Meet the Board of Directors

Lauren Kiefer, President
Lauren Kiefer has been highly engaged in the Arts Community in Metro Atlanta for more than two decades. She currently serves on the DeKalb Council for the Arts as well as the Board of Trustees of Theatrical Outfit in Downtown Atlanta. Her prior work in DeKalb County includes serving as the inaugural Chair of Brookhaven’s Arts and Culture Commission, serving on the President’s Advisory Council at Oglethorpe University, and serving on the Executive and Development Committees of Callanwolde Fine Arts Center. She also was a member of the Advisory Board of the Marcus Autism Center.

Lauren was a board member of Atlanta’s Tony Award Winning Alliance Theatre for nine years where she served on the Executive and Finance Committees and Co-chaired the Community Engagement Committee. Before moving to DeKalb County, Lauren served on the City of Peachtree Corners’ Arts Council.

Lauren is an alum and active volunteer and Board Member for Leadership DeKalb (Class of 2023), a graduate of the Arts Leaders of Metro Atlanta (Class of 2014), is an alum and active volunteer for Leadership Atlanta (Class of 2013). Lauren lives in Brookhaven with her husband, David.

Dennis Kelly, Treasurer
Dennis Kelly is the founder of Kelly-Wynne Consulting, a firm specializing in strategic planning for small to medium organizations. Kelly was the inaugural Dean of the Hammack School of Business at Oglethorpe University. Kelly served at the Smithsonian Institution for almost a decade as the Director of Smithsonian National Zoological Park and Conservation Biology Institute, where he was named Director Emeritus; Kelly also served as Interim President of Smithsonian Enterprises. Dennis was the President of Zoo Atlanta; CEO and Vice Chairman of Green Mountain Energy; and was the Deputy Chief Marketing Officer and Director of Marketing for Europe for The Coca-Cola Company; Kelly worked at Coke for sixteen years. Kelly completed his undergraduate studies at Georgia Tech and received a master’s degree from Harvard Business School.

Brooke Collins, Secretary
Brooke Collins works as an arts educator and manager, with varied experience in classrooms, regional theatres, and TV& Film. Some highlights as a Set Teacher include the national tour of Fun Home, the films Nyad, The Color Purple, and Till, and the series Candy, Kindred, and Stranger Things S4. Additionally, Brooke has worked with the Alliance Theatre, The Center for Puppetry Arts, Aurora Theatre, Denver Center for the Performing Arts, and the Colorado Shakespeare Festival as a Teaching Artist. In arts management, she has experience as a stage manager, event planner, and co-chaired the 2008 AATE conference in Atlanta. Brooke worked as the Company Manager and Education Associate for Georgia Shakespeare from 2006-2010 and is excited to help bring GCT to fruition. She is currently a theatre teacher at Midtown High School in Atlanta and lives in Brookhaven.

Marisol Deus, Member at Large
Marisol is a nonprofit fundraising professional with over 20 years of experience at various nonprofit institutions, mostly in the arts. Currently she serves as Director of Corporate & Institutional Giving at Status: Home, where she leads corporate partnerships, foundation relations, and institutional fundraising efforts. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Music Business and has an extensive background as a professional vocalist, creating her own cabaret show. Her love of storytelling through music and theatre fuels her commitment to preserving and expanding access to the arts. As a member of the Georgia Classic Theatre’s Board of Directors, Marisol is honored to support the organization’s mission of bringing exceptional classical theatre to audiences across Georgia. 

Allen O’Reilly, Member at Large & Artistic Director
Allen is Artistic Director of Georgia Classic Theatre, a new initiative focused on providing opportunities for actors from the former Georgia Shakespeare, as well as to nurture the next generation of classical actors. Allen was an Associate Artist at Georgia Shakespeare, where he spent twenty-four seasons as an actor and served as Director of Education for twelve years. He directed and adapted numerous Shakespeare titles for high school tours; Julius Caesar, Macbeth, Taming of The Shrew, and Romeo and Juliet to name a few. Allen also directed the Georgia Shakespeare’s Family Classic Theatre titles, including: Jungle Book, The Emperor and The Nightingale, and The Frog Prince. Allen has directed Shakespeare at local universities, as well as on Long Island for “Shakespeare at The Manor,” including As You Like It, Much Ado About Nothing, and this coming summer’s production of Twelfth Night.

We are looking for additional arts advocates to join our team. If interested, send an email to info@georgiaclassictheatre.org for more information.