EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Christie Sullivan ~ President | Chair, Dance Planet Committee
Mair Cawston ~ Past-President | Chair, Scholarship Committee | Chair, Open College Dance Audition
Mair (my-er) Cawston studied dance for many years and has been a longtime supporter of the arts. Born
and raised in South America, she came to the US to study fashion design
and retail advertising at North Texas State University where she
received a BFA. Mair has worked as a freelance graphic designer/art
director with clients that have included small boutiques, Neiman-Marcus,
Dillards, and JCPenney. She has also designed and constructed costumes for both soloists and pre-professional ballet companies. Mair contributes graphic design and oversees all media.
Allister Webster- Treasurer
Andrea Alcorn ~ Director of Development
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Dedra Brent ~ Director
Dedra Brent is a Dallas native with extensive experience in leadership, administration, sales, nonprofit management, and community engagement. A graduate of Ursuline Academy, she earned a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Texas at Dallas.
Her professional background includes five years as a Claims Adjuster with State Farm Insurance, 12 years as a Sales Director with Mary Kay, six years as a Summer Day Camp Administrator at Concord Church, and more than a decade of administrative and leadership service with Beckles Dancing Company, where she currently serves as Managing Director.
At Beckles Dancing Company, Dedra oversees fundraising and development, grant administration, board development, community partnerships, marketing, and organizational operations. She also coordinates the annual South Dallas Dance Festival.
Dedra has a longstanding commitment to community service, with decades of volunteer involvement in the arts, education, youth programs, and faith-based organizations. She brings to her board service a passion for strengthening organizations, building meaningful relationships, supporting the arts, and creating opportunities that positively impact the community.
Marci Hall - Director
Marci Hall brings a lifelong passion for dance, the arts, and community service to her work with the Dance Council of North Texas.
Her ballet training began in Dallas with Mercedes Acardi and Suzanne Payne at Gingham Girl Dance Studio. She continued her studies with renowned ballet artists George Skibine and Marjorie Tallchief and received particularly influential pointe training from Ildiko Perjessey. She later studied with Paula Morelan at Dance Repertory Theater and Ballet Classique and performed with Nathalie Krassovska’s Krassovska Ballet Jeunesse. Her dance education has also included numerous workshops throughout the Dallas area, as well as ballet with Ellen Page and modern dance with Jerry Bywaters Cochran at Texas Christian University.
Marci’s professional experience extends beyond the studio and stage. She has worked with organizations including the Rockwall County Historical Foundation, SMU Meadows School of the Arts, New York Baroque Dance Company, the Richards Group, and B.A. Advertising, giving her a broad background in the arts, nonprofit organizations, communications, and community engagement.
Community service has always been an important part of Marci’s life. She volunteered with the Rockwall ISD PTA, serving as Secretary and coordinating teacher appreciation activities. In recognition of her volunteer service, she received the President’s Volunteer Service Award five consecutive years, from 2010 through 2014. She also served her community through First United Methodist Church of Rockwall as a kindergarten Sunday School co-teacher, Vacation Bible School shepherd and snack coordinator, and Youth Assistant.
Marci’s diverse experiences in dance, the arts, communications, and volunteer service reflect her commitment to supporting the arts and creating opportunities for others to experience the many benefits of dance.
Ken Capps - Director
A longtime Texas journalist, Ken spent 15 years as a major-market television reporter covering significant national events before transitioning into public affairs leadership. He later served as Vice President of Public Affairs at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, where he became a trusted voice during critical moments.
Ken also brings more than four decades of involvement in the arts community. He has served on the board of the Dallas Black Dance Theatre during its historic appearance at the Olympics, as well as with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, the Sammons Center for the Arts, and the
PM League.
Most importantly, Ken is a proud dance dad! His daughter Caroline is a sophomore dancer at Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, and Ken can often be found behind the scenes—crewing, feeding dancers, selling merchandise, and supporting the Dance Guild.
Steve Richardson - Director
Steve Richardson, known widely by his nickname "Tiger," has served as executive director of the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) since 1996, overseeing an organization of approximately 1,200 media professionals covering college football across North America.
Under his leadership, the FWAA not only selects the annual college football All-America team and presents major awards such as the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, Outland Trophy, and Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year, but it also champions better working conditions in press boxes and supports scholarships and writing contests for aspiring sports journalists.
Richardson has also been widely praised for his advocacy on behalf of writers—whether writing protest letters when access is restricted or standing up for press box etiquette—earning respect from both media colleagues and university communications professionals.
Richardson serves on the National Football Foundation (NFF) Honors Court, which selects the NFF College Football Hall of Fame inductees, and has partnered with the NFF on multiple occasions over the years on a wide range of NFF events. In 2014, he partnered with the NFF to launch the Super 16 Poll, which ranks the top teams in the Football Bowl Subdivision each week during the regular season.
Richardson began his journalism journey at the University of Missouri, where he earned a journalism degree and wrote for the student newspaper. He later reported for the Kansas City Star and Dallas Morning News before joining the FWAA.
EMERITUS/HONORARY DIRECTOR
Jerry Bywaters Cochran ~ Emeritus Director
Jerry Bywaters Cochran grew up in a Dallas family
that was actively involved in the arts. After high school she attended
the Juilliard School in New York. She received a Juilliard degree with
majors in both modern dance and ballet, and on graduation received an
award from the American Guild of Musical Artists as the outstanding
graduate in her field. She was the first instructor in stage movement
for the Dallas Theater Center and for ten years directed a school
devoted exclusively to modern dance in Dallas. In 1968 she inaugurated
the modern dance program at Texas Christian University (TCU) in Fort
Worth and remained in charge of that program for seventeen years. Her
choreography has been performed on the Juilliard Concert Series in New
York; by the Dallas Civic Ballet, the Dallas Black Dance Theatre, and
the Dance Ensemble of Dallas; in numerous performances at Texas
Christian University; and by companies and soloists in Washington, New
Orleans, Kansas City, many Texas cities, and Raleigh, North Carolina. In
1982 the Fort Worth Art Museum received a grant from the NEA to present
two of her works, along with two works of New York choreographer
Lucinda Childs, in a concert entitled, "Contemporary Choreography: Two
Views." In 1992, her achievements were recognized on two occasions --
first, by the Dallas Dance Council, which honored her with their annual
"Mary" award for her lifetime contribution to dance, then by the TCU
dance alumni group, which presented her a lifetime achievement award for
her contributions to the development of the Department of Ballet and
Modern Dance at Texas Christian University.
Michael Jenkins ~ Honorary Director
Mr.
Michael A. Jenkins has been President of Leisure and Recreation
Concepts Inc. (LARC) since 1970. Mr. Jenkins has been President and
Managing Director of Dallas Summer Musicals Inc. since 1974. He serves
as an Executive Director of Bonnie & Clyde the Musical Ltd Liability
Co Mr. Jenkins has been Independent Director of RG America Inc.
(formerly, Invvision Capital Inc) since March 2004. He served as an
Independent Director of Silverleaf Resorts Inc. from August 5, 2009 to
May 2011. Mr. Jenkins attended Baylor University from 1960 to 1963.
ADVISORY BOARD
Betty Hersey
Loris Anthony Beckles
Joel Ferrell
Tiffany Bailey
Ann Williams
DCNT STAFF
Alex Adiguzel ~ Bookkeeper
Donna Miller/Miller Consulting ~ Grant Writing & Consulting
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