Becky Williams began her teaching career after graduating from Concordia University Chicago with a degree in speech and theatre. She spent her first several years teaching in the Chicago area. In the fall of 2009, she began her role as theatre teacher at Independence High School and has directed over 20 main stage productions since - including Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, The Crucible, Big Fish, and The Pajama Game. She has served on the TNEdTA board since 2013 and is excited to take on the new role as executive director.

Conner Meinhart is the Managing Director and Co-Founder of Source One Five, a nonprofit theatre company founded in 2019 with a mission to provide free, audition-based, professional productions to the community.

A proud graduate of Columbia College Chicago, Conner holds a BFA in Musical Theatre Performance and brings over a decade of performance experience to his work, blending artistic insight with strategic leadership.

Outside the theatre world, Conner serves as Head of Operations for Compass RE, supporting Real Estate teams across Tennessee, Missouri, and Kansas.

Passionate about building connections, Conner is committed to creating meaningful opportunities for collaboration, networking, and growth throughout Tennessee’s theatre community.

Savannah Aiello has worked in education for over a decade, serving Williamson County Schools as a digital learning designer and speech and theatre teacher at Ravenwood High School in Brentwood, Tennessee. Aiello has also performed and worked with local children’s theatre groups in the area, including Bravo Creative Arts Center and Williamson County Star Bright Players. She currently serves as technical director at Independence High School and assists with Thescon, the state high school theatre conference. Aiello was recently elected to serve as secretary on the board of directors of Pull-Tight Players, where she frequently stage manages shows and serves as a social media and Instagram moderator. Aiello graduated from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and lives in Franklin with her husband Sean, who is an attorney and a Williamson County Commissioner.

Michelle Tripp earned degrees in Mass Communications, emphasizing in television/radio, and Speech/Theatre, along with a Master’s in Education. She earned her certification in Theatre Education and taught Theatre Arts for 27 years in private and public schools. Her theatre programs received awards for her outstanding productions, including national awards recognizing her set designs. Her students and programs have also been recognized locally and nationally for various honors with Spotlight Awards, Governor's School for the Arts, All-State Theatre, CMA Foundation and Broadway Dreams.

Now a teaching artist, she offers her talents to schools with growing programs. She also serves as the president of the alumni association for the Tennessee Arts Academy. She believes it is a true honor to be one of ThesCon's coordinators and working with some of the best Theatre educators in the state to bring the conference to high school students.

Karen Joy Thomas earned her BA in Vocal Performance from Spring Arbor University, where she studied music and theatre, and furthered her lifelong love of the Arts. Entering the professional world, Karen Joy taught private voice lessons and performed professionally in the US and Europe before moving to Nashville in 2000 to develop young artists in the music business.

Karen Joy has a long history in the realm of theater both as an actor and as a director, and she is proud to have worked both in professional and educational settings throughout her career. She is a member of the Educational Theatre Association.

Currently, Ms. Thomas is in her 17th year at Christ Presbyterian Academy and serves the as an instructor of US Theatre, Arts & Activism, and Art of Film, producer of Coffeehouse, director of the One Act productions, Co-Director of the Mainstage show, Assistant Director on the musical, and sponsor of Thespians.

Allie Spengler is a performer and arts educator based in Nashville, TN. A proud Williamson County native, Allie grew up attending Thescon and is thrilled to now serve on its board. She holds a BFA in Musical Theatre from Western Carolina University and has performed at regional theatres and theme parks across the country, with credits including Nashville Repertory Theatre, Franklin Theatrical Fellowship, Old Creamery Theatre, and RWS & Associates.

In addition to her work on stage, Allie is passionate about arts education and currently serves as a supplemental theatre educator at Independence High School. She also contributes to her community through her work with Habitat for Humanity.

Annie Rice is the theater director at Summit High School, having helped open the school 15 years ago and was named the school’s Teacher of the Year in its inaugural year.  Entering her 20th year of teaching, she has directed over 40 productions, one of which she co-wrote with some of her students.  A Middle Tennessee native, Annie graduated from Brentwood High School (where she attended ThesCon as a student), attended Lipscomb University where she earned a BA in English and Theater Education, and has performed around the mid state with several local theaters.  When not teaching or directing, Annie is a home baker specializing in cakes.

ThesFest Committee

Aly Isom is a passionate theatre educator and director with over 15 years of experience inspiring creativity and leadership in students. Since 2005, she has directed more than 40 productions, including Matilda Jr., Seussical Jr., and Aladdin Jr., dedicating over 150 hours per show to training students in acting, singing, dancing, and technical theatre. She leads the Junior International Thespian Society and serves as the Theatre Team Lead for Williamson County Schools, mentoring educators and promoting collaboration.

From 2008 to 2017 at Bradley Academy, Aly directed award-winning shows like Lion King Jr. and Peter Pan Jr., earning the Freddie G. Award for Teaching Excellence in Musical Theatre. Her students regularly ranked in the top 10% at the Junior Theatre Festival, earning honors such as “Outstanding Production.”

