MEET OUR TEAM
Katie Jones, Executive Director - Before coming to the theater, she had a career in filmmaking. As an actor, she gained credits in shows like Nashville and Chicago Fire. She wrote and starred in the independent film The Cold and the Quiet which won Best Actress & Best Cinematography at the Midwest Independent Film Festival and Best Directing, Best Editing and Best Narrative Feature at the Women’s Independent Film Festival. From there, she shifted to behind the camera and was a producer on An Acceptable Loss, a 2019 feature film starring Jamie Lee Curtis.
In 2021, she made the move from Nashville to Frankfort for the position at The Garden. She has helped the nonprofit navigate the path from single screen movie theater to multi performing arts venue. Katie lives in town with her musician husband and three littles, Ellis, Willie, and Goldie.
Joe Perkette, Assistant Manager and Projectionist - Joe is a skilled professional with over 20 years of experience in the film, projection, and theater management fields.
After working for the Traverse City Film Festival for ten years, he began working at The Garden. He is able to expertly multitask, handling the general management of the theater during movie showings while also being in charge of projecting the films as well.
Nick Loud, Communications Director - Nick is a filmmaker at heart who has spent over a decade producing, directing, and editing documentaries & narrative films. Nick produced the narrative feature film, Quicksand, which premiered at the Traverse City Film Festival, and was also accepted into the Austin Film Festival. Most recently, Nick was the co-producer on Sunfish (& Other Stories on Green Lake), which was shot in northern Michigan and premiered at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival.
In 2017, Nick and his brother Chris started The Boardman Review, a print & digital magazine featuring stories about the northern Michigan region’s creatives, entrepreneurs, nonprofits, and outdoor enthusiasts. Nick serves as the creative director for the print publication. He is on the board of directors for the Leelanau Conservancy and lives with his wife Elise in Traverse City.
The Friends of the Garden Theater Board of Directors
Rick Schmitt, Board President - Rick is the co-owner of Stormcloud Brewing company located in Frankfort, Michigan. A native of Colorado, Rick relocated to Northern Michigan from Denver in 1996 to accept the role of Vice President of Sales & Marketing at Crystal Mountain Resort & Spa. In 2013, Rick left Crystal Mountain to open Stormcloud Brewing Company, a Belgian-inspired brewery producing 3000 barrels and employing over 75 people, with business partner Brian Confer. A graduate of the University of Denver Business School, Rick resides in Frankfort, married to his wife of 28 years and has two children, ages 24 and 22. He is currently the treasurer of the Michigan Brewers Guild, Board Chair of the Frankfort Downtown Development Authority.
Scott Harrison, Director - Scott is a retired healthcare executive. His career included executive positions in hospital administration, health insurance and a national senior living corporation. He lives full time in Frankfort, Michigan.
Jeff Smith, Treasurer - Jeff is a retired partner from Ernst & Young, a CPA with a career of over 34 years in Grand Rapids, Chicago, and Washington, D.C. He has extensive experience working with non-profit organizations having served on the boards of the Metropolitan Planning Council of Chicago, Grand Rapids Art Museum, Michigan State Department of Accounting and Information Systems Advisory Board. He currently serves on the Grand Rapids Art Museum Foundation board, Frankfort Tree Board in addition to his work with the Friends of the Garden Theater.
Becky Bagnall, Secretary - Becky is a pharmacist and retired middle school science teacher. She currently serves the Frankfort Elberta School District in the capacity of community engagement volunteer coordinator. She is a graduate of the University of Michigan College of Pharmacy, and has called Frankfort home since 2013.
Amy King Schindler, Director - Amy has been spending summers in Frankfort for five generations. Her husband, Ed, is a Frankfort High School graduate ('89) and their family became year-round residents in 2017. She has extensive experience in marketing, having worked at Ford Motor Company, Vertex Innovation, Campus Creative Works before shifting to the nonprofit world and fundraising for Elk Rapids Schools. Amy currently serves as the Chair of the Grand Traverse Regional Community Foundation and the Frankfort-Elberta Area Schools Educational Foundation and is on the boards of Paul Oliver Memorial Hospital Foundation, Crystal Downs Country Club, and the Frankfort Elberta Board of Education.
Elise Loud, Vice Chair - Elise owns a consulting firm, Placecraft, that provides community planning, community listening, and project coordination support to municipal and nonprofit clients in Michigan. She previously lived in Frankfort with her dog, Jake, and now lives in Traverse City with Jake and her partner Nick Loud, a filmmaker and co-founder of The Boardman Review. Elise is wildly enthusiastic about people coming together to make their communities better, and is committed to a lifelong learning practice on how to do this justly, equitably, and in a way that welcomes all people to the table. She’s excited and honored to work/learn alongside the Garden Theatre community as a board member.
David Oellerich, Director - David is a semi-retired, self-employed general construction industry consultant currently engaged on projects as an Owner’s Representative and as a member of several general construction Advisory Boards. His prior 30 plus year career in construction included 12 years as the owner of one of the largest privately owned local general construction firms on Florida’s gulf coast.