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Heidi A. Onkst
Senior Director of Development

Arriving on campus in 2005 as the Senior Director of Development, Heidi Onkst provides strategic direction for a comprehensive fundraising program for the performing arts, which includes support for the School of Music, the Departments of Theatre and Dance, and the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center. In addition to leading the development staff, she is part of the Center's team of directors, which is responsible for long-range planning, organizational structure and policy-making, and institutional budgeting. She also stewards the Center's Leadership Council.

Heidi holds a Bachelor of Arts degree, cum laude, in Theatre from the University of South Florida and is a graduate of Leadership Montgomery, Class of 1999. She began her nonprofit management and development career in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area in 1994 after spending more than a decade working in the private sector in management, client focused retail, and event planning.

Heidi loves big dogs, is a vegetarian, and spends her leisure time organizing and competing in orienteering events with her husband David. Among the many reasons Heidi cites for loving her job at the Center, one is the joy she experiences when she sees our students perform. "They are incredibly talented and bring a special energy to the stage. I'm always proud of them and grateful to our generous donors who help make the Center a place of learning, exploration and growth for everyone."

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Edward J. Lewis
Associate Director of Development

Ed Lewis joined the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center in 2006 to provide operational support for the performing arts' fundraising program. Working with the Senior Director of Development, Ed oversees the institutional and individual giving programs. As Associate Director of Development, he also works with the School of Music Board of Visitors.

Ed holds a Bachelor of Music degree from Northwestern University and a Master of Music degree from the University of Michigan. He is a violist and also an alumnus of the University of Maryland School of Music, where he studied chamber music with the Guarneri String Quartet. Ed's professional experiences include performing as a member of the Dallas Opera Orchestra, the Dallas Chamber Orchestra, Pro Music Santa Fe, and the Toledo Symphony. In addition, Ed has also performed with the Spoleto Festival Orchestra, the National Repertory Orchestra (NRO), the Utah Chamber Music Festival, and was a Fellow at the Aspen Music Festival.

Ed has a decade of nonprofit management and fundraising experience in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area and brings a wealth of academic practice in the performing arts, having served as studio teacher, chamber music coach and conductor at the University of Dallas. Ed enjoys his work at the Center for the opportunities it provides to explore and experience performing arts disciplines beyond his own classical music training. "I particularly value the opportunity to deepen my artistic experiences by engaging with accomplished visiting artists, faculty and students in a supportive creative environment."

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Debra A. Weible
Assistant Director of Institutional Giving

Debby Weible joined the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center in the fall of 2008 to broaden institutional support for the Center and the performing arts academic units within it. Generous grants from government agencies, foundations, and corporations help make the Center a transformative place for all involved.

Debby holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Franklin & Marshall College and has worked in the nonprofit arena for nearly a decade at Center Stage in Baltimore and Enterprise Community Partners in Columbia. Prior to her nonprofit experience, Debby spent several years in the corporate sector at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP and Wachovia Securities. Outside of work, Debby has previously volunteered with Team in Training, Pets on Wheels, and as a middle school mentor with the Enterprise Women's Network.

As a new member of the Development team, Debby was thrilled to join the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center. "The dynamic exchange of ideas between students, artists, and audience members is inspirational, and the creativity fostered within the Center's academic setting reminds me of my own liberal arts background."

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Scott S. Eichinger
Manager of Individual Donor Relations

Scott Eichinger, Manager of Individual Donor Relations since January 2007, is charged with managing annual individual giving for the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center and the performing arts academic units within the Center. From special events to the donor newsletter, Scott works to ensure donors experience special insider opportunities and stay informed of the behind the scenes activities in the Center.

He has his BFA in Theatre Management from the University of Wisconsin-Superior and an MA in Arts Management from American University. This is his eighth year working in development, with his past experiences at the Shakespeare Theatre Company and Environmental Law Institute. In Scott's free time, you can find him cooking and working on new recipes for the Development team to try.

He says that his favorite thing about working at the Center is, "the passion. You can feel it when you walk in the doors. There is something truly special about this place. Everyone, from the students and faculty to the staff and patrons, has a passion for life and the arts. That positive, creative energy and enthusiasm fills these spaces and breathes life into the Center."

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Fallon N. Bachman
Development Associate

Fallon Bachman has been with the Development Team since September of 2005, providing donor relations and administrative support for the department. She joined the Center after graduating from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County cum laude with a BA in English Literature and a minor in Creative Writing. Fallon is currently pursuing her MBA at the University of Maryland, University College with an expected graduation date of September 2009.

Fallon's arts experience includes playing alto saxophone, studying voice, acting in plays and musicals, and singing regularly in her church praise band and choir. As if this immersion in the arts world were not enough, her husband, Matthew, is a DMA candidate in piano at the University of Maryland, College Park. She enjoys working at the Center because she has the opportunity to meet the friendly and generous donors who have really become a part of our Center family.

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