Randy Blackwood - Executive Director, Athletic and Entertainment Facilities

Randy is a long time resident of Springfield and a Speech and Theatre graduate of Missouri State University.  He has been involved in public assembly venue management since 1981 serving as the Fine Arts Auditorium Manager at the University of Georgia for four years and at Missouri State from 1984 to the present.  Randy has served in the administration of Hammons Student Center adding Plaster Sports Complex in 1992.  In 2005, Randy became Executive Director of Athletic and Entertainment Facilities encompassing the administration of Hammons Student Center, Plaster Sports Complex and the Juanita K. Hammons Hall for the Performing Arts.  Beginning in 2006, Randy served an active role in mission planning and design of JQH Arena and added management of that facility to his responsibilities with the opening of the venue in 2008.

Randy is a graduate of Leadership Springfield and is a member and past presenter of IAAM, the International Association of Assembly Managers.  Randy presently serves on the Board of Directors of the Springfield Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Deb Gallion - Director of Marketing and Promotions

Deb has been with Juanita K. Hammons Hall since August, 1993.  Prior to that, she was promotions manager at KY3-TV, where she also served as a regional representative on the NBC Network Affiliate Promotions Advisory Board.  She also worked as creative director at Young and Company Advertising and continuity director at KTTS AM/FM radio.  Deb currently serves as Vice President of the Plains Presenters booking consortium, and is a founding member of the Springfield chapter of the Association for Women in Communications.  She volunteers for KOZK public television and the Ozark Empire Fair.  Deb graduated from Missouri State University with majors in Speech and Theatre and English.

Tom Kile - Director of Operations

Tom Kile has been the Director of Operations for the Juanita K Hammons Hall for the Performing Arts since March 1, 2001. Prior to this, he was the Technical Director for the Hall since it’s opening in 1992. He received his Bachelor degree in Speech & Theatre from Southeast Missouri State University in 1976. Tom has worked for theatres in Los Angeles and lived in Mainz, Germany for four years, working for the Army as a Theatre Specialist in the Community Theatre program that served the Army and dependent community there.

Tom has served as a lighting designer for the Springfield Regional Opera productions of “Carmen,” “Girl of the Golden West,” “The Magic Flute,” and “Rigoletto,” as well as productions of “Tommy” and “Best Little Whorehouse in Texas” for Springfield Little Theatre. He also designed lighting for Tent Theatre’s production of “The Boys Next Door,” as well as lighting for numerous dance shows.

Tom earned his private pilot’s license in 2003.

He married Tina Baumgartner in 2002, with whom he acted within theatre productions in high school. Tom’s daughter Ashley will graduate from Missouri State in 2010.

Ed Carson - Technical Director

Ed moved to the Ozarks from Louisiana in 1992 as a staff member for Hammons Hall for the Performing Arts. He received his Bachelors and Masters of Arts in Theatre from Louisiana Tech. He worked at the Hall till 2001 when he moved to Arizona to take a job as Cultural Services Administrator. He spent the next few years touring with many National Acts and working for Silver Dollar City as Technical Support and Lead Technician at Echo Hollow Amphitheatre.  He returned to Hammons Hall in 2005.  He is married and has four daughters.

Jim Grider - Box Office and Business Manager

Jim joined the staff in October of 1998. He received his Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Missouri State University in 1988. Jim came from the Shoji Tabuchi Theatre where he had worked as the audit manager for the last five years. He is a native of Springfield, Missouri, and enjoys the Ozark’s outdoors.

Dian Thompson - Assistant Box Office Manager

Dian has been blessed to grow up in Springfield. She joined the Missouri State TIX Box Office staff as a student in 1996. After graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education in 2001, she continued to work for Hammons Hall as an Assistant Box Office Manager. Dian is responsible for the box office at Juanita K. Hammons Hall and assists with events at the JQH Arena, Hammons Student Center, Plaster Sports Complex, Coger Theatre, and Tent Theatre. Dian resides in Fair Grove with her two children, Kelsey and Joshua. She enjoys going to flea markets / swap meets, used book stores, collecting children’s books, and spending time with her nephew, Daniel, and niece, Katlyn.

