Board of Directors

Your Holly Board of Directors

Ivana Pelnar-Zaiko-Board Chairman
Ivana retired from a career as non-profit executive that included positions as vice president of leading private colleges and a major international consulting company. She also had advised universities and arts non-profits in Germany, Denmark, Bulgaria, and the country of Georgia with a lecture and workshop program in fundraising and non-profit management through the US Department of State. In Dahlonega, Ivana is active as volunteer, part-time consultant, and board officer with local non-profits.

Ivana’s volunteer activities include the Holly, where she served on the Board of Directors, and was instrumental in obtaining grants for the 2014-2015 external renovations of the historic building, and enjoyed appearing on stage. Her years of board service since 2017 include writing four successful grants for the planning and execution of the current, major stage renovation and general oversight of the project.

Martin Sherman Wallis—Vice Chairman
Martin Sherman Wallis is an experienced general contractor with over 35 years in the construction industry. Since 2010 he has been the owner of Wallis & Sons Consulting, Inc., a firm specializing in Parks, Recreation Facilities and Municipal site work. Over his career Marty has established many, close professional and personal relationships with other business owners in the industry. These relationships have allowed Marty to be a “one stop shop” for many clients seeking a contractor to take control of a project and see it through from planning to completion.

Marty has lived in Georgia his entire life. He spent most of his college years at Agnes Scott Theater building sets, acting and hanging out with professors soaking up all they had to offer with respect to the art of Theater. He later spent time at the Academy Theater in Atlanta as an apprentice. An apprenticeship at the Academy meant you were involved in all aspects of the art, so he acted, built sets, stage managed and cleaned the auditorium.

In 2010 Marty joined a group in Johns Creek known as Performing Arts North. Marty designed and built the Dancing Goat Theatre and was the Operations Manager, Technical Director, and everything else that went into running a small, community theater.

Marty has a diploma from Southwest Dekalb High School, some very enlightening college experience, and a Degree from the Weist-Baron School of Television Acting. As a requirement for maintaining a Georgia Professional Contractor’s license, Marty takes numerous classes in the construction and contracting field. Marty volunteers as Holly's project manager and contractor liaison for the 2020-2021 major stage renovation.

Bill Poole-Treasurer
Bill has recently retired in Dahlonega after practicing as a corporate and tax lawyer in Atlanta for 45 years. During his career, he has often advised and served on the Board of Directors of profit and non-profit corporations. Since moving to Dahlonega, which he first visited while attending Ranger school as an Infantry officer, Bill has been an active Owner of R Ranch in the Mountains, where he provided pro bono legal advice and served on its Board of Directors for three years and as its President for two years.

Bill and his wife, Barbara, have been enthusiastic supporters and patrons of the Holly Theater. Bill has assisted the Holly Board as a pro bono legal counsel by coordinating with the Fox Theater Institute in a state law lobbying effort, reviewing contracts for show productions and drafting liability waivers and other contracts. Bill utilizes his legal knowledge and experience and his education of an Engineering B.S. degree from West Point, a law J.D. from UGA and an MBA from GSU for the benefit of the Holly Theater.

Drew Ferguson—Secretary

Drew first became involved at the Holly Theater around 1994 and served as a volunteer in several capacities both on- and off-stage through dozens of performances, children's shows and summer camps over the ensuing decade.

Since then Drew has earned B.S. degrees in Mathematics and Computer Science from Furman University, and a M.S. in Computer Science from GA Tech, and he has accrued over ten years of experience working in higher education where he currently serves as Director of the Office of Assessment at Brenau University in Gainesville, GA. In his role at Brenau, Drew oversees the systematic assessment of academic degree programs as well as of administrative effectiveness across the university. Drew's enjoyment of spreadsheets and their many uses in organizing data has been called "excessive", "a cause of mild alarm" and "beautiful, if it weren't so sad - or maybe that's what makes it beautiful, like the ending of LOST".

In addition to serving on the Board and occasionally performing on-stage, Drew can be found building, painting and hanging precariously off of sets.

Having experienced it for himself, Drew knows how important the Holly is in the north Georgia community for people of all ages, but perhaps especially for youths looking for their tribe, and is excited to continue helping the Holly reach new heights while maintaining its original values and vision!

Tammy Clower

Tammy and husband John, have owned Giggle Monkey Toys since 2014. She moved to Dahlonega full time in 2012 after retiring as a Kindergarten teacher from Fernbank Elementary School. Tammy earned a BS in Early Childhood Education from North Georgia and an MEd in ECE from Georgia State University. Professionally, she is a member of ASTRA (American Specialty Toy Retailing Association) where she earned certifications as Play Expert and Master Retailer. She has also been involved with ASTRA committees. Locally, she is a graduate of the Leadership Lumpkin Class of 2016, has served on the LLC board, and was the LLC Chair for the Class of 2019. She is also a member of Dahlonega United Methodist Church where she plays in the handbell choir. Tammy loves reading, walking, playing and spending time with her family and friends!

Giggle Monkey Toys is dedicated to supporting local organizations that focus on children and families; groups include CHP, NOA, Rainbow Children’s Home, ConnectAbility, Family Connection, Old Fashion Christmas, Lumpkin Literacy, and the wonderful Holly Theatre children’s program (Holly Performance Academy season sponsor).

Stephanie Ferguson-Garrett—Artistic Director

Stephanie has been volunteering at the Holly Theater since she was nine years old. Like many Holly kids, she grew up among a diverse, generous, and talented group of artists who were very much family. Consequently, the Holly has an extremely special place in her heart. Her interest in theater was first nurtured there, where she experienced many different roles and jobs, including working as an assistant and teacher for the Holly Children’s Theater.

