Caroline Bock
Co-President; DCTA Writers’ Representative
Caroline Bock is a writer, editor, and educator. Her latest novel, THE OTHER BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE, a workplace love story, is forthcoming in June of 2026. She is also the author of LIE and Before My Eyes, acclaimed young adult novels, and the award-winning short story collection Carry Her Home. She studied creative writing with Raymond Carver at Syracuse University and earned her MFA in Fiction from the City College of New York. Notably, she spent twenty years as a cable executive in marketing and public relations with AMC, Bravo, IFC, and IFC Films. These days, she lives in Maryland with her family, is co- president of the Washington Writers’ Publishing House, writes a regular column for the Washington Independent Review of Books, and reviews regional theater for DC Theater Arts. Whenever she can, she returns to Manhattan and sees a Broadway show or two, or more.
Susan Galbraith
Artistic Director for Alliance for New Music-Theatre
Susan Galbraith has worked in theatre on three continents as a director, performer, and writer, and, in this last capacity, has also proven an avid audience member responding to live performance through arts journalism.
She feels at home in DC’s international community, with its swirling cross-cultural currents.
Drew Lichtenberg
Co-President; Artistic Producer, Shakespeare Theatre Company
Drew Lichtenberg is Artistic Producer and dramaturg in residence at Shakespeare Theatre Company, where he has worked on more than 65 productions since 2011. He has also worked freelance with the Royal National Theatre, Royal Shakespeare Company, theatres on and off Broadway, and at regional theaters throughout the United States. He is currently on the faculty of Johns Hopkins University and Catholic University of America, and is proud to have taught previously at Eugene Lang College at the New School and David Geffen School of Drama at Yale University. His byline has appeared regularly in The New York Times and he is the author of two books: The Piscatorbühne Century (Routledge, 2021) and Shakespeare in the Theatre: Shakespeare Theatre Company (Arden/Bloomsbury, 2024).
John Stoltenberg
Executive Editor, DC Theater Arts
John Stoltenberg is executive editor of DC Theater Arts. He writes both reviews and his Magic Time! column, which he named after that magical moment between life and art just before a show begins.
Member, American Theatre Critics/Journalists Association.
Elena Velasco
Vice President, Theatre Artist, Choreographer, Professor, Yoga Teacher
Elena Velasco (she/ella) is a theatre artist whose work encompasses performance, education, and community engagement. An associate member of Stage Director and Choreographers Society and Helen Hayes-nominated artist, her directing and choreography credits include GALA Hispanic, 1st Stage, Keegan Theatre, NextStop Theatre, Synetic Theater, Central Square Theatre in Greater Boston, and was the Founding Artistic Director of Convergence Theatre, a theatre for social justice performance collective.
She is an associate professor of theatre arts at Bowie State University, a yoga teacher, and the proud mother of seven, all who have varied paths and passions.
Nicole Hertvik
Ex-Officio: Editor in Chief, DC Theater Arts
2019 National Critics Institute fellow at the Eugene O’Neill Theatre Center and a 2022 Entrepreneurial Journalism fellow at CUNY. Her reporting for DC Theater Arts was a 2022 finalist in the Society of Professional Journalists Best of DC Dateline Awards. Nicole lives in Maryland with her three daughters and two cats.
Amanda Sweet
Secretary
Amanda Sweet has been a marketing and public relations specialist for 20 years, with developed expertise in a variety of industries including arts and entertainment, food, and luxury goods. Since 2008, Ms. Sweet has worked as founder and president of Bucklesweet. She has held senior management positions at prestigious record labels including Telarc and Heads Up, both subsidiaries of Concord Music Group, and Atlantic Records.
At Bucklesweet, Ms. Sweet has signed and represented a diverse client roster including: opera singers Kristine Opolais, Jennifer Rowley and Lucas Meachem; PUBLIQuartet, Turtle Island Quartet; legendary rock drummer and composer Stewart Copeland; organist Cameron Carpenter; and Third Coast Percussion. Ms. Sweet has also represented major performing arts institutions and theaters including Arena Stage, Woolly Mammoth, Mosaic Theater, The Blues Foundation; Washington Performing Arts; University Musical Society, American Piano Awards; Steinway & Sons; Levine Music; Strathmore; and festivals such as Bravo! Vail; Virginia Arts Festival; and Women’s Voices Theater Festival.
A thought-leader and sought-after expert, Ms. Sweet is a member of the National Association of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS), home of the annual GRAMMY® Awards, Chamber Music America, League of American Orchestras and currently serves on the DC Theater Arts board. She is engaged regularly to speak with students and young artists about the music business and how to develop a comprehensive promotions and media strategy. Most recently, Ms. Sweet has served as a speaker/mentor with the DeVos Institute of Arts Management, American University’s Kogod School of Business, the Manhattan School of Music, and Strathmore’s Artist-in-Residence. Ms. Sweet was named one of the Top 30 Professionals by Musical America in 2019.