Staff
Staff Header
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Philip Cowan
He/Him
Executive Director
philip@grandcinema.com
Born in Dallas, Philip has lived in Tacoma since 1998. After working in minor league baseball for ten years, the last eight of those for the Tacoma Rainiers, Philip was named Executive Director of the Grand Cinema late in 2006. Prior to his job at the Grand, Philip served as a volunteer and board member for the cinema. His favorite part of the job is watching and picking films for the Grand. When not at work, you may find him traveling to new places or watching movies with his teenage daughter!
He/Him
Executive Director
philip@grandcinema.com
Born in Dallas, Philip has lived in Tacoma since 1998. After working in minor league baseball for ten years, the last eight of those for the Tacoma Rainiers, Philip was named Executive Director of the Grand Cinema late in 2006. Prior to his job at the Grand, Philip served as a volunteer and board member for the cinema. His favorite part of the job is watching and picking films for the Grand. When not at work, you may find him traveling to new places or watching movies with his teenage daughter!
Triple pics
Wade Neal
He/Him
Assistant Executive Director
wade@grandcinema.com
Wade joined The Grand Cinema Board in 2011 and became Assistant Executive Director in 2015. He is a licensed Washington attorney and a professional musician with 10+ years of experience in the music industry. Wade oversees Grand operations, marketing, projection, and the Tacoma Creates grant, among other duties. He currently serves as Producer of the Tacoma Film Festival. Wade has developed, produced, or co-managed many beloved programs at The Grand, including The Tacoma Film Festival, Weird Elephant, The Silver Screen Society, and Reflections. Deeply connected to Tacoma’s arts and film communities and a former Tacoma Arts Commissioner, he works to enhance access, grow audiences, create meaningful programs, and ensure The Grand is a welcome and warm “third place” for all.
He/Him
Assistant Executive Director
wade@grandcinema.com
Wade joined The Grand Cinema Board in 2011 and became Assistant Executive Director in 2015. He is a licensed Washington attorney and a professional musician with 10+ years of experience in the music industry. Wade oversees Grand operations, marketing, projection, and the Tacoma Creates grant, among other duties. He currently serves as Producer of the Tacoma Film Festival. Wade has developed, produced, or co-managed many beloved programs at The Grand, including The Tacoma Film Festival, Weird Elephant, The Silver Screen Society, and Reflections. Deeply connected to Tacoma’s arts and film communities and a former Tacoma Arts Commissioner, he works to enhance access, grow audiences, create meaningful programs, and ensure The Grand is a welcome and warm “third place” for all.
Rachel Marecle
She/Her
Chief Development Officer
rachel@grandcinema.com
Rachel joined The Grand in 2007 from the sports entertainment industry, bringing her expertise in team sponsorship and corporate relations to the art house and festival. Working in partnership and sponsorship development for more than a decade, Rachel loves to build collaborative partnerships in service to the community.
Rachel works with businesses at a local and national level to find creative and successful sponsorship and marketing strategies in support of Grand Cinema programs and projects. She enjoys working with a small, passionate, dedicated team and sees The Grand Cinema is an invaluable, trusted community resource.
She/Her
Chief Development Officer
rachel@grandcinema.com
Rachel joined The Grand in 2007 from the sports entertainment industry, bringing her expertise in team sponsorship and corporate relations to the art house and festival. Working in partnership and sponsorship development for more than a decade, Rachel loves to build collaborative partnerships in service to the community.
Rachel works with businesses at a local and national level to find creative and successful sponsorship and marketing strategies in support of Grand Cinema programs and projects. She enjoys working with a small, passionate, dedicated team and sees The Grand Cinema is an invaluable, trusted community resource.
Marlee Myers
She/Her
Membership & Events Manager
marlee@grandcinema.com
Marlee first joined the team as a volunteer in 2013, was hired as a part-time house manager in 2014 and has held several different positions within the organization since then, currently serving as our Membership Manager. Her favorite part of her job is interacting with volunteers and patrons and ensuring everyone has a fantastic theater experience.
