Terry Sinopoli and Courtland Hickey, new candidates for the NCA Board.
It’s almost time to elect new leaders for the NCA! Instead of an in-person event, the election of the Board of Directors will occur on July 13 at 10 a.m. Central during a special Zoom meeting that will also include a webinar or panel discussion (all NCA members will receive an invitation to the meeting). The board consists of the president, immediate past president, vice president, and six directors, one of whom is also the treasurer. Two of the current directors – Linda Adams-Foat and Tyler Volz – are not seeking reelection, but the remaining board members are. Marion Bradley, the current president, will become the immediate-past president. Here are brief bios of all the candidates, in alphabetical order:
Janine Caufield (running for vice president) is owner of Caufield’s Novelty, Inc. in Louisville, a costume retailer and distributor founded in 1920. She previously served two years as vice president of NCA and six years as a director.
Gene Flaharty (running for re-election to director) is the Education, Theatrical and Retail Sales Support Specialist and Makeup Artist for Mehron, Inc. He has done professional makeup for TV, film, print, and theatre for over 40 years in the Kansas City area and he lectures on make-up and design across the country.
Lori Hammes (running for re-election to director) is the Business Manager at Curtains Up Costumes in Keota, Iowa. She also owns Fiddle Dee Dee, an occasional store selling handmade and repurposed gifts and décor. At Fiddle Dee Dee she and other creative people teach classes in her maker space.
Courtland Hickey (running to fill a vacant director position) is the second-generation owner of Chicago Costume, which sells, rents and makes costumes. He has run the family’s business for over 20 years. He also is director and chairman of the Taste of Lincoln Avenue event and sits on the board of his neighborhood organization.
Dwayne Ibsen (running for re-election to director) opened Ibsen Costume Gallery in 1981 and has directed over 400 shows in the Omaha, Nebraska area. He is a past president of the NCA and was honored with the Major Harrelson Award in 2005. His costume designs have won Outstanding Theatrical Costume trophies over 20 times and he won the coveted Grand International Award in 1988 and 2008.
Pam Markel (current director, running for president) is co-owner of The Illusive Skull Costume Castle in Fairmount, West Virginia. Her store was established in 1992 as a seasonal Halloween store and haunted house and evolved into a full-time retail and rental store specializing in theatrical makeup and special effects.
Terry Sinopoli (running to fill a vacant director position) is among the fifth generation of her family to run Arlene’s Costumes in Rochester, New York. She started in the business during high school doing airbrush face painting and temporary tattoos. Today she is responsible for Arlene’s social media and marketing.
Louella Torrence (running for re-election to director and treasurer) is the owner of Drop Me A Line Costume Shop in Allentown, Pennsylvania, which has been in business for 34 years. She has been involved in the NCA since 1993.