Milly Burroughs, President, has been an active volunteer at the Paramount since the beginning, helping with fundraising, office work and serving on committees.  She has been involved with Friends of the Library, Hormel Nature Center, Austin Medical Center Auxiliary, and active in Our Savior’s Lutheran Church.
 

Rod Nordeng, Vice President, is a Austin Medical Center Vice President Rod serves on the boards of Community Bank and the Development Corporation of Austin. Recently he completed his term as a trustee of the Hormel Historic Home and was the President of the Chamber of Commerce in 2002. Rod received his Masters of Healthcare Administration from the University of Wisconsin - La Crosse. He enjoys concerts, plays, classical music, The Minneapolis Institute of Art, Gopher football games, learning and traveling.

Cindy Bellrichard,Secretary, is Secretary to the Deans of Students at Austin High School. Besides serving as Vice-President of the AACA board, Cindy is also on the board of Matchbox Children’s Theatre and is responsible for booking area school groups to their student performances. She brings support and insight from outside arts groups.

Erin Martin, Treasurer, is a newer member of the AACA board and current treasurer. She has been involved at various events and in the box office..

Janet Anderson,  past President and primary driving force during the critical early part of the restoration and organization of the Austin Area Commission for the Arts. Her background in theatre and community leadership roles allowed her to bring credibility to the project. She is the co-founder of Matchbox Children’s Theatre and current board member, serves on the Board of Trustees for the Austin Area Foundation, Austin main Street Downtown Revitalization Marketing Committee and the City of Austin Human Rights Commission.

Jim Burroughs was involved in the oversight of the restoration of the theatre and served as treasurer for many years. He currently serves as treasurer for the Mower County Senior Center and is a board member for Noon Kiwanis and Our Savior’s Lutheran Church. He also volunteers for the Red Cross and the Mower County Chapter of the Habitat for Humanity. He was the “jack of all trades” for the Paramount project and coordinated the projects of the volunteer groups and the contractors. He chaired the Paramount Theatre Task Force, which oversaw the physical part of the restoration.

Sally Kolb is a retired educator and a visual artist. She volunteers for a number of agencies including: Friends of the Library, CARE Council, Salvation Army and the J.C. Hormel Nature Center.

Monica Lonergan is a long time board member and has been our strongest historical member of the board. She has been past president and board member of the Mower County Historical Society, past president and current member of the Genealogy Society and is a current regent for the Daughters of the American Revolution and is involved with the planning of Austin’s Sesquicentennial.  She has researched and recorded major events that took place at the Paramount since its opening day.  She prepared binders showing every movie at the theatre from 1929 until 1975 and also works at Paramount Theatre events. 

Dick McIntosh owns and operates Arizona Cleaning Company. Dick is active in many areas of the arts in Austin, including serving on the board of Summerset Community Theatre, the Chamber of Commerce and performs with the Northwestern Singers. Dick has spent many hours scraping, painting, cleaning, and working in the ticket booth and concession areas.

Joel Nelson is the owner of Nelson Sound Electronics and has brought his sound expertise to the Paramount project. He has been most generous in lending us various electronic pieces to allow us to present shows that had professional sound right from the earliest days of the Paramount. His sound won a regional Emmy for the Miss Mississippi Pageant. Joel also serves as a board member for Minnesota Storytellers.

Karen Schneider is a homemaker and has a love for the arts and for historical buildings. She also serves on the Historic Hormel Home Board of Trustees. Karen recruited many of the fundraisers for our major fund raising drive in 2002.

Ian Shapinsky is a well-known concert pianist who now lives in Austin. He has performed throughout the United States and Europe.  His skills include performing, lecturing, teaching, master classes, recordings, and is very skilled in solo works, chamber music and concertos. He has performed numerous times at the Paramount.

Linda Sistek is an insurance agent and Customer Service Representative for Heartman Insurance Agency. She serves on the Matchbox Children’s Theatre board and is the manager for AACA Charitable Gambling. For Keepsake Quilters, Inc. of Austin, she has been past president and is a charter member while serving as the Newsletter editor/board member. Linda has been a past board member of the Austin Women’s Bowling Assn. and have been secretary/treasurer of the Echo Majors women’s bowling league for over 10 years. She volunteers at the reception desk at St. Olaf Lutheran Church and also at Paramount events.

Joann Stevens has served as the producer of most of the benefit shows for the Paramount Theatre and writes a newspaper column about the Paramount and other arts events in the Austin Area. She performed in and directed many productions while living on the East Coast and her expertise has been an invaluable asset. A writer/poet, she serves on the editorial board of the AHS Post-Sentinel, and its Alumni newsletter.