The RESCU Board of Directors is a dedicated group of up to fifteen VOLUNTEERS! These individuals represent various parts of our community, and include participants both past and present– crafters, entertainers, festival staff, and even patrons, all who give their time and energy to attend meetings, serve on committees and keep the wheels in motion that make RESCU function.
Not only do these hard-core RESCU supporters volunteer all the time they give to RESCU, but as a group, the Board is proud to be at 100% participation in giving and each Director is pledged to actively assist with fundraising efforts.
Phil Johnson, President Emeritus
Philip Earl Johnson is a co-founder of RESCU. He has served as president, and secretary in the past. He has worked at Renaissance faires for 44 years and has done his solo show MooNiE at festivals for the past 34 of them.
Danielle Dupont, President
Danielle Dupont has served on the board since RESCU’s second year. She has spent most of those years serving in leadership positions from Chairs of Communications, Fundraising and Programs to Vice President and currently serves as President, or Chair, of the board for the last 6 years. Danielle is the owner/producer of the troupe “The Washing Well Wenches”, which performs at over 30 festivals nationwide, and lives with her feathered son Hoogin, Odin’s Raven. She graduated Magna Cum Laude from University of South Florida’s Honors Program with a degree in Interdisciplinary Social Sciences and is proud to say that her offspring Samma Fagan also graduated from the same Honors College and is a librarian in Florida. Danielle can be found working with local women’s shelters around the country and cooking breakfast or hotdogs for her Ren-Faire community. She enjoys museums, travel, board games, and all things water!
Magnolia Strange, Vice President and Programs CoChair
Magnolia joined the RESCU Board in 2019 after years of volunteering with Programs Committee. They love being a part of RESCU because to them it is the transformation of tragedy into triumph, which they try to embody in their own life.
Magnolia is a full-time artist and entertainer, performing with the hubs as Judas and Magnolia far and wide. This husband and wife team of variety artists perform escape artist stunts, early music, magic and illusion, circus and fire arts at Renaissance and Medieval faires and festivals, theaters, and street corners roughly 45 weeks a year!
Magnolia’s prior community organizing experience that they bring to RESCU includes cooperative work with an urban garden and grassroots soup kitchen, a collectively run women and children’s shelter, an urban farm, a zine collective, a volunteer-run bike repair shop, and serving as chairperson for a local Sierra Club affiliate. In addition, they have experience and training in consensus, non-violent communication, and anti-racism. Magnolia and the hubs each have been sober since 2015 and hope to inspire others to live their very best lives every day, knowing that the only certainty in life is death.
Linda Ballard, Secretary
Myra Slaybaugh, Treasurer and Finance Chair
Myra is a “Serial Entrepreneur” with a diverse background, including a Bachelor’s degree in aerospace mechanical engineering from the US Military Academy at West Point and 5 years as an Air Defense Artillery Officer. She transitioned to a civilian career in 2006 and now helps clients align their values with their goals as a Financial Advisor.
Holding advanced credentials such as CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ and Chartered Financial Consultant®, Myra founded her own advisory firm in 2017 after earning a Master of Science in Management in 2016. Over the past 7 years, she has launched two retail shops, a distribution center, a virtual product brand, and produces ticketed entertainment events. She also created a networking group for minority and unconventional business owners and is developing a book and coaching program on personal transformation.
Myra’s family, including her husband Terry, a retired military officer and current law enforcement professional, and their two children on the autism spectrum, exemplifies inclusivity. A dedicated advocate for gender and racial equality, LGBTQ+ rights, and special needs awareness, Myra blends passion, creativity, and leadership to build unique business models and support related communities through volunteering and advocacy.
Angie Austin, Programs CoChair
Angie Austin is a full-time renaissance festival entertainer. They write and perform various comedy, acrobatic and interactive shows. Angie loves improv comedy, empowering people, and collaborating with other artists.
Human rights, mental health, and the healing power of comedy are some of Angie’s passions. They are on the board of Spectrum Diversity, an LGBTQ+ advocacy organization, and have worked as a hospital clown for many years. Comedy and imagination are empowering in a way that reality could never be, and interactive theatre allows everyone to be whoever they want to be. Community is important to Angie, and they firmly believe that renaissance festivals have one of the strongest, most accepting, loving families anywhere in the world and is very grateful to be able to give back through the RESCU foundation.
As a neurodivergent person, who has struggled to navigate the healthcare system themselves, Angie is dedicated to helping their fellow travelers find treatment, particularly mental health care while on the road, and is pleased to be able to offer CPR certification, NARCAN Training, Mental Health First Aid training and Stop the Bleed certification.
Cassie Townsend, Fundraising CoChair
Cassie joined the RESCU Board in 2022 after years of volunteering with Programs Committee and supporting RESCU Rallies at various festivals. She is currently the Co-Chair of Fundraising and is excited to be part of a group that strives to help the health and wellness of her community.
Cassie has been on the road as a “road rennie” since 2017. She performs nationally in a few different stage shows – Washing Well Wenches, Sound and Fury, No Parchment Needed. She also is an Entertainment Coordinator for Koroneburg Renaissance Festival, works at food booths, helps count money for festivals, and does a lot of office work for vendors. She enjoys playing the ukulele, various video games, eating sushi and oysters.
