Staff

Oriana Fowler Communications Director

Contact regarding public relations, promotions, online content, & marketing.

Highlights prior to joining Erasing the Distance include public relations for Redmoon Theater’s musical The Golden Truffle and site-specific spectacles; audience development for Chicago’s Neo-Futurists; managing international tours for Blair Thomas & Company; and fundraising with Lookingglass Theater to build the company’s Michigan Avenue home. Oriana earned a BFA in Theatre Management from DePaul University. Oriana is certified by Mental Health First Aid in assisting people who are developing and/or experiencing a mental health challenge or crisis.
oriana@erasingthedistance.org

Jessica Mondres Outreach Director

Contact if you are an actor, mental health professional, mental health organization looking to partner, interested volunteer or storyteller.

Jessica has a BA in Theatre and English from Flagler College in Saint Augustine, FL. She has received peer counseling training from the National Alliance on Mental Illness, is certified by Mental Health First Aid in assisting people who are developing and/or experiencing a mental health challenge or crisis and is trained in devising civic theatre through performance, social practice, participation and dialogue from Michael Rohd, a pioneer in the field. Before joining Erasing the Distance she was a grants coordinator for Tantalus Theatre Group, and a freelance project coordinator for NAEYC re-accreditation for the Jewish Community Center early childhood education program. She also helped to design and facilitate a workshop for employees of the MGR Foundation teaching devised theatre techniques with the purpose of using them to create and facilitate community dialogue. She has collaborated on and acted in devised plays and performances every chance she can get. Some of her favorite projects include a performance based on the epic poem The Third Hour of the Night by Frank Bidart for the Poetry Foundation and Mary Shelly and Her Monsters for Upstart Theatre Group. She believes theatre is an excellent way to facilitate community dialogue and discussion about issues ranging from the political to the intensely personal, and is thrilled to have joined the staff of Erasing the Distance to actively work on promoting this type of performance and dialogue about the important topic of mental health.
jessica@erasingthedistance.org

Brighid O’Shaughnessy Executive Artistic Director

Contact regarding all bookings, our productions, major collaborations, & donor relations.

Brighid is the Founder of Erasing the Distance. She was recently granted DePaul University's prestigious David O. Justice Award for her use of theatre to educate communities about mental health in non-traditional and creative ways.

Her experience as a director, actor, teacher, and artist committed to social change has spanned the last 15 years. Brighid’s work history includes serving as the Co-Director of both The Thresholds Theatre Arts Project which created space for adults with chronic and severe mental illness to write and perform their own stories and Dramagirls of Redmoon Theater which used spectacle based theater to empower middle school girls to find their voices. She also taught at the Acting Studio Chicago (formerly known as the Audition Studio)and has created many original theatrical productions with teens in Chicago Public Schools based on social issues and their own personal stories. Brighid holds a Masters of Arts in Personal and Professional Effectiveness from DePaul University where she was granted the Richard J. Meister Scholarship, demonstrating a commitment to issues of social justice, community service and responsibility as well as academic excellence. Her undergraduate degree is from Santa Clara University in Theatre where she directed True Colors, a social-issue theatre ensemble. She has studied with Michael Rohd, internationally known activist and artist. Her commitment to health and well-being goes beyond Erasing the Distance. She is a mental health educator for families with the National Alliance on Mental Illness and has a extensive training in personal coaching and leadership development through the Coaches Training Institute. Brighid is also certified by Mental Health First Aid in assisting people who are developing and/or experiencing a mental health challenge or crisis.
brighid@erasingthedistance.org

Board

Elizabeth Stewart Finlayson Treasurer/Secretary

Elizabeth Stewart Finlayson has been an arts and non-profit advocate for all of her adult life. She was a Chicago actor and continues to write plays and fiction. In her other career, she is a fundraiser. Elizabeth is currently the Development Officer for Individual Giving at Women Employed, a national leader that has worked for 37 years to make life better for working women. Previously, she was the Development Director at Redmoon Theater and held development positions at The Chicago Lighthouse for people who are blind or visually impaired and at Deborah’s Place. Elizabeth has completed the Development Leadership Consortium Management Fellows and Annual Fellows programs; volunteered on the Association for Fundraising Professionals Luncheon committee for two years; and has been in development for 8 years. Elizabeth graduated Summa Cum Laude with a B.F.A. from Millikin University.

Lisa Liebman Treasurer/Secretary

Lisa Liebman became interested in Erasing the Distance upon seeing a show in spring of 2009. The ETD performances were beautiful, poignant and very powerful in their ability to convey the stories and struggles of individuals living with and affected by mental health issues. ETD’s mission of using theater and dialogue to increase understanding and reduce the stigma of mental illness resonates deeply with Lisa, as she has always been a champion of causes that create a more tolerant and compassionate community. Lisa is thrilled to be part of the ETD team and greatly admires the energy, creativity and dedication of the staff and board. Lisa was born and raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She attended the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor where she earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration and graduated with honors. She started her career as an accountant with Arthur Andersen LLP. Lisa then moved to Sirius Partners LP, an investment management firm and hedge fund of funds, where she has been a finance executive for the past 15 years.

Brighid O’Shaughnessy Director

(see staff bios above)

Terence O’Shaughnessy Vice President

Terence O’Shaughnessy was born and raised in the Chicago-land area. He attended and graduated from Loyola Academy, University of Notre Dame (with a B.A. in Architecture) and from Loyola University (with an M.B.A.). He has two children, Brighid (Founder and Director of Erasing the Distance) and Devin who is with the National Democratic Institute in Kabul, Afghanistan. In 1973, he became a member of the Chicago Board of Trade (now the CME Group) and has been a commodities trader working for himself to this date. He was one of the co-founders of DeWindt Corporation, a construction management and general contractor, and is still involved presently. His other entrepreneurial efforts include the creation of Joss Development (real estate), Lowell Mining (limestone and sand quarry) and S & O Inc. (convenience store operator and franchsier). He has served on the boards of Lincoln Park Federal Savings and Loan, Ronald Knox Montessori, Regina Dominican H.S., & the I.A. O’Shaughnessy Foundation. He is truly blessed to have Brighid as his daughter and to have the opportunity to help and share in the important work that Erasing the Distance is doing in bringing awareness about mental illness to students and to the general public.

David Strauss President

David Strauss is thrilled to be involved with such a vital and innovative organization, dedicated to vividly changing the way society views those affected by mental illness. David was drawn to ETD based, not just upon the criticality of its mission, but also the strength of its leadership and artistic teams. ETD also resonates deeply with David. He is personally familiar with the impact of mental illness within families and is also a professional theater fan and latent thespian himself, having acted sporadically since high school. David is a senior legal executive with Experian, based in the Chicago area. He is a member of various professional organizations, including the Association of Corporate Counsel and the North Shore Compliance Officers’ Roundtable. David has a B.A. from Duke University in Psychology and Political Science and a law degree from the University of Wisconsin. He is also the proud husband of a social worker and father of three beautiful (and “spirited”) girls.