She believes The Grand is a fantastic place for meeting interesting people and relishes being able to interact with such vibrant members of the community. She also has a passion for film festivals and visits several throughout the year including Sundance! When not watching movies, you can probably find her trying to keep up with her toddlers
She/Her
Membership & Events Manager
marlee@grandcinema.com
Marlee first joined the team as a volunteer in 2013, was hired as a part-time house manager in 2014 and has held several different positions within the organization since then, currently serving as our Membership Manager. Her favorite part of her job is interacting with volunteers and patrons and ensuring everyone has a fantastic theater experience.
She believes The Grand is a fantastic place for meeting interesting people and relishes being able to interact with such vibrant members of the community. She also has a passion for film festivals and visits several throughout the year including Sundance! When not watching movies, you can probably find her trying to keep up with her toddlers
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Paul Richter
He/Him
Director of Education
paul@grandcinema.com
Paul Richter is a writer, improviser, actor and filmmaker who has lived in- and loved- the city of Tacoma for 17 years. He is a local filmmaker, writer and improviser, a frequent participant in the Grand'ss 253 Film Competition, and a true believer in the power and beauty of telling stories on film. He has worked in youth development his entire career, specializing in arts education and programming. He is thrilled to be a part of the Grand Cinema Family and to develop programming to support people of all ages in our community to learn, grow and tell their stories.
He/Him
Director of Education
paul@grandcinema.com
Paul Richter is a writer, improviser, actor and filmmaker who has lived in- and loved- the city of Tacoma for 17 years. He is a local filmmaker, writer and improviser, a frequent participant in the Grand'ss 253 Film Competition, and a true believer in the power and beauty of telling stories on film. He has worked in youth development his entire career, specializing in arts education and programming. He is thrilled to be a part of the Grand Cinema Family and to develop programming to support people of all ages in our community to learn, grow and tell their stories.
Wendell Ratliff
They/Them
Marketing Manager
wendell@grandcinema.com
Wendell brought their background in audio production with them when they joined the Grand in 2016 and has done just about every role, from projection, to box office, to marketing. You've also probably heard their music before every film!
They/Them
Marketing Manager
wendell@grandcinema.com
Wendell brought their background in audio production with them when they joined the Grand in 2016 and has done just about every role, from projection, to box office, to marketing. You've also probably heard their music before every film!
Ken Crowell
He/Him
Operations Manager
volunteer@grandcinema.com
Ken volunteered here for two years before being hired as a House Manager in 2017 and then took on the volunteer coordinating role in 2019. An engineer in his previous work, Ken uses his eye for order to ensure that you have a great experience from the time you enter our doors to when the credits roll. Away from work, you might find Ken at the gym (he used to own a fitness center!) or wrangling his spirited golden retriever, Scout.
He/Him
Operations Manager
volunteer@grandcinema.com
Ken volunteered here for two years before being hired as a House Manager in 2017 and then took on the volunteer coordinating role in 2019. An engineer in his previous work, Ken uses his eye for order to ensure that you have a great experience from the time you enter our doors to when the credits roll. Away from work, you might find Ken at the gym (he used to own a fitness center!) or wrangling his spirited golden retriever, Scout.
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Jose Candido
He/Him
Lead Projectionist
José joined The Grand staff as a projectionist and house manager in 2016. He brings The Grand a great deal of theater and projection know-how, having worked with AMC Theaters for over 12 years. José finds that when he likes a movie or TV show, he’ll watch it over and over until he has it memorized. When he’s not at The Grand or watching movies, he likes to hang out with friends and play video games.
He/Him
Lead Projectionist
José joined The Grand staff as a projectionist and house manager in 2016. He brings The Grand a great deal of theater and projection know-how, having worked with AMC Theaters for over 12 years. José finds that when he likes a movie or TV show, he’ll watch it over and over until he has it memorized. When he’s not at The Grand or watching movies, he likes to hang out with friends and play video games.
Gini Liley
She/Her
Accounts Manager
For more than a decade, Gini has helped support the work of The Grand through a variety of administrative roles like keeping track of finances and accounting, and providing customer service to our members. Previous to that, she served as a Grand volunteer - if anyone knows their way around The Grand and its history, Gini does!
