Staff

Jennifer Dean | email

  • Jennifer Dean is the Artistic Director here at 4th Wall Theatre and honored to follow in the footsteps of Co-Founders Kim Tobin and Philip Lehl. She has worked in the Houston theater community since she graduated from Baylor University in 2000 with a BFA in Theater Performance. Directing credits: 4th Wall: SWING STATE, THE GOD GAME, WHO’S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF?, COLLECTED STORIES, SHAKESPEARE IN VEGAS, LOBBY HERO (co-director), and the award winning THE REALISTIC JONESES; A.D. Players: EVERY BRILLIANT THING, 12 ANGRY MEN, LEAVING IOWA, CHARLEY’S AUNT, and TUESDAYS WITH MORRIE. Acting credits: 4th Wall: THE PAVILION, RECKLESS; A.D. Players: PRIDE AND PREJUDICE, ANASTASIA, THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST, THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK, SHADOWLANDS, CHARLEY’S AUNT, and more; Classical Theatre Company: MISS JULIE; Main Street Theater: ENEMIES, SILENT SKY, COAST OF UTOPIA, I AM BARBIE, and DRIFTWOOD; Stages: DOLLHOUSE: A PLAY.

Catherine Dunaway | email

  • Catherine Dunaway joined the 4th Wall team in 2019 in a dual Marketing and Development role and now serves the organization as Managing Director. In her time with the company, she has specialized in fundraising, securing national, state, and municipal grants, support from private foundations and corporations, and gifts from a growing base of individual supporters.

    Catherine brings an analytical approach to arts administration with her educational background in the sciences (BA in Biochemistry and Cell Biology with a minor in Global Health Technologies from Rice University). In 2023, she earned a certificate with honors in the Leadership Institute for Nonprofit Executives program at the Glasscock School at Rice University. She is a proud member of the Houston Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals.

Gabriel Velazquez | email

Chad Muska | email

Kalin Menzel | email

  • Stage Management credits at 4th Wall Theatre Company: TOPDOG/UNDERDOG; VANYA AND SONIA AND MASHA AND SPIKE; SWING STATE; THE FATHER; THE THANKSGIVING PLAY; SENSE AND SENSIBILITY; THE PAVILION; FAIRVIEW; SANCTUARY CITY; THE SOUND INSIDE; THE THIN PLACE; BETWEEN RIVERSIDE AND CRAZY; GLORIA; THE LIFESPAN OF A FACT; A DOLL’S HOUSE, PART 2; THE REALISTIC JONESES; THE GLASS MENAGERIE; COLLECTED STORIES; THE PUSSY GRABBER PLAYS; RAPTURE, BLISTER, BURN; PRIDE AND PREJUDICE; JESUS HOPPED THE ‘A’ TRAIN. Rogue Productions: I LOVE YOU BECAUSE (ASM). Kalin is a proud member of Actors’ Equity Association. @kalinmenzel

Board of Directors

Kenneth Bohan, CPC, CTS

  • Kenneth J. Bohan, CPC, CTS was the founder / CEO / Chairman of The Liberty Group which opened in 1977 and provided full-service executive search and temporary staffing to firms, nationwide, from Fortune 500 companies to small independent businesses.  The Companies of the Liberty Group specialized to the real estate, accounting, IT services and administrative services through Liberty Executive Search, Liberty Temporary Staffing, Liberty IT, while Liberty Screening Services offered pre-employment screening services and drug testing to a national client base.

    Other board service includes both professional and non-profit:

    • Bering Omega Asset Board

    • 4th Wall Theatre Company

    • DePelchin Children’s Center

    • Houston Apartment Association

    • The Victory Fund

    • City of Houston Planning Commission

    • National Association of Personnel Services

    • Bering-Omega Community Services

    • Houston Area Association of Personnel Consultants

    • Texas Association of Personnel Consultants

    • Stages Theatre

Pat Larson

  • Pat is one of the longest-serving Board Members of 4th Wall Theatre, having joined the Board in January, 2016. She currently serves as the Board Secretary and as a member of the Governance and Development/Event Committees. 

