About

Meet the Team

The Gesa Power House Theatre team works together to design, create, produce, and support its mission to generate a strong, inclusive community through performing arts. Our small team includes a diverse mix of staff, contractors, and volunteers.

Gesa Power House Theatre Team:

Monica Boyle
Executive Director

Monica Boyle and her family moved to Walla Walla Valley in 2012. Monica has worked in Human Resources and Finance for the past 23 years where she gained valuable experience in teamwork and leadership. In 2016, Monica joined United Way of the Blue Mountains working in finance, and eventually transitioned to the role of Director of Development and Finance, growing her knowledge of local non-profits and fundraising across our region. Monica is an elected member of the City Council for College Place where she plays an active role in city engagement and processes. Monica comes to the Power House Theater of Walla Walla with a passion to make the arts accessible to every person in our valley, and being part of a team of incredible and creative professionals.

Monica and her husband love following their kids’ passions for sports, music, and building a lifetime of family memories. Monica loves to cook, knit, and spend time being part of the community she calls home.

Heather Schermann
Business and Operations Manager

Heather Schermann began working as the bookkeeper for Gesa Power House Theatre in 2015, has worked in the roles of Theatre Manager and Executive Director and is currently the Business and Operations Manager for the Power House nonprofit. She has served as a City Councilmember for the City of College Place since 2015, and is treasurer of the Walla Walla Exchange Club.

Heather loves to travel to attend concerts and Broadway shows. In 2019 she achieved her goal of visiting all 50 states.

Donna Ledford
Artistic Director

Donna Ledford is one of the Power House founders and has been a faithfully committed volunteer since 2007, helping in many capacities from Front of House to housing actors/performers. In 2017, she also began volunteering as the Artistic Director and loves communicating with our performers to set up their visits to Walla Walla. She now serves as a board member. Donna is a native Oregonian but has called Walla Walla home for many decades. Donna and her husband, Dennis, have owned and operated Coldwell Banker Walla Walla Walla Walla since 1979. She loves to travel, especially when it involves visiting her kids and her grandchildren.

Mary Aparicio Castrejón
Marketing Manager

Mary Aparicio Castrejón joined the team in 2022. She graduated from Walla Walla University with degrees in both English and Graphic Design. She spends most of her time exploring the Walla Walla wilderness with her dog, Kika, foraging for wild snacks and hiking. When indoors, she likes reading, writing, hosting candle-lit dinner parties, making art and playing the nearest instrument. Mary also enjoys traveling and hopes to one day say she’s visited every continent.

Kevin Coleman
Marketing/Web Guru

Kevin Coleman joined our team in 2022, at first to lend his skills as a web integrations developer. He grew into the role of a marketing specialist as well, and has been using his skills in web administration, email production, and graphic design to keep our online and local presences tip-top.

Kevin is a Walla Walla native—a graduate from Walla Walla University in 2009 with a Bachelor of Science in New Media Imaging. He spends his time with his family, teaching at the University, and also making ceramics.

See more of his projects here.

Becky Hatley
Production and Events Lead

Becky Hatley joined our team as Technical Director in 2018, and is responsible for coordinating schedules and resources needed for all events and rentals. Becky has a Master of Business Administration in Human Resources degree, and has turned her passion for the performing arts into a successful career through her work with local arts organizations.

In her spare time, Becky enjoys watching films and has a collection of more than 600 movies in her home library.

Alerionna Roberg
Front of House Lead

Alerionna grew up in the Walla Walla valley and, being a dancer, she’s always had a love for the performing arts and the beauty surrounding them. After graduating beauty school in 2019, she began a career in the beauty industry as an aesthetician. She loves spending her free time chasing around her nine month old, finding new baking recipes, spending time watching movies, and binging TV shows with her husband.

Warren Etheredge
Director of Film Programming

Warren Etheredge is a teacher, producer, author, playwright, interviewer, public speaker, and veteran festival programmer. He is one of the founding faculty of TheFilmSchool, helping filmmakers translate their stories for the screen, and The Red Badge Project, helping combat veterans work through PTSD and other issues by teaching them the art of storytelling.

Warren is the co-founder and artistic director of the Walla Walla Movie Crush festival of short films, and former curator of the 1 Reel Film Festival at Bumbershoot.

Jenna Ables
Consultant

Jenna Ables serves as a Fundraising and Nonprofit Consultant for Gesa Power House Theatre, where she helps to amplify the power of the arts. She has more than 10 years of experience in the nonprofit sector, with a background in animal welfare, communication, and recreation. She has a BA in Speech Communication and a MA of Communications Studies from Baylor University, and teaches "Strategies for Fundraising" at Walla Walla University.

Jenna and her husband, Austun, have a red dog and grey cat.


Alicia Ruiz
Housekeeping

Alicia Ruiz has worked at Gesa Power House Theatre since 2011 - she was our first employee! She works all (sometimes unusual) hours of the day to ensure that the theater is ready for each upcoming event.

Alicia loves to dance, enjoys attending live shows, and traveling to Mexico with her family. In her spare time, she spends time with her 5 children and 5 grandchildren. 

LeRae Templeton
House Manager

LeRae Templeton has volunteered at Gesa Power House Theatre since 2018, and now serves as our House Manager. Although she grew up in the valley, LeRae's 40-year career in the banking industry took her to Colfax, WA and Pullman, WA. She and her husband moved back to Walla Walla in 2011.

LeRae is currently the secretary/treasurer of the Youngsters Bowling League and enjoys spending time with her three adult children and five grandchildren.

Beth Kreger
Bartender

Beth Kreger has volunteered with Gesa Power House Theatre since the beginning! She has been an usher, worked in the box office, helped at will call, and is now our head bartender. Since she retired from her career as a dental hygienist, she spends her time volunteering for Catholic Charities Walla Walla, Meals on Wheels, the YWCA, and AAUW. Beth also serves as president of Shakespeare Walla Walla's board of directors. 

Her greatest joy is watching her four children laugh when she tells them about her adventures in bartending,

Amanda Wuest
Theater Assistant
Amanda Wuest joined the Gesa Power House Theatre team in 2021, and now works in the box office, as well as assisting with other tasks surrounding productions. Amanda loves nature and wildlife, as well as art; in her spare time she enjoys drawing, writing, and acting on local stages.

The Power House board members are: Michael Howell, President; Bethany Siegenthaler, Vice President; Peter Crook, Secretary; Brad Rice, Treasurer; Sarah Bro; Douglas Carlsen; Donna Ledford; Nicole Meharry; Anita Williams, and Tina Yentzer.


Many people make what we do possible! A special thank you to our volunteers and additional contractors who share their skills and expertise. Interested in joining our team? Please email info@phtww.org for more information.

Season Sponsors


Foundry VineyardsWalla Walla Union-Bulletin logo
Pacific Power logoWW Valley Honda logo

Additional support provided by
Walla Walla County, Port of Walla Walla, City of Walla Walla, City of College Place

Each Coldwell Banker Office is Independently Owned and Operated