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, 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.

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. 

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.

David Oellerich, President - 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.

Carol Penfold Patterson - Carol is thrilled to serve as a board member. Born and raised in Frankfort, Carol has deep roots in the community—her great-grandfather, Captain Jonathan Penfold, was one of the town’s founders in 1856. She earned her Master of Architecture from both the University of Colorado and Politecnico di Milano. Carol spent many years as  Design Director at VOA Architecture in Chicago before relocating to California, where she co-founded a molecular diagnostics company in Palo Alto with her husband, Bruce Patterson.

Carol and Bruce returned to Frankfort last year, bringing with them a passion for innovation and community engagement. She holds fond memories of the Garden Theater and enthusiastically supports the ongoing efforts to revitalize it as a hub for film, music, and live performance. Carol  serves on the board of the Oliver art center and is also a dedicated local champion advocate and fundraiser for the Grand Traverse regional lake conservancy ….the Elberta waterfront  community conservation project. She and Bruce have a daughter, Penelope Penfold Patterson.

Paul Danes - Paul is a retired investment professional with a 35-year career as a Portfolio Manager and Chief Investment Office for Victory Capital Management in Cleveland.   Since joining the community about 10 years ago, he has helped launch two businesses, Rocks Landing Restaurant and CrossFit Dunes gym.   He is currently involved in a number of non-profit organizations in the community, including BACN, The Housing Trust of Benzie, Grow Benzie, Sunrise Rotary Club and most recently, has formed a group of local residents under the banner of BRAVE, a group whose mission is to help boost economic development in Benzie County.  He is a recent addition to the board at the Friends of the Garden Theater.