    Pat is a retired public-school educator who has taught high school English and French, been a high school counselor and registrar, served as the Director of Guidance and Health Services and was a manager/trainer in student information technology.

    Pat also worked in banking, personnel services and the psychiatric field, the latter as Clinic Director and Director of Admissions at West Oaks Fort Bend and West Oaks Hospital.

    Pat is one of the founders and former Board member of Friends For Life Animal Shelter.  She has also served on the Board of the Fort Bend County United Way.

    Pat received a B.A. in English and French from Texas Christian University and an M.Ed. in Counseling from the University of North Texas (formerly North Texas State University). She did additional graduate work at the University of Houston in Educational Administration. 

    When she is not attending theatre productions and working on 4th Wall business, Pat enjoys reading (She’s in four book clubs.), doing jigsaw puzzles, participating in meetings of the Fort Bend/Harris Retired Educators group, lunching with friends and visits with her grandson.

Lori Lato, CPA

  • Lori has over 20 years of experience in public accounting. Lori received her Bachelor of Science in Accounting from the University of Missouri – St. Louis and before joining Calvetti Ferguson, Lori worked with a renewable energy start-up company, assisting them with accounting, finance, and business development. She now works with companies in various industries, including energy, distribution, manufacturing, real estate, construction, private clients, and private equity. Lori’s primary focus is helping family-owned, middle-market companies navigate the intricacies of federal and state tax compliance and assisting them with all business tax consulting, from tax planning to ownership succession, business expansions, mergers, and acquisitions. She is now affiliated with the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the Associations for Corporate Growth on the Women’s Forum Planning Committee, Prime Global Women’s Leadership Special Interest Group, Lean In Energy, the Women’s Energy Network, and the Women’s Finance Exchange.

Kim Tobin-Lehl

  • Kim is the Co-Founder and Resident Artist at 4th Wall. She co-founded the company (then Stark Naked Theatre) with her husband Philip in 2011. Kim has acted in or directed 35+ productions at 4th Wall. She served as the Co-Artistic Director until 2021 when she became the company’s first resident artist. Kim is an award-winning director and actor with extensive connections and training in New York City and Los Angeles. She trained with the likes of Stella Adler, Gene Frankel, Mike Nichols and the award-winning Barrow Group. During her time in New York City Kim was the Managing Director of The New Mercury Theatre and the Co-Artistic Director of Blue Sphere Alliance East. She worked for 15 years in investment banking at DLJ/Credit Suisse First Boston and The Blackstone Group. She serves on the Advisory Board of Arts and Culture Texas Magazine and Mildred’s Umbrella Theatre Company. She is a trained and highly sought after acting teacher specializing in Meisner Training. In addition to her extensive Conservatory Training, she Graduated from the University of Houston, Summa Cum Laude with a degree in Theatre and a Creative Writing minor. Her extensive resume and credits can be found at: kim-tobin.com

Philip Lehl

  • Philip Lehl is a co-founder and former Artistic Director of 4th Wall. In addition to his acting and directing work at 4th Wall, he has acted on Broadway, Off-Broadway, in a National Tour, and in many regional theaters. Since arriving in Texas in 2001, Philip has appeared at every Equity theater in Houston, including 4th Wall, the Alley, Stages, Main Street Theater, A.D. Players, Houston Shakespeare Festival, and TUTS. He has also appeared as a guest artist at Classical Theatre Company (where he is a company member), Generations, Horse Head, and BCCM. Philip holds degrees from The Juilliard School and Drake University, and also studied at the O'Neill Center's NTI and Moscow Arts Theatre School. His directing credits include plays at 4th Wall, Classical Theatre Company, A.D. Players, Stages, BCCM, Generations, and Brave Dog Theatre. He is a co-founder of the Houston Theatre Alliance.

