Board of Trustees and Staff

Click on an individual’s name to learn more about them!

Christine Smith

President

Board of Trustees

Christine Donohue Smith is a university fundraiser with executive experience at Purdue, Lehigh and Georgetown universities, and served as Chief Advancement Officer of the Carnegie Institution of Washington. She holds a B.A. in Sociology from Tulane University and an M.S. in Education from Purdue University.

She has served on a number of boards including the YMCA, the Boys and Girls Club of Bethlehem PA (President) and the Marshall Legacy Institute in Washington DC,  and has led numerous community and professional organizations. She has received the Robinson Award for Outstanding Performance at Lehigh University, the Fundraiser of the Year from the Northeastern Pennsylvania Chapter of the Council of Fundraising Executives, and the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education’s Lifetime Achievement Award. Smith was the founder and chair of the Second Sunday Concert Series in Bethlehem, PA.

An avid lover of music and theater, Smith has sung in numerous choirs and performed in children’s plays. She lives in Lutz, with her husband, Chuck, and close to her two sons and their families.

Judith Sachs

Vice President

Board of Trustees

Judith Sachs is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in private practice in North Tampa. Originally from Minneapolis, Minnesota, she received both her bachelor and master degrees from The University of Minnesota, and relocated to Florida in 1983.

She has assumed leadership positions including past President and current Membership Chair of Congregation Kol Ami. She chaired the Capital Campaign for The Hillel Academy and served on the Board of Tampa Jewish Family Services. Judith also does consulting work for various companies such as Pinellas County Schools and The Ford Motor Company. 

She has always loved theatre, from her first acting experience as both the director and the character “Lady Ghastley” in “The Last of The Ghastleys” while in 6th grade, to her current community theatre experiences. She has been acting at CWP since 2004 and served on the Board of Trustees from 2011-2016. She has two sons, Matthew & Benjamin & loves her new position as “Nana” to Davis and Marlowe Pila.

Pamela Senk

Treasurer

Board of Trustees

Pamela Senk is retired from a 40 year career in the Financial Services/Insurance industry. During her career she was a Registered Representative for Transamerica Financial Advisors and Allstate Financial Services. She was also Director of Advanced Marketing Business Development for Western Reserve Life in St. Petersburg, FL.
She holds a B.A. in Liberal Arts from the University of Connecticut and a M.B.A. from the University of Hartford. Her professional designations include Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU) and Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC)
She served on the Board of Directors for the Greater Hartford Jaycees and their charitable foundation. She was also on the board of the Tampa Volunteer Center, previously affiliated with the United Way. A former President and Treasurer of her Homeowners Association, she currently chairs their Architectural Review Committee.
She volunteers for the Food Pantry at her church and supports the literacy philanthropic programs from her national sorority, Pi Beta Phi. Pam and her husband Jim (deceased) moved to Tampa in 1983. She now lives in Westchase.

Chris Combie

Secretary

Board of Trustees

Chris Combie is an academician, consultant, organist, translator/interpreter, and board-certified therapist. He’s worked at the University of South Florida (USF) in multiple roles since 2010 and is currently the University Accreditation Liaison and Director of Institutional Effectiveness in the Offices of the Provost and Decision Support. Prior to USF, he worked in professional practice as a board-certified music therapist at Calhoun County Medical Care Facility in Battle Creek, Michigan and served as an Adjunct Professor of Music Therapy at Western Michigan University. While pursuing graduate studies, he served as a Spanish language translator for a national bank in their Kalamazoo headquarters. Prior to Kalamazoo, he worked in higher education administration (enrollment management and academic records) in the early 2000s at Andrews University in Berrien Springs, MI.

In his spare time, Chris serves as the Music Minister at Tampa First Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) Church and organist at East Pasco SDA Church in Zephyrhills. Chris is an avid Broadway and opera lover who supports the arts locally and has had experience on stage (Cabaret (Emceee), Man of La Mancha (muleteer)) and in the orchestra pit (Crazy for You, Dreamgirls).

