Jennifer Thalman Kepler, Chair Elect
Shannon Woolley Allison, Secretary
Paula McGuffey, Treasurer
Jomaris De Jesus
Trina Fischer
Reta White
Jennifer Thalman Kepler, Chair Elect
Jennifer manages LFL’s Community Outreach department including LFL’s award winning program, CHOICES: An Interactive Play on Cyberbullying and Suicide, The Faith Stories Project, in-school drama residencies, afterschool programs and summer camps. Jennifer is also an actor, director and playwright with the company. She has performed in Crossing Mountains; What My Hands Have Touched; Class of ’70 (2004, 2013); Fabric, Flames, and Fervor; Beyond the Blue Mountains; 10 years, 7 Stories; as well as playing the title role in Alice In Black and White. She is the co-playwright and director of Strangers/Extranjeras and has served as devising director for What My Hands Have Touched, and as devising/production director for CHOICES and Becoming Mothers. Jennifer holds an MA in Educational Theatre from New York University. While in NYC, Jennifer worked for five years as a freelance teaching artist, integrating drama into math and social studies curriculum, facilitating arts-based violence prevention programs and directing youth theatre. Jennifer has also spent a year in Guatemala where she served as a Young Adult Volunteer with the PC (USA). While in Guatemala, Jennifer led community building and self-esteem workshops for women as well as workshop planning training sessions with the leaders of the Presbyterian Women. From this experience, LFL’s Faith Stories Project was born. Jennifer also holds a Masters of Divinity Degree from Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington D.C.
Shannon Woolley Allison, Secretary
Shannon was a founding member of LFL in 2001. She oversees the development of the company and the execution of our mission in creating both performances and residencies that speak to the needs of those whose voices are unheard. Shannon performs, directs, and teaches for LFL. Some of her favorite experiences have been her one-woman show, Women Speak: IRAQ, directed by Kelly McNerney; 10 Years, 7 Stories, a retrospective performance of all of LFL’s original work; and her ongoing work in Kentuckiana classrooms using drama to explore topics such as the 1937 Louisville Flood, the Underground Railroad, and issues of peer pressure and discrimination. Shannon holds a BFA in Acting from Southern Methodist University, and an MA in Educational Theatre from New York University. For the last 15 years, she has free-lanced as an actor, director, and teaching artist, in addition to her work with LFL. She is proud to have contracted with The Leadership Program in NYC, City Lights Youth Theatre, StageOne Children’s Theatre, and Actor’s Theatre of Louisville. She is proud to be a roster artist for the KY Arts Council, and a member of Alternate ROOTS, The Network of Ensemble Theatres, The Alliance for Theatre in Education, and The Theatre Alliance of Louisville.
Paula McGuffey, Treasurer
Paula has been with the University of Louisville in various positions for most of her career. She has had the opportunity to dabble in the local theatre scene, most recently as Leonato in the 2012 Lilith production of “Much Ado About Nothing.” However, with one son a talented musician and the other son a talented athlete, and both heavily involved in extracurricular activities, much of her time and energy has been devoted to those areas. Now that her sons are moving into young adulthood, she is excited to lend her energy and support to Looking for Lilith by serving as treasurer on the board.
Jomaris DeJesús
Jomarisis an actress, business coach, and motivational speaker & trainer with more than a decade of experience in business strategy and communications. Since 2001, she has developed strategies for companies large and small, from the modest start up to international corporations – and she uses her professional skill set to help others succeed. She holds an MBA in Global Management, from the University of Phoenix as well as a BA in Communications with a minor in Education from the University of the Sacred Heart in Puerto Rico. She is also a member of the Louisville chapter of the National Society for Hispanic MBA’s and the Greater Louisville International Professionals.
Jomaris is passionate about entrepreneurship, philanthropy, and the arts; for which she serves as a board member for Looking for Lilith Theatre Company; position she accepted after interpreting the title role at Looking for Lilith’s performance Luz. She has rapidly become an important part of Louisville's Spanish theater. She is also with “Teatro Tercera Llamada” working as the director for the pantomime group “Las Pantomimas: Historias de Emigrados”. Her experience in arts includes radio, film, television, and theater, having worked with renowned production companies and networks such as Telemundo International and Lionsgate Productions..
Jomaris' community involvement also includes the board of La Casita Center where she sits as the Chair of the Human Resources committee and serves her church as a lay minister, preaching and hosting Bible studies in English, and in Spanish.
Trina Fischer
Trina is a YPAS and Northwestern Performance Studies grad. After a year in Chile on a Fulbright and an ATL apprenticeship, she moved to NYC and worked with C.U.N.Y.’s Creative Arts Team for 6.5 years, co-founding Looking for Lilith while there. She currently serves as LFL’s PR and Marketing Director. She was very involved in the early years of LFL’s Faith Stories Project in Guatemala, and has traveled frequently to Latin America, especially Chile (visiting family). Favorite performances include Marisol (New World Players), Fabric, Flames and Fervor (LFL), What My Hands Have Touched (LFL), Class of ‘70 (LFL), and The Laramie Project (Pandora Productions).
Reta White
Reta has spent the last decade honing her distinct voice in the male-dominated fields of civil engineering and business. She has a B.S.C.E. from the University of Kentucky and a M.B.A. from the University of Louisville. However, Reta has not forgotten her roots in the arts. As the daughter of a visual artist and engineer-at-heart, Reta has always had an innate connection with both the arts and sciences, and theatre has always been an avenue in which she has been able to express her creative side. On occasion, Reta has even been able to take the stage in some college and community theatre productions. Currently, Reta serves as a NeXt! Leader for Fund For the Arts as well as a member of the Louisville Leadership team for the Girls STEM Collaborative.