Howard M. Bookstaff

  • Howard Bookstaff is the head of the multi-family practice at Hoover Slovacek. For over 25 years, he has focused on commercial and residential real estate, landlord/tenant law, condominium law and community association law. Mr. Bookstaff has been honored to serve as general counsel of the Houston Apartment Association since 1995, has authored amicus curia briefs and is actively involved in the apartment industry’s legislative efforts, both locally and in Austin. Additionally, he has assisted in the drafting of a number of Houston city ordinances as well as Texas state landlord/tenant laws.

    Mr. Bookstaff is a frequent speaker at various landlord/tenant and fair housing seminars and he authors a monthly article in Abode, the Houston Apartment Association magazine. There he writes about a variety of topics of interest to the apartment industry.

    Mr. Bookstaff serves a number of clients that own and manage a wide range of real estate concerns. His practice includes representation of clients in the purchase and sale of real estate and litigation matters ranging from premises liability cases in the district and appellate courts to evictions in the justice courts and administrative proceedings under the federal and state fair housing acts.

Wes Bowers

  • Wes Bowers has been serving on the Board of Directors of 4th Wall since 2023.  Wes is initially from Waco, Texas, where he graduated from Baylor University in 2002 and Baylor School of Law in 2007.  Wes is a shareholder with the law firm of FizerBeck, and his practice focuses on complex trust and estate matters, including estate planning, taxation, probate and estate administration, and the preparation of wills and trusts.  In his free time, Wes enjoys traveling to new places and spending time with his family.

Dominic Cellitti

Mary Lou Cenatiempo

  • Mary Lou Cenatiempo has always loved the theatre. In her early years she participated in numerous school productions, small regional amateur productions, and was an equity apprentice at the Houston Music Theatre while in college. Then life, love, family, and career intervened. She married Mike Cenatiempo, and raised their three children while earning a bachelor’s and master’s degree in education. She worked in education for almost 20 years as a teacher and administrator for the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston. 

    She cannot sit still now that she is retired. She has worked and volunteered for Interfaith Ministries, Charity Guild of Catholic Women, the Italian Cultural Center, Donne di Domani, and Belong Kitchen. She is still very involved with Donne di Domani and Belong Kitchen. 

    She discovered 4th Wall Theatre in early 2024, and is now thrilled to be a small part of it by serving on the Board. It allows her the opportunity to experience theatre that she loves both as a delighted patron and willing volunteer.

Sharyn Feller Harris

  • Sharyn Feller has been a dedicated member of the Board of Directors of the 4th Wall theater since 2019. 

    Originally from New York, Sharyn built a distinguished career in the fashion industry, holding key management roles at Macy’s, the Anne Klein Corporation, and Emanuel Ungaro. Since moving to Houston, she has been deeply involved in the community, serving on the boards of esteemed institutions such as the Mickey Leland Internship Program, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), The Emery/Weiner School, and the Holocaust Museum Houston.

Susan Hinkley

  • Susan Hinkley joined the 4th Wall Board of Directors in 2024.  She believes theatre has the power to stimulate conversations and inspire action on important social issues. She recently retired after a 37-year career with the Houston Apartment Association.  The Houston Apartment Association is a trade organization providing advocacy and education for rental housing in Houston and surrounding areas.  Susan enjoys traveling, volunteering and spending time with her great nephews and nieces.  

