Our People

Kenney is originally from Southern California, where he discovered his love of theatre in high school at Paloma Valley High School. He briefly attended Cal State Fullerton before stepping into a very different classroom—working as a costumer at Disneyland. Kenney later moved to Illinois and earned a bachelor’s of arts degree in Theatre from Olivet Nazarene University in 2009. After working in facilities management and as the Director of Community Engagement at ArtsPartners of Central Illinois, he joined Corn Stock Theatre in 2019 and became Theatre Manager in 2023, where he helps keep the theatre running and the stories coming to life.

Samala loves being behind the scenes providing exceptional customer service to all who call or visit Corn Stock Theatre. "I know my patrons, and I love making them happy!"

An avid outdoors person, Samala loves camping, fishing, hunting, kayaking and hiking with her husband Beni, and dogs Cole & Rassi. "Many grandchildren keep us busy and there's nothing we love more than family and the great outdoors." Indoors she loves quilting, sewing, and needlework.

Samala has been a bookkeeper since 1985. Previously working in the governments private sector as a contract editor allowed her to travel and see and meet many indigenous groups and gain a huge appreciation for the exacting challenges that come with professional bookkeeping. Samala's happy place is deep in a spreadsheet, putting numbers in boxes and creating formulas that guarantee a perfect outcome for Corn Stock Theatre.

Devyn is excited to serve as the President on the 2026 Corn Stock Theatre Board of Directors and is committed to communication and transparency. Devyn has a background in fund development, nonprofit leadership, and project management. Devyn is focused on donor relationships, fundraising, clear communication, and continued engagement of past and present patrons and volunteers. Devyn has been onstage, directed both kids & adults, stage managed, chaired the Social & Membership Committee and is now stepping into her second year on the Board of Directors.

Devyn is also a wife & mother of three girls 5 and under. She works by day as an executive assistant for a financial advisor firm. She is also very involved on the worship team at her church. Devyn is excited to keep building on the strong foundation so many have built at CST!

Trish has been a member of Corn Stock Theatre since 2010. She was a teacher for 35 years and has been involved with numerous productions both on and off stage. Volunteering in other ways has been such a fun and fulfilling part of being a CST member. She has served on the Lab, Corn Stock for Kids, Social, Nominating, Awards (chair), and Play Selection (chair) committees along with being a board member at CST for two terms. “Corn Stock Theatre is where I've made the most amazing friendships and I consider CST to be my home away from home!”

Jack serves as Treasurer on the Corn Stock Theatre Board of Directors and is committed to strengthening the organization’s financial stability, transparency, and long-term sustainability. In this role, Jack focuses on clear budget planning, responsible oversight, and thoughtful decision-making that supports both artistic ambition and operational reality. He values continuity in the Treasurer position, believing consistent leadership is essential for institutional memory, accurate forecasting, and steady progress toward strategic goals.

Outside of CST, Jack is a high school art teacher and swim and dive coach at Washington Community High School. He is also an artist and an active member of the Central Illinois theatre community, with experience performing, directing, and designing sets and props for multiple local organizations. Jack brings a collaborative mindset and a detail-driven approach to the board, always working to ensure Corn Stock Theatre remains financially healthy, artistically bold, and accessible to the community it serves.

Sagan serves as the Secretary on CST’s Board and is committed to helping Corn Stock grow as a welcoming, sustainable community arts organization that produces high-quality work while supporting the people who make it happen. Her goals focus on clearer communication and accountability, stronger volunteer support and training, meaningful community engagement and fundraising, and a culture of respect and professionalism so artists, volunteers, and audiences feel valued and proud to be part of CST.

Outside of her work at CST, Sagan is a stay-at-home cat mom and has experience in acting, directing, lighting design and more through her work at previous theaters. Sagan’s philosophy is simple: people-first theatre makes better theatre. At its best, CST is both a creative home and a community institution—so she focuses on strengthening the systems that sustain it. The goal is a culture where everyone feels respected, informed, and proud of what they’re building together.

Sarah Blume has been involved at Corn Stock Theatre for more than 15 years. Her involvement started with costuming and she has costumed more than 29 shows for the various Corn Stock programs. She has also co-directed for the Tent Main Stage Series, Lab Studio Series and Corn Stock for Kids with her husband. Sarah formerly chaired the kids committee and has served on the marketing committee and the social committee. She made all the raffle baskets for the 2019 summer season. Sarah would like to use her time with the board to help facilitate marketing of Corn Stock Theatre to reach as many new patrons as possible. She also would like to continue to help Corn Stock for Kids thrive as the only free theater program for children in metropolitan Peoria that helps to buffer against the loss of arts programs in our schools.