Carol Munnelly - Assistant Box Office Manager

Carol joined SMS-TIX as Assistant Box Office Manager, after serving as Box Office Manager for six years at Valparaiso University, in Valparaiso, Indiana.  She’s now Assistant Box Office Manager and responsible for ticketing events at Coger Theatre and Tent Theatre.  In addition, Carol assists in the ticketing for athletic and cultural events at the Hammons Student Center, John Q Hammons Arena, Plaster Sports Complex, Price Cutter Park and Ozark Empire Fair and the Hall.  Carol resides in Springfield with her husband, Bill, and has three children.  Her son, Sean, is a Medical Doctor, practicing in Hilo, Hawaii; Michael is a MSU graduate working for Wells Fargo in St. Louis; and Ashley, a graduate of SBU, is working as a substance abuse counselor in Portland, OR. 

Shannon Stanton - Assistant Box Office Manager

Shannon is a Springfield native who graduated from Missouri State with degrees in Music Education and Clarinet Performance.   After working as an assistant in the Hammons Student Center Box Office and in the Bursar’s Office at Missouri State she joined the Hall in July 2007 as Assistant Box Office Manager.  In her spare time she enjoys playing in the University Community Band as well as in the pit orchestra for many local theatrical productions.

Kay Litchy - Director of Development and Sales

Kay joined the Hall in July 2004.  She grew up locally and graduated from Missouri State University with a degree in Marketing. She completed her Master’s Degree in Communications from Drury University.  Prior to the Hall, she worked as an Account Executive for Hallmark Loyalty Marketing Group, a division of Hallmark Cards, Inc.  Kay serves as the President of The Deana Kendrick Foundation, is a member of the Springfield Chapter of the Association for Women in Communication, the American Diabetes Association, the Springfield Southeast Rotary, and has served over fourteen years with the Air Force Reserves.  Kay lives outside of Battlefield with her husband, Adam, and their daughter, Ella.

Anjie Nowell - Coordinator, Center for Arts in the Schools

Anjie has been Coordinator of the Center for Arts in the Schools, the education and outreach program at Juanita K. Hammons Hall, since September 1998. She is an active member of the Missouri Arts Education Collaborative, the Kennedy Center’s national Partners in Education network, and serves on the Springfield Public Schools’ Curriculum Development Councils for both Visual and Communication Arts. Anjie holds degrees from Missouri State University in K-12 Music Education and Clarinet Performance. In her spare time, Anjie is a freelance musician and enjoys performing in the Missouri State University Community Band, the Ozark Festival Orchestra, and pit orchestras for local theatre productions.

Jack Wheeler - Events Coordinator

Jack, a native of the Springfield area came to Hammons Hall in January of 1999. After receiving a Bachelor of Science in Marketing from Missouri State University, he helped create "Senior Living", a Senior Citizen Publication and later worked at Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Marine in their creative services department. Jack enjoys the great outdoors and spending time with his daughter Emily.

Nancy Mills – Executive Assistant

Nancy joined the Hall in early October of 2006.   For over 22 years she was the Administrative Secretary for Bears Basketball at Missouri State University. The Hall was fortunate to “sign” Nancy and our recruiting efforts paid off. Her multi-tasking skills and ability to work with the public at all levels were keys to her joining the Hall. She has taken several courses at Missouri State University and has earned the status of Certified Professional Secretary. Nancy and husband Randy are long-time Springfield residents and support events at Missouri State University, as well as the Cardinals and Dallas Cowboys.

Dick Johnson - Custodial Manager

Dick has been the custodian of the Hall since its opening in 1992. Born and reared in Central Illinois, Dick, his wife, and his two daughters moved to Springfield in 1984 and have no intention of ever leaving. Dick's wife Shae teaches fourth grade at Greenwood Lab School on the Missouri State University campus and his oldest daughter graduated from Missouri State University in December 1996. His duties at the Hall go beyond just cleaning up; he has a staff of 8 student workers that take care of the building daily, work during and after performances, and do all the setups for meetings, dinners and functions held in the Hall. Dick's woodworking skills have also added to his contributions to the Hall.

Ashley Knight - Head House Manager

Ashley started working at the Hall in September of 2006. She moved to Springfield from Belton, MO, to attend Missouri State University and is working on earning a Bachelor of Science in Entertainment Management.  Ashley plans to seek a career in stage management after graduation.