Colton Larsen

  • Colton Larsen originally hails from Madison, Wisconsin, and has been passionate about live theatre since his parents enrolled him in a theatrical summer camp in 4th grade. After graduating from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, Colton launched his nonprofit administration and development career working with The Eugene O’Neill Theater Center, Asolo Repertory Theatre, and the Alley Theatre here in Houston. Most recently, Colton held a philanthropy position at Holocaust Museum Houston. Colton is completing the Professional M.B.A. program at Rice University and will join the J.P. Morgan Private Bank team in Houston following graduation. Occasionally, Colton will moonlight as an actor having volunteered with community organizations including Manatee Performing Arts Center in Bradenton, Florida, and Players Theatre in Sarasota, Florida. His favorite roles include Charlie in Flowers for Algernon, Nick in the Maltby and Shire musical Baby, and Joey in Tony n’ Tina’s Wedding. Outside of theatre, Colton enjoys traveling and running.

Michelle Mower

  • Mower is an award-winning screenwriter and director who has produced feature films, made-for-television movies, docu-series and commercials for Lifetime/A&E, Amazon, Apple+ and other streaming platforms. Her debut feature film THE PREACHER’S DAUGHTER, about a minister’s daughter who has an affair with the music minister of her father’s church, was picked up by Lifetime/A&E where it garnered the highest rating of an original movie on LMN in 2012. This success lead to Mower writing and directing four more movies for Lifetime, most recently WHAT HAPPENED TO MY SISTER? (2022) Mower’s independent feature THE NEVER LIST, about an overachieving teenage girl who’s perfectly planned academic life is derailed after the death of her best friend, was released in 112 AMC and regional theaters across the U.S. and can currently be viewed on Amazon, Apple+ and other streaming platforms. Mower strives to tell bold, female-driven stories that are visually compelling, emotionally impactful and entertaining. www.michellemower.com

Annise Parker

  • Annise Parker served the people of Houston with three terms each as City Council member, City Controller, and Mayor. She is the only person in Houston’s history to have held all three offices.  She was the first openly LGBTQ mayor of a major American city.

    Time magazine named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2010. Singular honors include Scenic Houston’s Scenic Visionary Award, Holocaust Museum Houston’s Guardian of the Human Spirit Award, Galveston Bay Foundation’s Guardian of the Bay Award, Rice University Distinguished Alumna, and Local Arts Leadership honoree by Americans For the Arts.

    Parker is President/CEO of LGBTQ+ Victory Fund and Institute.  Previously she was Senior Vice-President and Chief Strategy Officer of BakerRipley.  She was a Doerr Institute for New Leaders Fellow and Professor in the Practice at Rice University, and Fellow of the Institute of Politics at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government.

    A second generation native Houstonian and graduate of Rice University, Parker spent 20 years working in the energy industry, including 18 years with Mosbacher Energy Company. She and her wife, Kathy Hubbard, are advocates for adoption, with three daughters and a son—and now 5 grandchildren.

Harriet Schubb

Carol Sugimoto

Jarrett Reid Whitaker, PhD

  •  Reid Whitaker, PhD, is the Senior Vice President of Research and Measurement at Accelerate Learning, Inc. and the creator of STEMscopes, a widely recognized educational tool. His passion for high-quality education, especially for underserved students, has shaped his career. 

    Reid started with Teach for America, teaching 5th grade and elementary science, earning the HEB Texas Excellence in Education Rising Star Award. He later provided professional development for teachers in Houston ISD and became an Associate Director at Rice University’s Center for Education. 

    As principal of Port Houston Elementary, he improved the school's accountability rating to Exemplary within two years. Recognized as Houston’s Emerging Leader (2009), he returned to Rice University to develop STEMscopes and later joined Accelerate Learning to address the STEM crisis globally. 

    Beyond education, Reid has a lifelong passion for theater and deeply admires the 4th Wall Theater. He views theater as a powerful tool for education and inspiration. As a Board of Directors candidate, he hopes to expand the theater’s community engagement and enhance its educational impact.

Advisory Council

Lary Barton
Holly Beretto
Gary Chiles
Mark Folkes
Lona McManus
Michael Mullins
Gabriella Nissen
Cheri Randolph
Jason Roberts
Kate Robertson
Ten Eyck Swackhamer
Gary Wulf

Third Party Services