| President | Sara Grosse | president@patioplayhouse.com |
| 1st VP/General Manager | Frank Guttiere | generalmanager@patioplayhouse.com |
| 2nd VP/House Manager | Michelle Cocchia | housemanager@patioplayhouse.com |
| Secretary | Brandee Beiriger | secretary@patioplayhouse.com |
| Treasurer | Scott Heidemann | treasurer@patioplayhouse.com |
| Artistic Manager | Jennifer Guttiere | jenniferguttiere@patioplayhouse.com |
| Member-at-Large | Mindy Gillespie | |
| Member-at-Large | Leslie Williamson | |
| Member-at-Large | Stefanie Everton-Lovell | |
| Member-at-Large | Haley Adams | |
| Member-at-Large | Alisha Kassel | |
| Member-at-Large | Mario Ledesma |
Sara Grosse
Sara brings heart, hustle, and humor to her role as President of Patio Playhouse. By day, she’s a Senior Mortgage Loan Officer with over 20 years of experience helping families achieve homeownership dreams. By night (and weekends), she’s a dedicated theater mom, Girl Scout leader, and producer. Sara’s entire family is deeply rooted in the Patio Playhouse community—her kids perform onstage, her husband works behind the scenes as a stage manager, and Sara herself wears many hats, producing numerous youth and mainstage shows throughout the year. Whether she’s greeting guests at the door, running a cast party, or leading a troop adventure, Sara’s passion for community, creativity, and connection shines in everything she does.
Frank Guttiere
Frank has been involved in theatre since 1990 and began working with Patio Playhouse in 2008, where he met the love of his life, Jennifer Guttiere (who happens to be the Artistic Manager!) He has previously served on the board as General Manager and Technical Manager for Patio and has served in many production roles throughout the years including director, stage manager, and producer. But he truly loves trodding the boards and enjoys the many parts portrayed since his first high school audition many years ago. He has a B.S. in Computer Science/Information Systems and an MBA from the Florida Institute of Technology as well as over 25 years of global technical support serving Fortune 500 companies. He is looking forward to the upcoming year and working with the amazing people comprising the Patio Board.
Michelle Cocchia
Michelle is a dedicated stay-at-home mom and homeschool educator with a lifelong love for the performing arts. A former high school actor, she rekindled her passion for theater by performing in a recent Patio Playhouse production. Her connection to the theater deepened through the active involvement of her two children, who participate regularly in productions and programs. With a strong belief in the power of community-based arts, Michelle brings a family-centered perspective to the board. She is passionate about fostering creative opportunities for youth and supporting a welcoming, inclusive environment where all generations can thrive on and off stage.
Brandee Beiriger
Brandee Beiriger brings 20+ years of volunteerism and board experience to Patio. With extensive corporate communication, project management, and operations experience, she’s helped various boards advance their missions in the last two decades. Brandee co-produced her first show – Willy Wonka – during Patio’s 59th season, her kids regularly perform in shows, and her husband has acted, helped with set build, and worked on various other backstage items.
Scott Heidemann
Scott is excited to be part of this energetic board and is looking forward to helping fulfill our mission and growing our community theater into a strong, vibrant resource for the entire community to enjoy and participate in. He has indirectly been involved with Patio for over 20 years, however the time was right to step into a more active leadership role. He spent over 40 years working in the accounting and financial services industry. In addition, thanks to the passion and involvement of his 5 children, he also helped successfully run a local Escondido youth theater company for over 13 years. He believes we are poised to make a difference in Escondido and the larger North County area. However, we need to have a solid financial foundation to make that happen. He truly believes this board has the dedication and determination to make that happen. We are eager to partner with the City of Escondido and the many community organizations within the community.
Jenn Gutierre
Coming soon!
Mindy Gillespie
Mindy is a passionate supporter of community theater and proud member of the Patio Playhouse Board of Directors. As the Head of Communications for a global technology company, Mindy brings more than 15 years of experience in strategic marketing, branding, and public relations—skills she’s excited to put to work for Patio Playhouse. Her connection to Patio Playhouse is deeply personal. Her daughter, Emma, is an active performer in the theater’s youth and mainstage productions, which has given Mindy a front-row seat to the creativity, confidence, and connection that live theater fosters in young people. Watching Emma thrive on stage has inspired Mindy to help grow the impact of Patio Playhouse and expand its visibility throughout Escondido and beyond. She is honored to serve on the Patio Playhouse Board and help support a place where imagination, art, and community come to life.
Leslie Williamson
Leslie is proud to be a member of the Patio Playhouse Board and part of a family that has loved volunteering with Patio for the past two years. She works as an Instructional Aide for The Classical Academies and is a mom to three beautiful, talented girls, ages 18 to 10. She enjoys supporting youth productions as a prop designer, backstage helper, and rehearsal volunteer. Her daughters have choreographed several shows, and her husband Jesse serves as Patio’s in-house photographer—together, they help bring the magic of each production to life. Leslie’s excited to continue contributing to Patio’s mission and future!
Stephanie Everton-Lovell
Stefanie is a new member of the Patio Playhouse Board. While she may be new to theater, she is not new to performing arts. At a young age Stefanie began to explore performing arts through tap, ballet, and jazz. Eventually finding a love for Color Guard and Winter Guard during her middle school and high school years. Her daughter’s recent interest in theater has brought her (and her family) into the Patio Playhouse Community. In just under a year Stefanie has been involved with five Patio Playhouse productions. Whether it is watching her daughter growing in confidence and shining on stage, or herself working backstage, in concessions or Producing, Patio Playhouse has found a special place within their family. By day, Stefanie runs a Private Practice in San Diego. Where it has been her passion for over 12 years to support individuals through challenges that life may bring and celebrating the successes along the way.