Board of Directors

The Stoughton Opera House Friends Association is led by a volunteer board of directors and works closely with the Stoughton Opera House's professional staff and city-appointed board of directors.

Jonathan Lewis

Vice President & director
Jon is a retired neuropsychologist. He is a member and Chair of the city-appointed Stoughton Opera House board; Founder, Board member and Vice President of the Stoughton Opera House Friends Association; member of the Stoughton Police & Fire Commission and the Stoughton River and Trails Task Force. Past activities include the Stoughton Area Community Foundation Board, president of the Dane County Friends of Scandinavian Culture, the Stoughton Syttende Mai Executive Committee, the Stoughton Heritage Livsreise Center Steering Committee, the Stoughton Planning Commission, Stoughton Hospital Medical Staff and Chief of Geriatric Psychology, Chair of the Madison Hospitals United Credentials Commission Psychology Section, President of the Norwegian Singers Association of America, and Chair of the Forensic Psychology Division of the Wisconsin Psychological Association. Jon is married with one son, has lived in Stoughton for 38 years. 

Mary-Carel Verden

President & director
Mary-Carel owns Grote Publishing, a communications, design, and marketing firm. Her professional background includes more than 30 years of magazine management, publication design and production, advertising, marketing, photography, public relations, social media, and exhibit work. She has worked closely with clients as varied as McGraw-Hill, John Deere, and CUNA, and was National Marketing Director for American Learning Corporation, an Encyclopaedia Britannica subsidiary. Prior to that, she was part of the international and national training and marketing staff for Encyclopaedia Britannica. She attended the University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point, majoring in Theater & Communications. Mary-Carel serves as head of the Drama Program at the Stoughton Center for the Arts, and on the board of directors for StageWorks Projects. She has volunteered for many Stoughton activities since moving to the city in 1995. She is vice president of the Stoughton Opera House board, past chair of the Victorian Holiday Weekend Committee, and past president of the Stoughton Arts Council.

William Brehm

Director
Bill is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin - Madison and currently works as the Director of the Stoughton Opera House for the City of Stoughton. Bill's volunteer work includes serving as a board member of the Stoughton Arts Council. He is also the founder of the Catfish River Music Festival.

Chris Ziemba

Director
Chris has spent the majority of his career helping nonprofit organizations fulfill their missions. Chris has held various roles at the Stoughton Hospital Foundation, Three Gaits, and Salvation Army of Dane County. As the Donor Relations Manager at Second Harvest Food Bank of Southern Wisconsin, Chris works to eliminate food insecurity throughout southern Wisconsin. He is a graduate of Leadership Stoughton and continues to lend a hand as a volunteer at various area nonprofits. Chris and his wife Kathy live in the Town of Rutland and enjoy attending musical performances at the Stoughton Opera House. 

Mark Belligan

Director
Mark is invested in the southern Wisconsin communities he serves by providing compassionate medical care as a physician assistant, and has come to embrace Stoughton since relocating to town in 2022. He has a passion for live music and a background in nonprofit work including grant writing, and since his introduction to the Opera House, has been inspired to work together with its dedicated staff and SOHFA on a common mission of improving and sharing the beautiful historic theater that draws artists and audiences from far and wide. He is a vocal advocate for the arts in their power to foster social connection through shared experience, enhance mental and cultural well-being through expression, and boost the local economy of the town he loves calling home. When not at work or enjoying shows, you can find him exploring Wisconsin by bike or hiking a new (or old!) section of the Ice Age Trail.

Casey Walske

Director
Bio coming soon….