Staff
The SETC Staff performs much of the behind-the-scenes work. Working remotely across the region, the Central Office Staff serves as a planning organizing force for SETC and its state, regional, and national members. The Central Office Staff manages the organization, programming and events, and works collaboratively with the SETC Board of Directors to fulfill the mission and vision of the organization. Members of the Central Office Staff are responsible for all communication, marketing, customer service, membership, billing, publications, convention planning, professional and educational theatre services, convention registration, festivals and public information.
Contact Us
Have a question? Call the SETC Central Office at (336) 265-6148.
Please leave a message, and your call will be returned within the next two business days. Regular office hours are 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. Eastern Time.
General SETC questions may be referred to info@setc.org.
Meet the Staff
Jack Benjamin (he/him), Executive Director
Jack Benjamin retired after 32 years at the University of South Carolina Aiken and holds the rank of Professor Emeritus. Prior to coming to USC Aiken, Jack taught in Dallas Texas and served as a lighting and scenic designer for several professional theatres throughout the United States. In 2019 Jack was inducted in the Southeastern Theatre Conference Hall of Fame. In 2017 Jack was inducted into the South Carolina Theatre Association Hall of Fame. In March 2006 he received the SETC Suzanne Davis Memorial Award. In 2004 he received the Founders Award from the South Carolina Theatre Association. In 2002, Jack received the John F. Kennedy Center Medallion for his work in educational theatre. Also, in 2002 he held the position of SETC President Elect and planned the Mobile Convention. In 2003 he served his first term as President. Since then, he has served as Elected Past President, the chair of Endowment and Finance and has served three more terms as President of SETC.
Maegan McNerney Azar (she/her), Staff Board Liaison
Maegan McNerney Azar has been a member of SETC since 2001 and her career has developed in large part due to the organization’s constant presence in her professional and academic life. She received her BS in Theatre from East Tennessee State University and her MFA in Acting Pedagogy from The University of Alabama. Maegan has continued her training with Double Edge Theatre (Ashfield, MA), Tectonic Theatre Project's Moment Work Institute (NYC), the Accademia dell'Arte (Arezzo, Italy), Shakespeare Birthplace Trust (Stratford-upon-Avon, UK), and Frantic Assembly (London, UK). She was a co-founder of the Women in Theatre Interest Group for SETC with Shannon Robert and Ginger Poole, and has served as Secretary (2016-2018), Vice President of Administration (2018-2020), and President (2020-2023) for the SETC Board of Directors. She is also a Past President of South Carolina Theatre Association. Maegan is a freelance theatre artist, and she is a member of Actors' Equity Association, National Alliance of Acting Teachers, an Ensemble Member of Lean Ensemble Theater, and on the Board of the Accademia dell'Arte. In 2023, she began her current role with SETC's Central Office Staff to support communication and information sharing between staff and board. Maegan is passionate about the work of SETC and she continues to be inspired by the community here. In addition to the work with the organization, she is the Chair of Theatre Arts and a Professor of Acting & Directing at Furman University in Greenville, SC.
Nikki Baldwin (she/her), Digital Operations Specialist
Nikki a theater arts enthusiast earned a BA in English with a Minor in Dramatic Arts from Winston-Salem State University. Nikki loves to act, stage manage, and volunteer in any capacity.
Nikki is ecstatic to be part of the SETC Team, in which Nikki has participated as an auditionee and observer. Nikki considers her role at SETC as a multilayered cake where each layer represents a variety of skill sets Nikki is ready to bring to the role each day.
Beth Watkins Brown (she/her), Producer & Director of SETC Festivals and Special Events
Beth Watkins Brown is a theatre artist, stagehand, educator, and arts administrator from Charleston, SC, with a passion for amplifying underrepresented voices in the arts. She holds a BA in Drama from South Carolina State University and a Master of Arts in Arts Administration from Winthrop University. Beth is the founder of Blu Hurricane Productions, a company dedicated to developing original works and supporting emerging artists. She currently serves as Vice President of the South Carolina Theatre Association (SCTA) and as the Producer/Director of Festivals and Special Events for the Southeastern Theatre Conference (SETC).
Steven H. Butler (he/him), SETC Director of Convention Services
Steven earned a BA in Liberal Arts with a concentration in Multi-Cultural Affairs and a Minor in Religious Studies from Florida International University. He has been making theatre magic happen for numerous years and in various capacities. After recognizing a void in his community, his professional acting career evolved into artistic directing while founding a community-based theatre company that provides opportunities for marginalized voices and addressing social justice and public health issues.
Steven possesses a deep passion to serve his communities. Prior to working with the SETC Central Office, he served on its various committees and as Vice President of Administration with the Board of Directors. Other organizations he has served includes the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the American Association of Community Theatre and SAVE LGBTQ (formally SAVE Dade).
Steven’s role as Director of Convention Services involves managing the registration process, speaker recruitment, scheduling, planning, programming, as well as venue and logistics coordination for professional development sessions, auditions, and general business meetings. As the former Executive Director for the Florida Theatre Conference, Inc., he brings a solid base of conference planning, logistics, and execution to the SETC experience.
