Board of Directors
Margaret Russo
President
Margaret is mother to Laura and Riley DiPillo and stepmother to Leah Visconti. She is a practicing physician, specializing in hospital medicine. She served on the Board of Trustees at Cooley Dickinson Hospital in the role of Medical Staff President. Along with founding the Scarlet Sock Foundation, she was also a founding member and original Board Chair of Hatfield HEADSUp Committee. HEADSUp is a non-profit coalition with a mission to promote the mental health and wellbeing of the residents of Hatfield, MA. Margaret has been a devoted stage mom at her son’s performances and has been an enthusiastic audience member for her whole life!
Leah Visconti
Treasurer
Leah Visconti is Laura’s older sister. They shared a love for theater. Leah became involved with theater when she attended Pioneer Valley Performing Arts High School in South Hadley, MA . Some of her most memorable experiences came from the time she spent as part of a theater group called Commedia Del Arte which was based on a 16th century improv comedy troupe. She did an internship at the Chester Theater Company where she gained experience as part of a professional backstage crew. Leah holds her Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science. She worked as a Greenhouse Manager on an organic farm for many years and recently switched her career to working for a solar company. She has traveled extensively to Europe, Africa, Central America and Australia.
Emily Ditkovski
Board Member
Emily holds a B.F.A. in Drama from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts and an M.A. in Educational Theater from NYU’s Steinhardt School. As an undergraduate, Emily had the joy of studying with Jan Cohen Cruz, a leader in the field of social justice theater. This led her to teaching positions in the South Bronx, Washington Heights, and Sunset Park, Brooklyn through the Children’s Aid Society and The Young Women’s Leadership Institute where she taught Shakespeare and devising with underserved students in grades 7-12. During graduate school, she again focused her coursework on social justice theater which led her to Ireland where she studied abroad at Trinity College and with Augusto Boal at the Center for Theater of The Oppressed in Brazil. From 2009-2021 she was the Director of the Theater Program at the Williston Northampton School in Easthampton, Massachusetts where she received the Gregory Instructorship. At Williston, Emily directed the mainstage productions, and taught acting, directing, social justice theatre, improvisation, and devising. She is currently pursuing her masters in Arts Administration at Columbia University where she is learning how to close the accessibility gap for BIPOC students in the performing arts. Emily looks forward to returning to the Pioneer Valley to share what she has learned!
Heidi Haas
Board Member
Heidi Haas is a licensed clinical social worker who has a private practice with a specialty in child and family concerns. In addition to therapy work, Heidi has been teaching theater to children since 1996. She co-created and organized the afterschool drama program at the Leeds Elementary School in Northampton and offered theater and anti-bullying workshops at all the local elementary schools. Heidi coaches the Northampton High School Improv Troupe, FUNKTIONLUST, and created the theater education company, Caught Off Guard, at NHS.
Nadia Zapka
Board Member
Nadia is a teacher and the owner of Bluebird Literacy LLC, a tutoring business that helps children with dyslexia or other language-based learning differences to improve their literacy skills. She is passionate about community—whether within the classroom, on a stage, working in partnership with her tutoring families, or simply connecting with neighbors. Nadia finds immense fulfillment in creating relationships with those around her. On any given day, you might find her teaching, reading, enjoying quality time with her family, friends, and pup, or attempting to belt alongside the Wicked soundtrack.