Staff

Drew Kahn, Founding Director

Drew is a Professor in the Theater Department at Buffalo State College where he teaches acting, voice, movement (President’s Award for Excellence in Teaching/SUNY) and directs main stage productions (Kennedy Center Award). He presents internationally on the universal language of theater and the intersection of storytelling and genocide as a means towards meaningful social change—most recently in Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Greece, Croatia, Morocco and Turkey. Drew has extensive acting experience in regional theatre and off-Broadway (part of Andre’ DeShields’ original cast of Saint Tous), feature film (Paramount Pictures’ Necessary Roughness) as well as several television and commercial credits. In Buffalo, New York, Drew was the host of WKBW-TV’s (ABC) AM Buffalo for six years, hosted the WNED (PBS) documentary Saving a Landmark: The Darwin Martin House (Telly Award) and has numerous local stage credits including In a Dark, Dark House, Lobby Hero, A Cat On A Hot Tin Roof and Baltimore Waltz (ArtVoice Artie Award). He received an MFA in Acting from Southern Methodist University and a BA in Drama from San Diego State University. His favorite roles are husband to his wife Maria and dad to his children Sam and Nate. mailto:kahnaj@buffalostate.edu

Ann Emo, Conference Coordinator

Ann is an Assistant Professor at Buffalo State College where she teaches Costume Design and Technical Theater. She has presents on theatrical design and collaborative arts at conferences, seminars and workshops locally as well as internationally. In addition to her design work at Buffalo State College, Ann has designed costumes for stage, film, opera and dance in the NYC area and locally at Studio Arena Theater, Geva Theater Center, Kavinoky, The Irish Classical Theater Company, and TOY. Her costume designs for The Tempest for Shakespeare in Delaware Park, 2009, earned her the ArtVoice, Artie Award. Ann is honored to be the Conference Coordinator for The Anne Frank Project and to have been involved in its development since its early days. Tae Kwon Do is among her other passions; she has earned a third degree black belt. She received her MFA from New York University, Tisch School of the Arts. Ann is proud to claim her three children as her greatest accomplishment. mailto:emoar@buffalostate.edu

AFP Conference Staff:
Visual Art Coordinator-Carol Townsend, Associate Professor, Design, Buffalo State College
Volunteer Coordinator-Joy Guarino, Assistant Professor, Dance, Buffalo State College
Administrative Assistant- Kim Taylor, Secretary, Theater, Buffalo State College
Technical Director- Fred Pascolini, Theater Student, Buffalo State College
Stage Management Team- James Steiner, Michael Zito, Alumni, Theater, Buffalo State College
Curator- Erica Fire, Costume Director, Theater, Buffalo State College
Conference Assistant - Candace Morrison, Alumni, Theater, Buffalo State College
Conference Assistant - Brittany Wysocki, Theater Student, Buffalo State College

AFP Planning Committee:
Dolores Battle Buffalo State College
Drew Beiter Springville Middle School
Lana Benatovich National Federation for Just Communities of WNY
Ann Emo Buffalo State College
Sister Charlene Fontana Buffalo State College
Bob Heffern Holocaust Resource Center of Buffalo
Drew Kahn Buffalo State College
Naomi Mintzer Holocaust Resource Center of Buffalo
Candace Morrison Alumni, Buffalo State College
Allen Podet Buffalo State College
Deborah Renzi Buffalo State College
Carol Townsend Buffalo State College
Sophia Veffer Holocaust Resource Center of Buffalo
Ralph Walstrom Buffalo State College
Merritt Weisenberger National Federation for Just Communities of WNY
Gail V. Wells Buffalo State College
Kathy Wood Buffalo State College