Board Member Emerita

Brett J. Roden is thrilled to be in his 6th season with VCT as we celebrate our 15th year of award-winning, professional theatre in the Commonwealth! Before becoming P.A.D. in 2019 he served as Assistant Artistic Director & Director of Education since 2017. Brett is an experienced Musical Theatre professional (Producer, Music Director/ Conductor/ Pianist/ Vocal Coach, Theatre Educator and Performer), administrator and business person. He prides himself on inspiring his team to create an outstanding, top-notch theatrical experience for his students, collaborators and all involved. He currently resides in Roanoke full time, after moving to the area in 2017 from upstate New York. Brett was named by Roanoker Magazine as one of Roanoke’s 40 under 40 young professionals in 2022, in recognition of his continued excellence as a leader in the theatre community in the Roanoke Valley and beyond. Up next, Brett will be traveling back to MA this summer to serve as the Music Director of the summer, collegiate Musical Theatre Conservatory program at the Tony Award-Winning Barrington Stage Company for the month of June and then back to Roanoke to finish out VCT's 22-23 Season with our annual summer concert in Elmwood Park! Some of his favorite credits include serving as music director, vocal coach and teaching artist for the Tony Award-Winning Barrington Stage Company, Redhouse Arts Center, P&HCC Patriot Players, Syracuse Children’s Theatre, Bogardus Performing Arts Center, SUNY Potsdam’s Creative Arts Camp, Crane Opera's Education Outreach Program, Roanoke City Schools and a variety of school systems throughout New York. In his free time he enjoys traveling across the Southeast and Northeast regions of the country to see professional theatre and sing/ act  professionally as he is able! He is a graduate of The Crane School of Music & SUNY College at Potsdam where he studied Music & Theatre.

Jeanne is a native of Charlottesville, Virginia and after traveling and moving all over, she embraced Roanoke as her home in 2008. Having worked in the non-profit industry for more than 20 years, she is well and truly dedicated to helping others and promoting arts & culture as an important method of educating our youth and adding benefit to our communities. She loves sharing the fabulousness of Virginia Children’s Theatre and helping families and children experience the joys of live arts. In addition to her non-profit work, Jeanne is an active community volunteer and serves as Vice President of the Kiwanis Club of Roanoke, the Roanoke City Library Foundation, and Greenvale School Foundation. In her off-hours Jeanne can frequently be found puttering in the garden, attending concerts, or drinking a glass of wine on the patio.

Lana Huffington is a performing arts professional (Educator, Stage Director, Administrator, Actor, and Dramaturge) with a B.A. in Drama & History from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro (minor in American Sign Language). She has worked with off-broadway (SoHo Rep.), regional (Triad Stage) and children's theatres (Peppercorn Children's Theatre, Springville Center for the Arts) throughout the east coast. She is the founder & producer of The Salted Light Theatre Company. Some of her favorite directing credits are DUTCHMAN by Amiri Baracka (The Salted Light Theatre Company), and co-direction of THE JULIES: A KINDA SORTA ADAPTATION OF STRINDBERG'S MISS JULIE by Calley N. Anderson (UNC Greensboro Mainstage). Her favorite acting credits include: HAIRSPRAY, THEMBA, PIPPIN, and TAMING OF THE SHREW.