Marci Duncan (she/her), Director of Auditions
Marci J. Duncan earned her BA in Theatre Performance from Florida A&M University and her MFA in Acting from the University of Florida. She trained in on-camera technique at Art’s Sake Acting Studio in Orlando under the late Yvonne Suhor. Her film work includes Life Is Not a Fairytale: The Fantasia Barrino Story (Lifetime), Just Another Day with Jamie Hector (The Wire), and the NBC series Young Rock. Marci is the founder of Artists at Play, a coaching studio supporting actor training and professional development. She currently serves as Director of the BFA Acting Program at the University of West Florida and is touring her original play, Dissonance, which she co-wrote and produced. Marci is the immediate past president of the Florida Theatre Conference and Auditions Director for the Southeastern Theatre Conference (SETC).
Aaliyah Jordan (she/her), Resource Specialist
Aaliyah Jordan is the Resource Specialist for SETC, where she helps manage scholarships, awards, and hospitality
She also serves as the Director of Public Relations for The N.E.T.'s Effect LLC, where she focuses on strategic communications and marketing. Aaliyah is currently earning her MFA in Acting and Directing from the Actors Studio Drama School at Pace University while being a proud, active member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.
She earned her BA in Theatre Performance from Hampton University, with a minor in Cinema Studies and an emphasis in Strategic Communication. Her experience also includes partnerships with nonprofit arts organizations such as Horizon Performing Arts in Michigan, the Downing-Gross Cultural Arts Center in Virginia, and the Robert O’Neal Multicultural Arts Center in Ohio.
With a foundation in theatre, communications, and community engagement, Aaliyah is committed to fostering creative opportunities that uplift underrepresented voices and expand access to the arts. She believes it is her purpose to serve and her calling to bring communities together through theatre.
Sharell Luckett, PHD (she/her), Editor-in-Chief of Southern Theatre Magazine
Sharrell D. Luckett, PhD, is celebrated by PBS as one of America’s most influential leaders in theatre performance and training. She was also honored by "Black Masks" magazine as one of 25 Black Theatre Game Changers in the field. Sharrell recently served on the Independent Equity Committee at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, University of London. In addition to her leadership roles in the arts, Sharrell has authored/edited/co-edited five books and given talks at over seventy institutions. She has been a Fellow at renowned entities, such as the Lincoln Center, Harvard University, and 92Y. Sharrell is also Executive Director of the Black Acting Methods Studio, Director of the Helen Weinberger Center for Drama & Playwriting and Charles P. Taft Distinguished Professor of Drama and Performance Studies at the University of Cincinnati. @sdluckett @BlackActingMethods
Veronica Neblett (she/her), Accountant
Veronica has been an accountant for over 30 years, working in such areas as finance, cost, controller, finance manager, accounts payable supervisor, payroll, accounts receivable, and auditing and tax experience.
She holds and undergraduate degree in accounting from York College CUNY and earned a Master of Arts in Theological Studies and working on a Doctorate in Biblical Studies/Theological Studies from Liberty University in Lynchburg, VA.
An active member and Ordained Elder at Mount Zion Baptist Church in Greensboro, NC. Veronica has a passion to serve and has volunteered in prisons for over 32 years mentoring, teaching, and preaching. She is a published author of two books of inspirational writings, “Expressions from My Heart and Expressions from My Heart Continued”.
A native of Brooklyn, NY, Veronica now resides in Gibsonville, NC. She is a mother of two, grandmother of two, and two great grandchildren. In her spare time, she enjoys crocheting, traveling, writing, and going to plays, musicals and jazz or blues concerts.
Thomas Pinckney (he/him), Director of Advancement
Thomas Pinckney has spent nearly thirty years working in theatre administration. He has a degree in Theatre and English from Emory University. He has worked predominantly in sales and sales management; most recently, he was the Sales and Revenue Manager at the Alliance Theatre in Atlanta. He has extensive experience planning and executing events for audiences of from twenty to forty-five hundred. He serves as the Southeastern Theatre Conference’s (SETC’s) Director of Advancement. He is responsible for SETC’s marketing, sponsorships, and the convention Exhibition Hall. When asked what one piece of advice he would offer to an aspiring theatrical artist, he replied, “Always say yes when you can.”
Rachel Zwerver (she/her), Operations & Communications Coordinator
Rachel A. Zwerver is a New Jersey based Stage and Event Manager. She is a proud Penn State alumni having earned her BFA in Technical Theatre with an emphasis in Stage Management. Stage Management Credits include PSM L’elisir D’amore; Die Fledermaus (PSM Opera Magnifico), PA Weston Theater Co. (The Woman in Black), and SM for Hello Dolly! (Shenandoah Summer Music Theater). She has also served as the Assistant Box Office Manager at Weston Theater Co, and the Co-Company Management Supervisor at The Glimmerglass Festival. She is also credited as one of the founders of Blairstown Pride, and continues to advocate for the LGBTQ+ community. Rachel is thrilled and privileged to be serving as the Operations and Communications Coordinator for the Southeastern Theatre Conference (SETC).