Teresa Aportela Sergott is a graduate of Villanova University with a BA in Religious Studies and a minor in Theatre. She also holds an MA from UW-Parkside in Professional Communications and is certified in Diversity and Inclusion from Cornell University. As a Communications and Operations Consultant, she helps mission-driven organizations find their voice, align their roles, and build the systems to live their values every day. Teresa has acted in the NE Wisconsin area with local companies such as Theatre Z and Play-by-Play Theatre. A first-generation Cuban-American, she is a live theatre enthusiast and performing arts advocate in Green Bay, WI.
Joseph Kaftan graduated from UW Madison, studied graphic design at the American University in Washington DC. He designed booked and CD covers. He is currently a mosaic artist represented by many fine galleries through the country including Edgewood Orchard Galleries. Joseph produced the tribute to Pat MacDonald CD series, as well as a concert of the same 70 plus artists. Joseph teaches workshops nationally, including The Miller Art Museum. Joseph is a part time kayak instructor and lives half his time in Seattle WA.
Tom McKenzie is a 1995 graduate of Lawrence University where he majored in English. After graduating Lawrence University, Tom moved to Door County, where he and David Eliot co-founded the Peninsula Pulse newspaper. Tom lived in Los Angeles for over 20-years where he cultivated and stewarded public-private partnerships to benefit the Los Angeles Arts Education Collective, an initiative of the Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture. He also worked for a variety of LA-based arts nonprofits and for the California Association of Professional Employees MEBA AFL-CIO. He now serves as the Director at Björklunden, Lawrence University’s north campus. In addition, he volunteers in leadership roles for community groups such as the Door County Climate Change Coalition, the Door Kinetic Art Festival and the Peninsula Arts and Humanities Alliance. Tom is a network weaver, capacity builder, and fundraiser who translates these qualities into a leadership style rooted in reverence, collaboration, and creativity.
Morgan Middleton is a multi-disciplinary artist, producer, and the Founder and Creative Director of Morganacity, a Chicago-based arts production company. She began her career as a classical singer, performing with the Lyric Opera of Chicago, Chicago Opera Theater, and the Santa Fe Opera. She holds degrees from the University of Southern California and the New England Conservatory.
Through Morganacity, Morgan writes, directs, and produces original projects across film, television, literature, and theater. Her work centers on authentic representation, reshaping how Black women and other minority voices are portrayed in media through stories built on emotional depth, sharp character work, and a willingness to break from familiar patterns.
Artist Stephanie Trenchard has a BFA from Illinois State University. Since 1998 she and her husband, artist Jeremy Popelka, have owned and operated Popelka Trenchard Glass, a hot glass studio in Sturgeon Bay’s Creative District. They also own SŌMI Gallery, a contemporary art gallery that exhibits the work of a select few local artists. Trenchard is known for her cast glass sculpture, abstract oil painting and poetry. In addition to many private collections, her work is in the permanent collection of the Museum of Wisconsin Art and the Warehouse Museum. She has been published in The Write Launch, Black Fox Literary Magazine, and other fine publications. She taught glass art at Corning School of Glass (New York), Bangkok Glass (Thailand), Pratt (Seattle) and the Richter School (Amsterdam). Prior to moving to Door County to start their glass studio, Trenchard worked for twelve years as a textile and product designer in San Francisco. Today, in addition to the Door Kinetic Art Festival, she serves on the Board of Directors of Peninsula School of Art and the Steel Bridge Creative Foundation; she also is a member of the Sturgeon Bay Local Arts Board.
Art Kopischke is a multimedia theatre artist who works interdisciplinarily in theatre, drag, performance art, comedy, and interactive media installation. Their work has been presented at the Public Theater, Abrons Arts Center, HERE Arts, the Brick Theater, the Flea, 3 Dollar Bill, Chaos Computer, Trans Pecos, ApartmentPARTY, and locally at Third Avenue Playhouse, Peninsula Players, the Door Community Auditorium, and World Premiere Wisconsin.
A graduate of Bard College and Brooklyn College, Art now works as the Audio Video Supervisor at the Brown Arts Institute at Brown University.
Mary “Casey” Martin is a writer, artist, and photographer who lives between Wisconsin Rapids and Egg Harbor, WI. Her works have appeared in state, national, and international publications. She is a past president of Wisconsin Center for the Book, affiliated with the Library of Congress; a life member of Wisconsin Fellowship of Poets and Wisconsin Writers Association. She published and promoted her works along with new and notable Wisconsin voices under her imprint, Home Brew Press, until 2012. She co-founded the Wisconsin Prairie Chicken Festival, which celebrated its 20th year in 2026. A longtime supporter of Steel Bridge Creative Foundation, Casey brings a deep dedication to creative expression and community arts, including her engagement with the DKAF board.
James Kaplan is an acclaimed composer and longstanding artistic collaborator with Northern Sky Theater in Door County. James served as Managing Director in its early days, known then as American Folklore Theatre, and played a vital role in shaping the theater’s signature sound and cultural legacy. He co-created some of Northern Sky’s most iconic and enduring original musicals alongside the late Fred Alley, including Fishing for the Moon, Guys on Ice, Lumberjacks in Love, The Bachelors, and Northern Lights. With collaborator Laurie Flanigan Hegge, he created Northern Sky’s See Jane Vote. In addition, James collaborated with Hegge and Jacinda Duffin to create Loose Lips Sink Ships. Kaplan conceived and created musical arrangements for the Northern Sky revues Beneath the Northern Sky, Goodnight Irene, Harvest Moon, Old Friends, Fish and Whistle, and Sweet Baby James. His music also appeared in Belgians in Heaven, Packer Fans from Outer Space, Ya Ya You Betcha, Fool Me Once, and the original 1995 Bone Dance. He is also a co-founder of Third Avenue Playworks and worked in finance for Milwaukee Rep and Milwaukee Chamber Theatre.
