and Theater for Youth and Communities from the University of Texas at Austin, and a Ph.D. in Theater for Youth from Arizona State University. She loves hiking and cooking elaborate meals with her husband, Ben, and spoiling her grumpy cat, Gus.
Eric Hager (he/him)
Production Manager
In the way-back times, before joining Ovations in 2021, Eric worked at Lincoln Center in the summers, and toured the rest of the year. To date he has played 49 states (he still needs to do a show in Vermont), and a dozen different countries on six continents. This included a corporate ladder climb at Holland America Line, where he finished as the Dread Pirate Roberts in the entertainment department, managing projects and events and entertainment systems. In that time, he and spouse Carol raised two amazing kids, gardened, parented Fionn the Wheaten terrier and ran a bunch of marathons. His most ardent wish is for a few more hours in the day.
Nicole Byrne (they/she)
Foundations & Major Gifts Manager
Nicole arrived in Maine by way of Kansas, by way of Maine, by way of New Jersey. Prior to joining Ovations, they served Portland’s arts community as Mayo Street Arts’ Advancement & Communications Manager, and supported Maine’s local food economy through marketing and community engagement work at the Portland Food Co-op. Nicole has earned their BFA (UMaine Farmington) and MFA (Wichita State University) in Creative Writing, focusing on poetry. Don’t ask them who their favorite writer is — it changes all the time. Nicole brings over a decade and a half of writing, editing, development, and marketing experience gathered from positions and freelance projects in the fields of literary publishing, journalism, and teaching, just to name a few. Her work has spanned across wide and varied topics including storytelling festivals, luxury Italian yarn, and humanitarian causes. Outside of Ovations, you can typically find Nicole enacting culinary experiments, messing around with indie games, or befriending neighborhood cats.
Clarissa Shirley (she/her)
Development Manager
Clarissa hails from the Jersey Shore but spent the past two years working professionally in Washington, D.C. She worked at Studio Theatre supporting the development of Contemporary Plays and New Work, and Shakespeare Theatre Company where she built exciting events connected to the classical canon. She holds a degree from Muhlenberg College in directing and English. It is extremely important to Clarissa that people from all walks of life feel welcome and celebrated while attending live performances. Clarissa is an Intimacy Director with a focus on advocacy work for youth. She loves cooking new pasta recipes and meeting new cows, ponies, and puppies, though hopefully not at the same time. Clarissa is incredibly competitive at one sport, and that sport is badminton.
Ciara Neidlinger (she/her)
Artist Services & Production Coordinator
Ciara is a USM Grad with a Theater major, and Business administration minor. She comes to us via Maine State Music Theatre, and Maddy’s Theater at the Children’s Museum & Theatre of Maine. She has experience with the Holiday Inn by the Bay where she worked as the front desk supervisor, as well as hotel properties in the Seattle area. She has experience as a stage manager, and a stage hand, as well as a background in performance. She lives in South Portland, knits, and enthusiastically watches the Gilmore Girls.
