Create Gwinnett Forum

ANN-CAROL PENCE (Co-Founder/Producing Artistic Director) arranged the music for Aurora’s first Christmas Canteen in 1996 and was hired full-time in September of 1998 as Resident Musical Director. An education major at James Madison University, she used her background to develop Learning Library (or L2). As a musician, she created Aurora’s Musicals by Moonlight, and Aurora’s New Musical Initiative. She has performed as pianist and music director both nationally (Goodspeed Opera House, Pasadena Playhouse, The Cleveland Playhouse, The Kennedy Center) and locally (The Alliance, Theatrical Outfit, The Horizon, Georgia Ensemble Theatre,). As a proud citizen of Gwinnett, Ann-Carol is most proud of Aurora Theatre winning the first ever Pinnacle Award for Large Non-Profit, and the first ever Moxie Award (for woman-led businesses) for Aurora Theatre. These distinctions go well with her 5 Suzi Awards for Outstanding Music Direction. She was a participant in the 2016 Atlanta Regional Leadership Institute and member of the “Best Class Ever!”

ANTHONY RODRIGUEZ (he/him) a career non-profit leader, is proud to be the first Executive Director of the Hub404 Conservancy. HUB404 is an innovative 9-acre “cap park” that will soar above GA 400 and provide a direct connection to MARTA’s Buckhead rail station. HUB404 will create a dynamic, active, gathering place for the Metro-Atlanta region and transform the core of Buckhead. Prior to joining HUB404, Anthony was President and CEO of Aurora Theatre, a professional theatre he co-founded 26 years ago. He currently serves on various boards, both nationally and locally, including Georgia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, National Alliance for Musical Theatre (Vice President), Theatre Communications Group, the Citizens Advisory Board for Gwinnett Clean and Beautiful, and the Advisory Board for Public Broadcasting Atlanta which includes the NPR station WABE and PBS station PBA30. Anthony is a past Chair of the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce, the first Latino and first Arts Leader to hold that position. He served as Vice Chair of Arts for the Chamber and Chair of Partnership Gwinnett and serves on the National Steering Committee for the Latinx Theatre Commons. Anthony is a graduate of the Atlanta Regional Commission’s Regional Leadership Institute, Leadership Atlanta (#2classes) and the National Association of Latino Arts and Cultures’ Leadership Institute and Advocacy Institute. Anthony, born in New York, and raised in Atlanta, graduated from the University of Georgia with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre. He resides in Duluth with his partner in life, Ann-Carol Pence, and their dog Bella.

Jon Carr is excited to be a part of the Aurora family and step into his new role as Director of Marketing. A proud graduate of Georgia State University, he has worked in the Georgia theatre community for 20+ years. He has served as Dad's Garage Marketing Director and Artistic Director. He has written and performed in several plays here in Georgia, including Wrath of Con and Black Nerd, and won the Suzi Bass Gene-Gabriel Moore award for Playwriting. Most recently, he was the Executive Producer for The Second City.

Toni Simmons Henson, currently serves as the first African-American Executive Director of the Southeastern Theatre Conference. The SETC is 73 years strong and is the broadest network of theatre practitioners in the United States.

She is also spoken word poet, best-selling author, public speaker, and serial entrepreneur. She has over 30 years of expertise in business development, entertainment production, and marketing. Henson has launched and operated three franchises and four businesses in her career, most notably, the Atlanta Black Theatre Festival, Black Family Table Talk Podcast/Blog, Black Theatre TV, and ABTF Travels. She is a graduate of New York University (MPA) and Howard University (BBA) and earned Executive Certificates in Non-profit Management and Women in Leadership.

As a public speaker and spoken word artist, Toni X has performed and presented from her best-selling book, Let It Go: Queens Gotta S***, Too! in New York City, Paris, Los Angeles, Atlanta and Accra, Ghana.