Aly has written theatre curricula and collaborated with organizations like the Tennessee Arts Commission and University of Tennessee-Chattanooga. Her recognitions include Teacher of the Year (2022, 2013) and the Tennessee Volunteer Award (2021). With early roots in directing one-acts and scenic artistry, Aly remains committed to cultivating young artists and vibrant theatrical communities.

ThesFest Committee

Donovan Hughes is a Memphis native who found his way to Middle Tennessee to study Theatre at MTSU. He received his B.S. in Theatre in 2019 with a focus on Performance and Production Management. Donovan has spent the last three years as the Theatre Teacher at Page Middle School and will now be serving as the head of Theatre at Page High School! 

ThesCon Committee

Dr. William Eyerly is the Performing Arts Director at St. Andrew’s Sewanee School. He is also the Executive Director for an arts education nonprofit, The Gainesville Association for the Creative Arts. He has advanced degrees in Theatre as well as a Master’s and Doctorate in Education. He has over 20 years of experience with International Thespians as a troupe director in Florida and has adjudicated at every level including for the Thespys at the International Thespian Festival these past two years. He has a passion for the cross-curricular benefits of theatre education,  and his dissertation research “Implementing and Assessing the Effects of Theatre Infused Reading Instruction” is published by ProQuest. 

ThesCon Committee

Michael teaches Theatre at Johnson County High School in Mountain City, TN. During his 28 year tenure, he taught Marketing Education, Personal Finance and for the last 11 years, Theatre. 

Grace Hamilton is beyond excited to be the 2026-2027 Tennessee Thescon President! She has been performing since she was eight years old and doesn’t love anything more! Grace is a senior at Brentwood High School where she has been in five MainStage productions with her most recent role being Irene Molloy in Hello Dolly! Additional credits include Cookie (Rumors), Magda Svenson (Night of January 16th), and Ariel (The Little Mermaid). She can’t wait to carry her experience from being on her school’s ITS board to planning this year’s Thescon and making it the most enriching, exciting, and memorable one yet! 

Bralynn is a senior at Tullahoma Highschool and is extremely excited to be a part of the 2027 Thescon Board! She is the first person at her school to be a part of something like this and she is very grateful to be awarded this opportunity. She's done theatre for four years now with her first role being the White Rabbit in Alice in Wonderland. Some other productions she's been a part of is Mamma Mia! as Sophie and Once Upon A Mattress as Ensemble/ Costume Lead. She's done crew work for shows like Something Rotten! and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Bralynn enjoys art, skating, and having a good laugh with her friends. She can’t wait to make new friends and memories at her last Thescon

Ramsey Rae is extremely grateful for the opportunity to serve on the Thescon board this year! She is a senior at Stewarts Creek High School, as well as their Thespian Society president, and has had a passion for theatre performance for 6 years! Her favorite on-stage roles include Anna (Frozen), Abilene (The Miraculous Journey Of Edward Tulane), and a Gargoyle (The Hunchback Of Notre Dame)! She also has a love for technical theatre with costume and stage management experience! She will also be attending Governor's School For The Arts in the summer of 2026 to train in theatre performance! Ramsey is so excited to work with this extremely talented board to make Thescon the best it can be! 

Sally Matilda Timbs is so excited to be on your ‘26-27 Thescon Student Board! She is a senior at Hillsboro High School and has been performing since she was 6! She loves all aspects of the theatre. Her favorite roles include Hero (Much Ado About Nothing) and Little Sally (Urinetown). She also had the amazing opportunity of being the Hillsboro Players first dance captain for their production of Hello, Dolly! She has many aspirations and hobbies such as playwriting, music, painting, film, and fashion design. She’s so excited to serve on this year’s Thescon board and make Thescon even more fantastic and whimsical!

Lyllian is beyond excited to be a part of the 2026-2027 ThesCon Student Board! She’s a senior at Lakeland Prep and has been performing since she was seven. Lyllian has been a part of both the onstage and technical roles of theatre. Her favorite past roles in a musical include Mrs. Dodds (The Lightning Thief), Snow White (Descendants), and Evangeline Harcourt (Anything Goes!). She’s also been seen in many different roles in a play including Sammie (10 Ways to Survive a Zombie Apocalypse), Collister (Ghostlight), and as Nina (The Day The Internet Died). She was most recently seen as the character Evangeline Harcourt in Anything Goes!, where the show received 20 different nominations for their regional awards. She’s also earned honors including All State Acting, All West Musical Theatre, and National Honor Thespian. She’s excited for what the year is to bring and is looking forward to working with these extremely talented people to create the best ThesCon for you!

Sam Maynord is a Senior at Independence High school and is thrilled to be a part of this year's Thescon board. His favorite activities are singing, sports, and being a somewhat performative male. His love for theater dates back to when he was in sixth grade and did Fame Jr and played goody. His other favorite past roles are Race and Albert in two separate productions of Newsies, Tom Kreider in Radium Girls, Bruce Bogtrotter twice in Matilda and Matilda Jr., and Amos Hart in Chicago: Teen Edition He is so thankful to have this opportunity to serve at Thescon this year! He hopes you have as fun of a time as he has had working with this board.

• Eddie Porras - President

• Brycen Patterson

• Emma Delane Singleton

• Gabrielle Masternick

• JT McCoy

• Maddie Phillips