Leadership

Patrick Conaway (he/him)

Executive Director and Founder

Patrick Conaway is the Founder, Artistic, and Executive Director of ACON. Patrick was born and raised in Natick, a community he loves with all his heart. After Patrick graduated from Natick High School, he earned his Bachelors of Fine Arts in Acting from The Hartt School in Hartford, CT. Patrick continued his actor training at Shakespeare & Company (Lenox, MA), Drama Studio London (Ealing, United Kingdom), Monash University (Prato, Italy), and The Company One Theatre (Boston, MA.) After receiving his diploma, Patrick moved back to Middlesex county with his partner Paige Matheson. Once settled in, Patrick acted at many theatres in the Boston area, including the Central Square Theatre, FTLO Theatre, The Bostonian Society, The Theatre Company of Saugus, The Firehouse Center For The Arts, and Yorick Ensemble. Patrick also has worked regionally at The Saratoga Shakespeare Company and Hartford Stage. As of 2022, Patrick is a board member for The Friends of Natick Drama Workshop. Paige and Patrick are dorm parents and live at The Walnut Hill School For The Arts in Natick.

Richie Conaway (he/him)

Artistic Director and Executive Producer

Richie Conaway was an original member of the ACON Board of Directors and looks forward to stepping into a new role this summer. After being heavily involved in the arts throughout his youth growing up in Natick, Richie spent a year traveling and performing with Up with People on their tours in the United States, Mexico, Europe, and Israel, and additionally interned with the Vocal Instructor. He then attended Adelphi University majoring in Music Education with a focus on Vocal Performance participating in many choirs, a cappella, music theatre, and opera performances. Richie also worked as the Vocal Instructor for Camp Up with People for a summer in Virginia. He currently lives in London with his husband and works as a Client Services Executive at Ski Solutions. Richie is also a working musician and is currently a member of the Dreaming River Band, a country/folk band based in London. As well as being a music, arts, and pop culture enthusiast, Richie is proud to be from Natick and looks forward to sharing the gift of the arts with this amazing community.

Kira Troilo (she/her)

Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Consultant of Art & Soul Consulting

Kira Troilo is the founder and lead Equity, Diversity & Inclusion consultant of Art & Soul Consulting. She's a Boston-based creative who has been doing the work of EDI consulting, without the title, for decades. In 2021, after serving for 12 years as the Managing Editor of an online media company, she received formal training — earning her certificate in Diversity & Inclusion in the Workplace from ESSEC Business School and anti-racism training from Anti-Racism Collaborative (ARC). She strives to serve as an open door and bridge builder through her blog (biracialmom.com), writing frequently about her experiences as a Black, biracial woman, creative professional and mother. Her article about Black maternal health has received national attention, and her articles about diversity and theater have been published in such outlets as BroadwayWorld and StageSource.

Leo Ryan (he/him)

Director of Development

Leo Ryan is continually reinventing himself. Professionally he has worked in the fields of workplace safety, energy efficiency, personal finance, and communications. Capable of delivering technical solutions and always responsible for business development. As a singer/songwriter he has performed on stages from Maine to Alaska. Work and adventure have allowed him to live/work in more than 15 countries and pick up a couple of languages. Family and community are his foundation; married to Patty Magill for 32+ years and proud father to legends Maggie, Luke, and Peter. Active in the community currently serving as the Chair of the Natick Sustainability Committee. And he’s a yoga teacher and a shaman.

Alexander Ross (he/him)

Director of Marketing

Alexander Ross is honored to be working on the executive team at ACON. He recently graduated from Brandeis University, earning his bachelor’s in Business and Music with a concentration in musical theatre. During his time at Brandeis, he had the pleasure of leading multiple different performance art clubs (Brandeis VoiceMale) and founding a new theatre club to inspire new writers and foster student-professional mentorship and career development (Fireside Theatre Company). Alex started his career at ACON as the titular character in Charlie Brown and has never looked back. He is passionate about the power of the arts and community and intends to share that love with Natick. Alex has also had the privilege of working both administratively and on stage at multiple different education/performance art companies around the northeast including Penobscot Theatre Company, Speak About it, and the Boston Ballet. 

Rhonda Conaway (she/her)

Chair of the Board of Directors

Rhonda Conaway is the creator of Let Your Light Lead You, LLC. As a professional personal coach, she partners with clients of all ages to create strategic plans to live empowering lives and achieve sustainable results. Rhonda is a founding partner of Act 2: Share Our Stage and co-hosts its subsidiary, Act 2: You're ON! Podcast. Rhonda infuses her creative spirit, hands-on approach, and performance background in personal development workshops, retreats, & presentations. In addition to her work in personal development, Rhonda is an educator with over 20 years of experience in the field. She co-founded The Peacemakers: Music With A Message program for elementary-aged students and continues to lead students to develop character, self-awareness, and leadership skills. Rhonda also serves every summer as an administrator for a municipal camp program. Rhonda earned her bachelor's degree from Stonehill College, is an alumnus of the internationally recognized Up With People program, and holds her professional coaching certification from the Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching (iPEC). In 1997, Rhonda shared, with her colleagues, Johnson Elementary School's honor of being granted the U.S. Department of Education's Blue Ribbon Award. She was also a 1998 recipient of The Goldin Foundation Award for Excellence in Education. In addition, Rhonda received the NEF Educator Shining Light Award in 2017 and was recognized as a Commonwealth Heroine by the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women in 2020. Her loves include time spent with her family and friends, travel, and singing with the multigenerational choir: Sound and Spirit. A performer by nature, she is drawn to creative endeavors on and off the stage. 

 Our Board of Directors

Jake Lavery (he/him)

Abby Alfaro (she/her)

Ed Carr (he/him)

Gillian King (she/her)

Diana Matheson (she/her)

Christopher Rowe (he/him)

Tyler Turner (he/him)

Matthew Werner (he/they)