Board of Directors
Zachary Michel - Chair Emeritus, Interim Treasurer, Production Committee Co-Head (zach@charmcityfringe.com)
A musician, writer, and theatre aficionado, Zach possesses a love for the weird and aims to continue to showcase Baltimore's fringe artists and arts. A graduate of UMBC, Zach moved to DC for work with National Geographic, where he continued writing and acting in student films, Cap Fringe, and producing short films. Zach and Mike worked on the Great American Web Series during which time Fringe grew from an idea into an reality. He is excited for fringe theatre to continue to grow in Baltimore emerge as it has in other cities: as a citywide celebration and exploration of the performing arts. See his absurd comedy @MostlyZach.
Michael Brush - President & Chair, Production Committee Co-Head (michael@charmcityfringe.com)
A teacher and writer with an affinity for the theatre and performing arts, Michael's endeavors have led him through a number of experiences. Upon graduating from Towson University, Michael moved to Baltimore to teach high school English for Baltimore City Public Schools. He has noted, "that was fun," but his love and admiration for the theatre led him in another direction. Soon thereafter, Michael began working as an adjunct professor at the Community College of Baltimore County which has given him the time and ability to bring a fringe festival to the city he adores so much. He stresses making sure the creative types maintain complete creative control in projects they take a part in.
Becky Eisen - Vice President, Fundraising Committee Head (becky@charmcityfringe.com)
Becky currently serves as Director, Global Consumer Strategy for McCormick & Co, where she is responsible for assessing new growth opportunities, strengthening Global Segment Strategies, and developing strategic choices for the leadership of the company to drive long term plans. Prior to working at McCormick, Becky organized faith communities around anti-poverty advocacy on pieces of federal legislation, and helped non-profit organizations develop unrestricted revenue streams through social entrepreneurship. From these experiences, she learned how to motivate disparate groups to achieve a common goal, and of the power of the P&L to create social change. Becky Eisen graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Michigan with a BA in Organizational Studies, and earned her MBA from The Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland. She lives in the Station North Arts & Entertainment District of Baltimore with her husband, Adam, and two children, Netta and Isaac.
Yosef Kuperman - Secretary, (yosef@charmcityfringe.com)
Yosef graduated from UMBC (2011) and UB Law (2014). He practices property and casualty insurance law in Maryland. He also occasionally represents artists on a pro bono basis because artists are generally more fun than insurance policies. He spends his spare time seeing just about every live theater show that will sell him a ticket, mostly around Baltimore.
John McAfee, Member at Large, Artist Selection Committee Head (john@charmcityfringe.com)
John McAfee is a dance lighting designer and production manager based in Baltimore. In addition to working with the Charm City Fringe Festival for the past few years, John has recently lit Jayne Bernasconi’s Air Lines, GRIDLOCK Dance’s Veritas, and BlueShift Dance’s The Male Gaze and Foodless Food, both of which premiered at the Charm City Fringe Festival. John is currently the Production Manager at Loyola University Maryland.
Corey Frier Ritsch, Member at Large, Marketing Committee Head (corey@charmcityfringe.com)
Corey Frier Ritsch is a Maryland native who has truly been a jack of all trades! It was seeing the filmed version of Oliver in third grade that cemented his lifelong love of theater. In high school he performed in Inherit the Wind, Phantom of the Opera, and did tech for Steel Magnolias. His first job at 14 years old at the Baltimore County Public Library in Loch Raven prepared him for a long journey in the world of patron services, customer service, and hospitality, including 14 years in the restaurant business starting as Assistant Manager for Donna’s Coffee Bar in Charles Village, where he served George Clooney brunch (after brunch hours had passed). Corey has also led Baltimore National Heritage Area guided walking tours through historic parts of Baltimore including Jonestown, Pennsylvania Avenue, and the cultural hub of Mt. Vernon, and then spent 8 years working at the National Aquarium as a dolphin show emcee, Dolphin Exhibit Stage Manager, and Assistant Sales Manager where he specialized in weddings, social, corporate, and internal events. Throughout these roles, he remained a member of the Volunteer Committee for the Charm City Fringe Festival, and a 10-year volunteer with the Maryland Film Festival. In 2018, he fully recommitted to his original love of theater by joining the staff of Everyman Theatre, where he currently serves as Associate Director of Marketing for Audience Development.
Renee Angelo (she/they), Member at Large, SHRM-CP - HR Lead (hr@charmcityfringe.com)
Renee's #1 talent is being the most exuberant audience member at any given show. Renee's experiences as a professional volunteer (AmeriCorps Alum and RPCV Malawi 2011-2013) led to her initial role as volunteer guru here at Charm City Fringe. As she gained expertise in human resources, she insisted on sharing those skills and protect Fringe's values of diversity, equity, and inclusion. In their day job, Renee uses their expertise in youth development and mentoring to facilitate technical assistance and professional development for youth practitioners across Maryland and D.C. She is also an experienced conference speaker on the topic of neurodiversity and disability inclusion.
Committee Members
Veronica Tang - Box Office
Matthew J. Martin - Production Committee
Drew Fox - Production Committee
Meghan Carpenter - Volunteer Committee
Corey Frier - Volunteer Committee
Josh Mauk - Volunteer Committee
Maria Satyshur - Operations & Communications Committees
Interested in learning about or joining one of our committees? Find out what each committee does here and send an e-mail to info@charmcityfringe.com stating which committee you are interested in. Complete our volunteer form to get involved in other ways!