Aliesha has been involved at Corn Stock Theatre since 1993. Here at the tent and the Lab, she has been an actor, a dancer, a costume designer, a choreographer, a light designer, set crew, committee member, and a member of the Board of Directors.

Susan's journey at Corn Stock began in 2006 with Brighton Beach Memoirs, and since then, she has served throughout community theater as an actor, stage manager, director and committee member. In addition to directing Baskerville at Corn Stock in 2019, she has also directed four productions at Peoria Players Theatre, including Steel Magnolias, The Play That Goes Wrong, and more recently, Rent. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre from Western Illinois University. Susan has served for the past 4 years on the Corn Stock’s Marketing Committee and is excited to join the Social Committee and Nominating Committee for this coming year. Susan loves theatre and she even met her husband, Jarod, doing theatre here in Peoria! She loves spending time with him and their 2 dogs, Nitro and Benny. During the day, Susan works as a senior claims examiner at Illinois Mutual.

Sue is a native of Peoria and has been a patron of Corn Stock since the late 1960's. From the summer theater program at Bradley that brought students to the tent to learn about stage makeup, to working a ramp for the run of Harvey, to attending what must have been the first run of Godspell at CST, they are happy memories. Recently she has served on the Board and has been seen in ensemble and featured roles onstage. There is nothing like experiencing theater amidst the sounds of cicadas, a glimpse of the moon through the trees, and the sounds of people's hearts being gladdened and their minds being opened to the world beyond Peoria.

Alex was newly elected to the Corn Stock Theater Board. He brings over 15 years of healthcare experience, including 8 years in leadership, and currently works as a Director of Quality and Safety, overseeing initiatives across the Medical Group and Home Care divisions. Alex holds a Doctorate in Nursing Practice with a leadership focus, a Master’s in Nursing Education, and is a board-certified Nurse Executive. He plans to contribute his expertise in strategic planning, data-driven decision-making, and team development to advance the theater’s mission. Alex and his husband, Trent Helgren, are passionate supporters of Corn Stock Theater and believe in the arts’ power to unite communities and inspire creativity.

Blake is a longtime marketing professional, working for the Uftring Auto Group as their in-house Video and Content Producer for the past seven years. When he isn’t standing behind the camera directing and editing TV commercials and social media content, he can occasionally be heard on the airwaves of WGN 720AM out of Chicago providing film reviews and entertainment reporting. A lifelong Central Illinois native, Blake has been involved with Corn Stock Theatre dating all the way back to 2004, when he volunteered to work backstage crew on his first production before heading off to college. Prior to becoming a longtime volunteer, he was employed by CST for two years as Technical Director for the organization. Since then, he has served on The Board of Directors, Winter Selection Committee, worked backstage on dozens of productions, and in the last few years returned to acting and directing for CST.

Michelle started at CST in 1997 by auditioning for Gigi at the Tent. While she wasn't cast, her dad was, and that led to her spending the whole run in the concession stand, serving up popcorn and soda. From there, her next several summers were spent onstage, in the box office, and backstage working set, props or ramps. After a couple decades’ break, she returned in 2021 and hasn't left. From serving on multiple committees to directing the 2024 fall CSK show and beyond, Michelle is a fierce advocate for the power of community theater for everyone.

When she's not at the theater, Michelle is a content strategist and editor. She lives in Washington with her husband, their three collective children and three cats. She is committed to finding ways to bring more people into the magical fold of community theater, keeping it a truly open, welcoming space for all.

Jake has worked as an actor and director at Corn Stock Theatre for the past 11 years. Jake is currently serving on the Facilities and Education committees. Having worked as an actor, director, stage manager, dramaturg, and house manager at theaters in Peoria and Chicago, Jake’s hope is that this variety of experiences offers a balanced perspective on continuing to improve the day to day operations of Corn Stock and to seek for the best balance of artistic and practical goals. When not at Corn Stock, Jake works as an Export Compliance Analyst at Hexagon Autonomy & Positioning. Jake has been married to his wife Briana for 14 years, has a 5 year old son named Elio, and two dogs, Laurie and Angel. A portrait of his dog Angel appears somewhere on the set of every show he directs.