Next Act, Inc., has added two new members to its board of directors: Ben Nowotarski and Rafaela Schaick. Steffi Schmücker has also joined the board in a consultant’s capacity.
“Our original board of directors is now almost four years in on our journey and, as is the case with most not-for-profit by-laws, we saw the need to begin succession planning,” said Leslie Hamby, Next Act’s Chairperson. “We had a number of quality applicants but only so many vacant seats, and with Ben, Rafaela, and Steffi we were convinced that they would be able to provide immediate value to the organization and the Astra.”
Nowotarski is an educator at Dubois Middle School, resides in Jasper with his wife Holly and their three children, and is also one of the owners/brewers of Basket Case Brewing Company. Schaick, originally from Brazil, resides in Jasper with her husband Matt, is a music therapist with Personal Counseling Services, Inc., and is the director of Strings, Inc., a non-profit organization dedicated to providing professional personalized violin instruction according to the Suzuki method for students located in south-central Indiana. Schmücker lives in Ferdinand with her husband Florian, is a credit analyst at German American, and is a member of Actors Community Theatre’s board of directors, the Jasper Partnership Commission, and volunteers for Junior Achievement.
Nowotarski, Schaick, and Schmücker join original board members Hamby, Marc Steczyk (president), Jay Hamlin (vice president), Selena Vonderheide (secretary), Courtney Knies (treasurer), and Eddie Luegers. The board continues to raise money to help offset costs associated with the renovation of the Astra Theatre.