Board of Directors

Jackie Stewart Hammond, President

Jackie is an ariZoni award-winning Music Director who has received 11 ariZoni award nominations and 3 NYA award nominations. She has been teaching music and theatre for over twenty years. She graduated with honors from San Jose State University where she majored in Creative Arts and minored in Musical Theatre. Jackie is a graduate of the American Musical Theater Artists’ Institute where she rigorously trained in voice, dance, and acting, as well as Shakespeare, improvisation, and stage combat. She also spent a summer studying opera with the chairman of the music department from Manhattan School of Music in New York City.

Jackie has extensive experience in the performing arts and professional theatre where she has played leading roles in many musical productions, and has also received an ariZoni nomination for her portrayal of Cinderella in Into the Woods. Other favorite roles have included Gino/Harpo Marx (Day in Hollywood/Night in the Ukraine), Lily and Miss Hannigan (Annie), Cathy (Last Five Years), and the Witch (Into the Woods). Jackie has worked with all ages in theatrical performances from age five through adult. She composed original arrangements of many musical theater songs for San Jose State University’s Touring Group, “Company One” where in her college years, she performed with them, as well.

Jackie has vocal directed, directed, and choreographed for many theatres in California and Arizona, including one of the nation's largest youth theaters in San Jose. Directing and performing experience includes well over seventy shows to her credit with prestigious theaters such as American Musical Theatre of San Jose (Equity Theater, over 2600 seat house), Cabrillo Stage, Foothill Music Theatre, This Side of the Hill Players, Second Stage West, University Theater, Desert Foothills Theater, Theaterworks, West Bay Opera, Children’s Musical Theatre of San Jose, Young People’s Theater, and iTheatre Collaborative and Arizona Broadway Theater performing in Jeff Kennedy’s Christmas Cabaret.

Jackie has held many titles including Miss Santa Clara County and was third runner-up in Miss California State. She has participated in and judged countless California state scholarship and talent competitions, as well as talent competitions in Arizona. In addition to being involved with theater, Jackie has been a classroom teacher and Reading Specialist. Jackie has also taught music in schools for many years. She teaches private voice lessons, and her students have performed professionally and in national tours. In addition to Jackie’s musical talents, she is married to her husband, Jeff, and they have twin children who are the lights of her life. It has always been Jackie’s dream to open her own theater and she thanks everyone for their wonderful support.

Jeff Hammond, Vice President

Jeff brings with him extensive business education and years of work experience. He has been working in the business and technology fields for the past 16+ years and is currently working in the Technologies department of a Fortune 500 financial services company. Jeff has a MBA in Technology Management from the University of Colorado and a Bachelor's Degree in Entrepreneurial Management from San Francisco State University where he graduated with honors. He also completed a semester of study at the International Arnhem Business School in the Netherlands.

In addition to working for a large corporation for the past 16+ years, Jeff has many years of experience working for small, start-up companies in a variety of roles including Marketing Manager, Quality Assurance Manager, and Office Manager.

Justin Carlson

Justin attended Arizona State for his undergraduate degree , earning a Bachelor's of Science (Cum Laude) with Honors. He also earned his Master's of Business Administration (MBA) from ASU - WP Carey School of Business with a specialty in Finance. Justin spent 5 years working for Wells Fargo both as a branch manager and an Officer in their trust services department. He held the position of VP of Sales & Marketing for a Financial Services wholesale company and grew the company from $36 million per year in New Assets to over $300 million in his final year. Justin currently owns and manages a Financial planning and tax office in the Northwest Valley. They are also partners in (2) Majerle's Sports Bars in Goodyear and Scottsdale. He has 2 children - McKenna and Brett. Justin and his wife, Joy, love Anthem, the community and the blessings of great neighbors and friends

Gloria Foy

Gloria moved from New York to Arizona back in 1992. She lived in Tennessee from 2000-2003 with her husband and returned to AZ in 2003. Gloria worked as a project manager for several home building companies in both Arizona and Tennessee. She enjoys spending time with her family, volunteering at her son's school. Her strong organizational skills and take charge attitude help her as Box Office Manager and when she show coordinates several shows a season at MTA.

Chris Cioffi

Chris has lived in the Phoenix-area for over 40 years, the last 12 years in the Tramonto area. He earned his AA degree in Finance from Scottsdale Community College, a BS degree in Management from Arizona State University and his MBA from the University of Phoenix. Chris spent over 20 years at American Express Company, where he was Vice President in both Finance and Global Technologies. Chris left American Express in 2007 to start a technology consulting company that he helped grow from being a start up to over $2M in annual revenue and 20 employees. Chris sold his interest in the company in 2018 and currently works for Arizona Supreme Court as a Senior Project Manager. Chris has two children, Nick and Adrianna. Adrianna participated in a dozen MTA productions while she was attending elementary school. He enjoys hiking and is an avid fan of all the local sports teams.

Alison Westerlind

For over 14 years Alison has been working in college counseling and secondary education. She has served as Headmaster for a college prep middle school and high school from 2014-2018. Prior to that, she was an Assistant Headmaster and Director of College Counseling. Alison now works as a leadership coach, helping develop healthy and successful leadership teams at schools around the valley, and is co-founder and principal consultant of Ascent College Consulting where she assists high school students and families through the college admissions process.

Alison has been involved in the performing arts for most of her life having studied dance as a child and continuing through college and beyond. She was also active in theatre and speech throughout her childhood. Her passion for dance and assisting others took her to Hope College in Michigan where she earned a bachelor's degree in Dance and Psychology. She has experience teaching dance to students of all ages and performed with two dance companies while in college. She later went on to earn a master's degree in Education from Northern Arizona University. Today, she still does enjoy dusting off her tap and jazz shoes every now and then.

Alison lives in Tramonto with her husband and three children, and she enjoys staying active, mentoring others, and continuing to learn and grow personally and professionally.

Shannon McCarthy

Shannon has lived in Phoenix since she was 10 and attended Horizon High School in Scottsdale. She attended college at Northern Arizona University and obtained her Bachelor's degree in Accounting. Upon graduation, Shannon began her accounting career at Deloitte & Touche in Phoenix as a public auditor. She currently provides accounting services for small businesses in the Phoenix area as well as a local charter school. Shannon lives in Sonoran Foothills with her husband, Travis, and two kids, Tanner and Payton. In her free time, Shannon loves to travel with her family, cheer on the Arizona Cardinals, and watch her son play golf and her daughter perform on stage.