Travis Hesson, Fundraising CoChair
Travis serves as Director of Technology for a global nonprofit organization. Within the Renaissance community, Travis has worked alongside entertainers and booth vendors alike at various festivals and fairs, but Ohio Renaissance Festival in Waynesville, OH is where he calls home.
Travis found his way into RESCU through an invitation to attend the Bristol RESCU Rally in 2017. The event and its cause was immediately a draw for Travis and his wife; RESCU presented a way to support the Health of the Company and get involved in the beautiful Renaissance participant community. Over the years, Travis has donated, volunteered, and led various RESCU events and wildly enjoys spreading the word of RESCU and other causes he serves!
Anne Regan, Communication CoChair
Anne is a communications professional with over 15 years in media, marketing, and public relations. Her diverse career includes roles as an award-winning on-air personality, news anchor, columnist, and assistant editor. She also led the publicity committee for Orange Community Players for five years and remains active in local theater and festivals.
Anne blends her passion for the arts with strategic branding, having notably served as the Social Media Director in the Houston Mayor’s Office of Communications. She joined the RESCU Foundation in 2023, bringing valuable expertise to the team.
Anne and her partner, along with their three dogs and two cats, travel full-time, vending as Handcrafted by Heathens and Seidr’s Sigil. Her background in a family of healthcare workers and managing her son’s type 1 diabetes enhances her commitment to healthcare access. Anne holds a Bachelor of Science in Mass Communication and two Master’s degrees in Teaching and Digital Media Studies, focusing on Public Relations and Social Media.Anne is a communications professional with over 15 years in media, marketing, and public relations. Her diverse career includes roles as an award-winning on-air personality, news anchor, columnist, and assistant editor. She also led the publicity committee for Orange Community Players for five years and remains active in local theater and festivals.
Anne blends her passion for the arts with strategic branding, having notably served as the Social Media Director in the Houston Mayor’s Office of Communications. She joined the RESCU Foundation in 2023, bringing valuable expertise to the team.
Anne and her partner, along with their three dogs and two cats, travel full-time, vending as Handcrafted by Heathens and Seidr’s Sigil. Her background in a family of healthcare workers and managing her son’s type 1 diabetes enhances her commitment to healthcare access. Anne holds a Bachelor of Science in Mass Communication and two Master’s degrees in Teaching and Digital Media Studies, focusing on Public Relations and Social Media.
Brian O’Leary, Data/Tech Chair
Brian O’Leary began with RESCU in 2011 as a volunteer for the RESCU Rally at Sherwood Forest Faire, where he is now on the management team. He joined the RESCU Board two years later and has held various roles including Communications Chair, Aid Panelist, Checkwriter, Data/Tech Officer, and Treasurer.
Originally from Boston, MA, Brian has a rich history of community service, with previous volunteer work at an elementary school, orphanage, arts organizations, hospitals, the SPCA, and with indigents living with HIV/AIDS. He has also worked with Americorps, handling roles from storytelling and volunteer coordination to transporting bone marrow and organizing fundraising galas.
Currently, Brian focuses on his family (husband and three teenagers), their businesses (including Sherwood Forest Faire), and RESCU Foundation. He finds great fulfillment in supporting the renaissance faire community and enjoys traveling, reading, cooking, online gaming, and adding a touch of fun to any situation.
Marney Cullen, Compliance Chair
Marney Cullen, CP, is RESCU’s Compliance Chair and serves on two other committees and the Aide Panel. With several decades of experience in the legal industry, she is the Senior Paralegal at a St. Louis-based boutique labor and employment firm.
An accomplished classical and Celtic musician, Marney has worked at renaissance faires as a musician, storyteller, and merchant since the early 1980s. She and her husband John manage Renboots at the St. Louis Renaissance Faire and oversee their family-owned shoppes, Rosie’s Posies and a henna studio.
Marney is also President of the Missouri Paralegals Association, an active board member of the Delta Gamma St. Louis Alumnae group, and provides consultation for students needing specialized accommodations. She is a member of the Council of Parents Advocates and Attorneys (COPAA) and speaks on navigating the special education process. In her free time, Marney enjoys working in her fiber art studio or garden and managing her family’s hobby farm with five children, grandchildren, beehives, and livestock.
Gayle French, Staff Liaison
Gayle French has been an integral part of the RESCU Foundation since 2010, serving in multiple leadership roles, including president, vice president, and secretary. Currently, Gayle is a dedicated board member, responsible for overseeing staff and chairing the aid panel. Her passion for helping others and educating the community about medical relief has driven her long-term commitment. Gayle takes pride in contributing to the foundation’s growth and remains deeply involved, motivated by the positive impact RESCU has on her renaissance community.
Beyond her work with RESCU, Gayle is a proud Twisted Sister, having braided hair for 42 years. She also part-times as a property manager for her daughter and is actively involved with Hospice. Gayle cherishes her life with her husband, Ryan, and their four cats. She treasures every opportunity to spend time with her daughter and never misses a chance to get in the water whenever possible!
JodyLee Duek