Stephanie graduated from Brenau University as a GTA member with a B.A. in Theater, producing an original play as her thesis. After getting a taste of educational theater and dramaturgy at Florida Studio Theater’s literary department, she returned to Gainesville to teach acting and playwriting classes for several different organizations, including ActorQuest, Christian Youth Theater, and Firespark!. While pursuing an M.A. in English at UGA, she wrote and produced a play based on Shakespeare’s Tempest for S.T.E.A.M.fest Atlanta at the Academy Theater. (She does not recommend writing a play in the middle of a semester!)

As a faculty member of the Emmanuel College English department, she was asked to chair the Theater Arts Committee, during which time she directed many productions and eventually started a Theater Arts Minor. She completed a year of doctoral work in Theater History and Performance Studies at UGA, where she studied African American Theater and LGBTQ culture in musical theater, before taking time off to be a full-time mom (the best job!).

Stephanie has a passion for working with young people and helping actors develop their craft. Her favorite theater artists include Julie Taymor and Mary Zimmerman. Her main areas of interest and experience are acting and directing, theater for youth and young audiences, musical theater, period drama (Shakespeare), playwriting/screenwriting, dramaturgy and theater education, and costuming. She hopes to help the Holly Theater continue to welcome and nurture creativity in the community and to find more ways to support and appreciate our amazing volunteers.

Cathy McMullan

Cathy is married and has four children. She has lived in the Dahlonega area since 1985 and has been teaching at Long Branch Elementary school since 1999. Her love of working with children led her to volunteer during the senior summer camp in 2013. Since then, she has returned to work with the summer camps each year and has costumed many shows for the theater. She hopes to continue using her creativity to help the Holly be successful and to grow the children's theater program.

Mary Norman
Mary currently serves as full-time Lecturer of Marketing within the Mike Cottrell College of Business at the University of North Georgia. Prior to joining UNG in 2014, Mary spent twenty-nine years in the consumer packaged goods industry. Mary served in multiple sales and marketing leadership roles with The Coca-Cola Company for 15 years.

Prior to her time at Coca-Cola, Mary held key management positions within The Gillette Company, a Division of Procter and Gamble, developing and marketing leading products for the North American marketplace. Mary earned a Bachelor of Business Administration degree and also a Master of Business Administration Degree, with a concentration in International Marketing, from The University of Notre Dame.

While serving her company and customers, Mary has continued to serve her community. She has been active in fundraising efforts in support of the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption and the Susan G. Komen Foundation, in addition to serving as a Corporate Agent for her Alma Mater. Mary is passionate about education and applied learning. Mary currently is a student mentor, serves as the Faculty Advisor for the UNG Chapter of the American Marketing Association, and has spearheaded the Confidence UNG women’s leadership initiative within the College of Business.

Mary and her husband recently purchased a home in Dahlonega that they are enjoying renovating. She is excited to have an opportunity to serve the local community, using her marketing experience to support the mission of the Holly and expand engagement and support for one of Dahlonega’s special historic treasures.

Bud Stumbaugh
An entrepreneur, corporate executive, and a former eight-term state senator, Bud recently moved to Dahlonega with his wife, Tania. He wants to help the Holly Theatre thrive. Bud's interest in working for the Holly is motivated by two primary things:

1) The theatre is a terrific way to enhance the skills, courage, and even the personality of children and adults in our community. Very few things are more noble than helping people step up and step out! As he and Tania saw in the many performances they attended while building their house here, the Holly does that extremely well.

2) The Holly adds fun in the lives of people in its community. There are many opportunities to frown in the sometimes stressful world in which we live. The programs at the Holly decrease frowns by providing smiles. He wants to ensure the Holly continues to do that long into the future.

Bud is responding to the need for directors with fundraising, marketing and management experience. He helps the theater secure a stable future as a dynamic communicator of the Holly’s attributes both one-on-one and as an accomplished public speaker before small and large groups. He also has a lot of experience fundraising for the university on whose board he serves as well as for the Epilepsy Foundation and political campaigns. He will be happy to ask others to give to the Holly just as he will be doing.

Sam Zamarripa

Samuel Zamarripa is an American entrepreneur, author, and former politician. He is currently the Chairman of Mundo Hispanico, a digital media company headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. From 2017 - 2021 he served as CEO of Intent Solutions of Atlanta, Georgia.

His first novel, The Spectacle of Let - the Oliet and Obit was published by Floricanto Press in May 2017, with a companion novel The Spectacle of Let - the Soul of a Miracle, published in April 2018 also by Floricanto Press. His genre is commonly described as speculative fiction or contemporary magical realism.

He has a long history of public service and was the first Hispanic to serve in the Georgia State Senate, representing the 36th District in eastern Fulton County, Georgia. Zamarripa served two terms in the state senate of Georgia representing the City of Atlanta, where he served as the secretary of the State Economic Development Committee and member of the committees on Insurance, Science & Technology, and Transportation.

Zamarripa is a Trustee of the Annie E. Casey Foundation and a Director of Mundo Hispanico. In 2020 he established Dog Hobble Farms, LLC in Dahlonega, Georgia.

Hal Williams-Chairman Emeritus
Hal's family roots run to the original settling families in the 1828 gold rush. Dahlonega has been home to Hal and his wife Carol since the mid 1960’s. As students at NGC they began their married life here and raised their children and grandchildren here. They retired here in 2008, after owning several successful businesses, working for the Chamber of Commerce and the US Army.

As a member of the original Holly Theater Board Hal has enjoyed over 25 years of experience both on stage and as a board member at the theater. Since 1948 the Holly has been the cultural center for Dahlonega and proudly continues as a leading performing and education center for Georgia. Hal is honored to continue to be associated with this exemplary theater community.