She/Her
Accounts Manager
For more than a decade, Gini has helped support the work of The Grand through a variety of administrative roles like keeping track of finances and accounting, and providing customer service to our members. Previous to that, she served as a Grand volunteer - if anyone knows their way around The Grand and its history, Gini does!
Pat.c Noriega
She/Her
Projects Manager
Pat.c worked as a projectionist at a number of movie theaters in Texas before joining The Grand. She worked as lead projectionist for many years and now organizes and administrates programs across the organization, including providing administrative support to our Save the Grand building purchase campaign. She has also worked as an engraver. When she mentions it, a surprising amount of people say that they envision her chiseling away at marble tombstones. Sometimes she doesn't correct them. Pat.c loves working for The Grand - not only is it a place to see great films, but also a hub for meeting all sorts of fun and interesting people
She/Her
Projects Manager
Pat.c worked as a projectionist at a number of movie theaters in Texas before joining The Grand. She worked as lead projectionist for many years and now organizes and administrates programs across the organization, including providing administrative support to our Save the Grand building purchase campaign. She has also worked as an engraver. When she mentions it, a surprising amount of people say that they envision her chiseling away at marble tombstones. Sometimes she doesn't correct them. Pat.c loves working for The Grand - not only is it a place to see great films, but also a hub for meeting all sorts of fun and interesting people
Triple pics
Naarah McDonald
She/Her
House Manager
Naarah has been watching films at The Grand for the last 20 years and joined our team as a House Manager in February 2018. She loves that her job helps showcase exceptional independent films and community activities that further the creative spirit of the local film industry. A part of the local industry herself, Naarah does theatrical costuming work for local theater companies, and when she is not at The Grand, you can visit her at the boutique and textile maker space she runs in downtown Tacoma!
She/Her
House Manager
Naarah has been watching films at The Grand for the last 20 years and joined our team as a House Manager in February 2018. She loves that her job helps showcase exceptional independent films and community activities that further the creative spirit of the local film industry. A part of the local industry herself, Naarah does theatrical costuming work for local theater companies, and when she is not at The Grand, you can visit her at the boutique and textile maker space she runs in downtown Tacoma!
Marty
They/She
Projectionist/House Manager
They/She
Projectionist/House Manager
Maggie Dahl
She/Her
House Manager/Bartender
She/Her
House Manager/Bartender
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Kegan Ross
He/Him
House Manager/Bartender
He/Him
House Manager/Bartender
Dorothy Kent
She/Her
Projectionist
She/Her
Projectionist
Bonne Dorrell
He/Him
Bartender
Your friendly local barkeep and master of ceremonies with a passion for storytelling in all its forms, Bonne put his roots down at The Grand Cinema in 2018 after years of patronage and volunteering. Bonne also works as a local performer, though will never admit to being a good actor—much like his bartending—but will wholeheartedly agree that he’s such a delight to work with and is constantly grateful for the never-ending opportunities to behold, share, and create a good story. Unless you want your beer warm, don’t get him started on director Giuseppe Tornatore or maestro Ennio Morricone!
He/Him
Bartender
Your friendly local barkeep and master of ceremonies with a passion for storytelling in all its forms, Bonne put his roots down at The Grand Cinema in 2018 after years of patronage and volunteering. Bonne also works as a local performer, though will never admit to being a good actor—much like his bartending—but will wholeheartedly agree that he’s such a delight to work with and is constantly grateful for the never-ending opportunities to behold, share, and create a good story. Unless you want your beer warm, don’t get him started on director Giuseppe Tornatore or maestro Ennio Morricone!
Triple pics
Ashley Nieves
They/Them
Projectionist
They/Them
Projectionist
Gina Spadoni
She/Her
Bartender
She/Her
Bartender
Angel J. Camama
He/They
Projectionist
He/They
Projectionist
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Neiko Will
She/Her
House Manager/Bartender
She/Her
House Manager/Bartender
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