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 is a nonprofit executive, arts leader, writer, and advocate for Maine’s cultural sector. He has been with Ovations since 2019, helping lead one of the region’s premier performing arts organizations, overseeing initiatives in marketing, fundraising, and audience development. He also serves as Arts & Culture Editor for MyMaine Magazine. Casey has held leadership roles with the Bowdoin International Music Festival, Gloucester Stage Company, Good Theater, and Cape May Stage. He serves on the boards of the Portland Conservatory of Music and Visit Portland. He holds a degree in Theatre Arts and Creative Writing from the University of Puget Sound and a Master’s in Nonprofit Management from the Muskie School of Public Service. Casey is passionate about expanding access to the arts and their power to strengthen communities.
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 where she earned a BA in Media studies. 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 has recently served on the board of directors for Mad Horse Theatre Company, and was a 2024 graduate of the Leadership Portland program. Katie lives in greater Portland with her family, will occasionally talk to you about Crossfit, 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 Accessibility Coordinator
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. She previously served as the Humanities Program Coordinator for the Folger Shakespeare Library, curating outreach events across the institution and creating their popular Virtual Book Club—still going strong! She holds a BFA from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts and an MFA from the George Washington University. She works regularly as a performer and director in the local theater scene and currently serves on the Board of Directors for both Fenix Theatre Company here in Portland and the Peterborough Players in her hometown of Peterborough, NH. Katelyn lives in Portland with her husband, daughter, and occasionally chaotic dog, Hooper. Together, they are always on the hunt for new outdoor adventures, 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 in 2024, 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. Her work has spanned across wide and varied topics including storytelling festivals, luxury Italian yarn, and humanitarian causes. 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. Prior to joining Ovations in 2024, 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 grew up in Maine and holds a BA in Theater from the University of Southern Maine. Prior to joining the Ovations team in 2024, Ciara had been a performer with RWS Entertainment Group (Now RWS Global), Maine State Music Theater, Rochester Opera House, The Children’s Museum and Theater of Maine, and more. Her love for live performance also shows itself in behind the scenes work; Directing, Music Directing, and Stage Managing for local theaters and schools. When she’s not in a theater, Ciara and her husband cozy up in their home in Poland, ME, where they read a lot of Brandon Sanderson books and spoil their Australian Sheppard named Ava.