We love hearing how USITT has impacted you either professionally, personally, or both! Below is USITT member Dana Taylor's "My USITT Story."

Dana Taylor served as director of Vocal Music and Technical Theatre for thirty years at the Mt. Vernon Senior High School Fine Arts Academy (Mt. Vernon, IN) and currently is an adjunct faculty member for theatre and music at the University of Evansville.

As a member of USITT, Dana serves as a Vice-Commissioner for Education (Secondary Schools), as a member of the Campaign Cabinet for the Setting the Next Stage campaign, the eSET Lighting and Electrics working group, and as the leader of the BACKstage Exam, a comprehensive capstone examination for high school technical theatre students. A frequent presenter and panelist at the Annual Conference and Stage Expo, Dana focuses on the needs of secondary school students and their teachers.

As an author, he has contributed to PLSN, High School Today, Dramatics Magazine, and Teaching Theatre Journal. Additionally, he served as the technical editor for “Basic Drama Projects” 9th Edition, “Concert Lighting: The Art and Business of Entertainment Lighting” 4th Edition as well as Teaching Theatre Journal and Dramatics Magazine.

Dana served six years as the individual member director for the Entertainment Services and Technology Association (ESTA) and also was a board member for The ESTA Foundation.

Dana was named Technical Theatre Educator of the Year by Stage Directions Magazine, and the Educational Theatre Association honored him as the recipient of the Founders’ Award for significant contributions to theatre education in the United States. In 2014, USITT designated Dana as the recipient of the Distinguished Achievement Award in Education.