Chris holds post graduate certificates in Leadership in Higher Education and Program Evaluation. He’s taught college teaching and the professoriate at the doctoral level, student affairs courses at the master’s level, and academic foundations and university experience courses at the baccalaureate level. B.A., Spanish Studies & Music, Andrews University; M.Mus., Music Therapy, Western Michigan University; Ph.D., Curriculum & Instruction: Higher Education Administration, University of South Florida.

Gabriela “GG” Guerrero

Member

Board of Trustees

Gabriela “GG” Guerrero is a corporate instructor for a leading global aviation company. Developing the skills and confidence of personnel in a caring and efficient environment is her daily goal. She is an accomplished business consultant with experience in media relations, public relations, marketing, event management, and customer service.

GG was born in Lima, Peru, and has lived in Tampa since 1983. She earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration-Management from the University of South Florida. Her proficiency in the French language was beneficial when she attended university level courses at the Sorbonne University in Paris, France. After her children left the nest, she obtained a second Bachelor‘s Degree in Communications.

As a child, GG dreamed of being on stage; she now feels her involvement “behind the scenes” is her true calling and passion. Being part of Carrollwood Players Theatre is a dream come true!

She joined the CWP family as a light/sound operator volunteer, and even though it was foreign to her, she became the “Light and Sound Goddess” (as described by CWP’s Managing Director Jim Russell) in no time. Always ready to master new skills and contribute, GG also assists with front of house management, fundraising, and marketing.

GG is delighted to offer her experience, dedication, generosity, enthusiasm, loyalty, and professionalism as a Board Member.

Emily Nettnin

Member

Board of Trustees

Emily Nettnin graduated from Lenoir-Rhyne University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Theatre Arts and Communication. In 2008, she received a Masters in Fine Arts degree from UNC School of the Arts in Performing Arts Management (Arts Administration) and has worked in the marketing and development arena for different arts organizations as well as teaching an Arts in Education class for graduate students at UNC School of the Arts for over 10 years. Emily was the Development Manager at Bok Tower Gardens where she was responsible for development initiatives including annual fund appeals, special events, grant writing and overseeing the Gardens’ membership program (1100 members). She has taught middle school drama at Progress Village Middle Magnet School of the Arts in Brandon and elementary art at Dayspring Academy in New Port Richey.

Regarding her theatre work, Emily is a product of many years of instruction, practice and guidance from Ruth Eckerd Hall’s PACT Institute in Clearwater, Florida. Some of her directing credits include ‘Night Mother, Unnecessary Farce, Jekyll & Hyde, Eleemosynary, 9 to 5, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown. Emily’s acting experiences include Kate Keller in All My Sons, Karen Nash in Plaza Suite, Annie Clark in Calendar Girls, Louise Seeger in Always…Patsy Cline, Chelsea Thayer Wayne in On Golden Pond, Jeri Neal in Dixie Swim Club, DL Hutchison in Who’s Wives Are They Anyway?, and Julia Budder in It’s Only a Play. She has also been a professional puppeteer for Disney and an instructor for Ruth Eckerd Hall and the North Pinellas YMCA’s summer theatre classes. Emily was recently the director of Carrollwood
Players production of Clybourne Park.

Ann K. Lehman

Member

Board of Trustees

Ann K Lehman has been involved with theatre most of her life. Born and raised in the Detroit area, she started in elementary school in the chorus of HMS Pinafore. In high school she continued her “affair” with musical theatre and then went on to study the arts in college. Earning a BS in mass communications, her first job was as a morning DJ. She then moved on to retail where she became a supervisor and merchandising manager for a major retail company. However, her desire to do theatre and travel won out and she became a travel agent. Working 9 to 5 allowed her to return to community theatre in Colorado. There she participated in numerous productions not only as an actor, but as a producer, set designer and director. She also was a part of the Board of Directors for Longmont Theatre Company as they bought their own building!

