Montford Park Players Board of Directors
Board Chair
& Governance Committee Chair
Tod Leaven
First and foremost, Tod Leaven (he/him) is father and husband, living in the Montford neighborhood of Asheville, just a few blocks from the Hazel Robinson Amphitheater. Additionally, he is a lawyer and partner at the law firm Grimes Teich & Anderson, as well as an adjunct professor at the University of North Carolina School of Law, and a Veteran of the United States Army. He likes to believe that he is also an actor, appearing beside his very talented daughter, Eleanor, at Montford Park Players, Asheville Community Theater, and Shakespeare & Friends in Tryon, NC. He attended college at the University of North Carolina at Asheville and law school at the University of North Carolina School of law at Chapel Hill.
Board VICE Chair
Frank Salvo
Frank Salvo retired from Carolina Health Care Services in 1989 where he was Director of Ambulatory Radiology. He and his partner Ralph moved to Asheville in 1999, when they purchased the 1889 WhiteGate Inn & Cottage Bed and Breakfast. Frank has served as President of the North Carolina Bed and Breakfast Association and Asheville Bed and Breakfast. He has been an actor in the Asheville Community for 19 years. He is a member of The Screen Actor’s Co-op. Frank currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Montford Park Players. His partner Ralph is a Beekeeper with 2 hives.
Board Treasurer
& Finance Committee Chair
Charles Umberger
A native of Durham, Charles is a product of the North Carolina public schools and an alumnus of Duke University, where he majored in history. He later received a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and embarked on a banking career, which took him to Georgia and Florida before returning to North Carolina 13 years ago, still in banking. Charles and his wife, Winslow, found Montford Park Players during their move to Asheville, fell in love with the experience and the community, and have been active attendees and supporters ever since.
Charles enjoys hikes and long walks with Winslow and his participation in the Asheville Debate Society and an active history book club. He also serves as treasurer of the Border Memorial Folkmoot Foundation and the Haywood Community College Foundation.
Secretary
& Fundraising Chair
Honor Moor
Honor Moor (she/her) started out her career as a board certified k-12 art teacher but quickly transitioned to follow her dreams in acting in both Seattle and Manhattan. She was a member of a Southern Repertory Theatre & performed in countless plays and a long standing Off-Broadway musical review. She studied the Sandford Meisner technique with famed, teacher Fred Karaman, in Carnegie Hall Studios. After years of acting, Honor left the circus and worked for two New York Cancer Foundations in development where she learned to fundraise, create events and write grants. Moor moved back to her hometown of Asheville in 1998 and raised two kids and continued to act, direct and teach theatre while also being the Executive Director for Junior Achievement WNC, Asheville Parks and Greenways Foundation and was in charge of development for the Altamont Theatre. She was a six year member of the Junior League of Asheville and board member of the NC Arboretum, Jewish Community theater), and the legal consultant for The Hippodrome Theater, a professional regional theater in Gainesville, Florida. He thanks the Montford Park Players for again affording him a role to play in the theatrical community.
At large Member
Stan Ingber
Stan Ingber (he/him), a retired law professor, has taught and written in the fields of constitutional law, criminal law, and legal philosophy for more than 43 years at 10 schools in the United States, Canada and Europe. He has also served on numerous American Bar Association and government commissions dealing with criminal justice and anti-discrimination. In addition to his many years performing before crowds of often enthralled law students, Stan has also enjoyed the stage lights as a litigator, a storyteller, an actor (community theater), and the legal consultant for The Hippodrome Theater, a professional regional theater in Gainesville, Florida. He thanks the Montford Park Players for again affording him a role to play in the theatrical community.
At large Member and dei/Personnel chair
Patricia Robertson
Patricia Robertson (she/her) is a retired University administrator and professor. Her discipline is mental health and she had a private practice for 40 years in each city where she was employed at the nearby University. She has spent much of her career focused on issues of diversity/civil rights. She received a B.A. from UNC-Chapel Hill; a Masters degree (in counseling) from Western Carolina University and a doctorate from UNC-Greensboro. Since retirement she has been a potter at Squeaky Wheel Potters’ Studio and spends as much time as possible with her adult daughters, Heather and Kelly Carter, her wonderful friends and her partner, Curry First. She spent her youth in Swannanoa, NC and moved back “home” about 19 years ago.
At large Member
Aaron Ybarra
Aaron is an actor, musician, and writer living in WNC by way of sunny Southern California. He and his wife, Katie, have had the benefit of sharing community with the Montford Park Players since 2020. Aaron has been on our board since 2024.
At large Member and marketing liason
Cody W Fox
Cody Fox (he/him) has called Asheville home since 2012 after graduating from Appalachian State University with a minor in theatre. Cody is a local mortgage banker and has been since 2013. He joined our Board in 2024 and debuted with Montford Park Players in our 2023 production of Wendy & Peter. Cody has been in multiple productions since then and looking forward to more in the years to come.
Montford Park Players Staff
Executive Director & CEO
John Russell
Executive Director John Russell became the first employee and Executive Director of Montford Park Players in 2006. He has been instrumental in growing the audience and enhancing the audience experience since his arrival. He was appointed
to the Board of Directors of the North Carolina Arts Council in July 2017 by Governor Roy Cooper. He currently also serves on the North Carolina Governor’s School Foundation Board as Vice President and Chief Fundraising Officer,
and also as a member of the Theatre Consulting Group for SETC.
In 2018 the Institute of Outdoor Theatre recognized Russell with the Mark R. Sumner Award, a national award exemplifying the highest standards of American outdoor drama. The Sumner Award recognizes significant contributions by an
individual to a specific drama, or to the outdoor drama movement. Recipients have played a major role in the production of a specific outdoor drama or they have made a noteworthy impact on outdoor theatre.
Production Manager
Deanna Braine
Kristi DeVille has been working as a dance choreographer, director, and actor for the past 30 years. Locally, Kristi is the Resident Dance Choreographer and Marketing Manager for Montford Park Players, the Director of Movement for Different Strokes! Performing Arts Collective, an Artistic Associate for the Sublime Theatre, a company member of the Cardboard Sea, and is the Director of First Stage Youth Theatre, a program of the Madison County Arts Council. In the past, she taught dance for the drama department at Warren Wilson College. MPP directing credits: Richard III, The Sword in the Stone, The Merry Wives of Windsor, and Lysistrata.