THEATER Playhouse gains 23 new board members

Atty. Anthony Donofrio will be the board president for the next year.
YOUNGSTOWN -- It took less than 15 minutes for Youngstown Playhouse's board of directors to officially expand from five members to 28.
At a brief annual meeting for season ticket holders Thursday night, the Playhouse leadership made three amendments to its code of regulations, including an article that limited board membership to 13 persons. Now, the range is from 21 to 30 persons.
Twenty-three new board members were then elected unanimously. They are: Kathy Appugliese; Jack Ballantyne; Rev. Monica Beasley-Martin; Nat Bell; John Burgan; Bill Cossler; state Sen. Marc Dann of Liberty, D-32nd; David Frank; Molly Galano; Rennie Griffith; Debbie Kaleel; Jim Kaster; Lynn Kirkwood; Dean Betty Jo Licata of Youngstown State University; Atty. Richard McLaughlin; former state senator Harry Meshel; state Rep. Sylvester Patton of Youngstown, D-60th; Joe Scarvell; Sis Soller; Glenn Stevens of WFMJ Channel 21 News; Ruth Wean; David Wolfe; and Ralph Zerbonia.
They join continuing board members Atty. Anthony Donofrio; Michael Jordan; Lois Thornton; Glenda Whitehouse; and Richard Woolford.
Reorganized
The board also held a reorganizational meeting. Donofrio, who has been interim president since John Maluso resigned in July, was elected as president, Whitehouse said. Jordan is the new vice president; Kaleel, the secretary; and Wolfe, an accountant, is treasurer.
All board members will serve one-year terms, per another change to the code. Beginning with the 2005 annual meeting, they may be elected to additional one, two or three-year terms.
Members also removed an article that called for an advisory board, something that Donofrio said had existed in name only.
The board will work with executive director Bentley Lenhoff on decreasing the Playhouse's debts while increasing ticket sales and financial support. Some of the new board members had worked with the Save Our Stage Committee that had lobbied for a change of leadership at the Playhouse.