Moving to Florida in 2003,  she started with MAD Theatre before bringing her talents to CWP. Here she has again, acted, directed, produced and generally did anything she could. She even joined the board and eventually became its President. Due to term limitations, Ann left the board to concentrate on directing and acting. Having been “covid” retired, Ann is excited to be back on the Board and work to take CWP to new heights.

Sandy Cunnagin

Member

Board of Trustees

Sandy retired from a diverse career that included owning a Miami based technology consulting firm, serving as Vice President of privately-held, real estate and investment banking conglomerate in Chicago, Senior Manager at a ‘Big 6’ accounting firm, and finally retiring after serving 12 years as CFO of a privately held site construction company.

She has also served on the boards of several non-profit organizations and as Campaign Finance Treasurer for a Hillsborough County BOCC Candidate. She holds a B.A. in Management Information Systems and Accounting from Barry University, and an M.S. in Business Administration from the University of South Florida.

She was inducted into Phi Kappa Phi and Beta Gamma Sigma and graduated from both schools Summa Cum Laude. A 20-year resident of Carrollwood Village, Sandy moved to Tampa from Chicago in 1997. Growing up in New York City, she was exposed to theater and the arts at an early age and is delighted about the opportunity to contribute her organizational and business management skills to Carrollwood Players Theatre.

Jim Russell

Managing Director

Jim Russell became Carrollwood Players Theatre’s first full-time Managing Director in April of 2018, following nearly a decade of volunteer service to the organization.

As a CWP volunteer, he served two terms on the Board of Trustees, chaired the marketing committee, served on the show selection and fundraising committees, and was the Volunteer Coordinator and Box Office Manager. He has also written, directed, produced, stage managed or performed in more than 50 CWP Mainstage and Black Box productions.

A native of upstate New York, Jim grew up in Washington, DC before relocating to Florida in 1986 to study theatre at the State College of Florida. After college, he completed a year-long professional theatre administration internship at Florida Studio Theatre in Sarasota, FL, where he also worked as a Marketing Associate for the Asolo Center for the Performing Arts.

Jim toured the United States as the Company Manager for Children’s Musical Theatre of Alabama, and was the Founding Artistic Director of The Six Legged Theatre Company, which was featured in a nationally televised PBS documentary in 2006.

During his 35-year career in theatre performance, production, and administration, Jim somehow found time to squeeze in a 20-year career as a professional Tour Director for the travel agency division of the American Automobile Association. In 2001, he received the President’s Award of Excellence for his efforts to protect the welfare of American citizens in Athens, Greece in the immediate aftermath of the 9/11 attacks. Jim remains an avid traveler and has visited more than 50 countries. He can’t wait to add to the list.

David Fraga

Finance Manager

David is native to the Tampa Bay Area and credits his upbringing and schooling in the local area with his continued commitment to the community. After college, David worked locally for the Department of Labor for thirteen years. He actively worked with the public to provide services available through the State. David moved on to work with AT&T in the State of Texas. At AT&T, David was responsible for program management within the Network Operations division of the company.

Upon his return to Florida, David provided business optimization consulting services and served as Finance Manager for a local Home Mortgage Service Company. Prior to joining the CWP staff, he was actively involved with the organization as a volunteer actor, producer, and stage manager, and served as Treasurer on the Board of Trustees. David utilizes his expertise in finance and business optimization to oversee the financial health of CWP.

About our Board of Trustees

The Carrollwood Players Theatre Board of Trustees is comprised of a diverse group of volunteers who are passionate about leveraging their experience and perspectives in support of great community theatre for all.

The Board of Trustees generally meets at 7 p.m. on the 4th Tuesday of every other month. 

MEETING MINUTES

August, 2023

May, 2023

March, 2023

January, 2023

November, 2022

September, 2022

August, 2022

July, 2022

May, 2022

April, 2022

March, 2022

January, 2022

November, 2021

September, 2021

August, 2021

June, 2021

May, 2021

April, 2021

March, 2021

February, 2021

January, 2021

December, 2020

November, 2020

October, 2020

September, 2020

August, 2020