ABOUT
Backstage Rialto, a 501(c)3 support organization for the Rialto Theater Center in Loveland, Colorado, was founded in 2014 with the intention of assisting the Rialto in its programming efforts by providing additional funding and support for a variety of artistic endeavors.
GET INVOLVED
WE NEED YOU!
Attend An Event
Become A Volunteer
Join Our Board
Backstage Rialto hosts and participates in a variety of events throughout the year. Attending our events is fun and supports the crucial work we do for the Historic Rialto Theater. Check out our events page for ticketing and other important info.
Becoming a Backstage Rialto Volunteer is a great way to get involved in the important work we do. Whether you have few hours a year or all the time in the world, we can always use good help. Click the link below to apply to be a BSR Volunteer.
We are actively seeking individuals for the Backstage Rialto Board who have a genuine interest in our organization and mission and seek to use their experience, time and expertise to support the organization and the Rialto Theater.
BACKSTAGE RIALTO BOARD
JIM DOHERTY
BOARD CHAIR
Jim is the Community Director for desk chair workspace, a coworking community in downtown Loveland, right across the street from the Rialto. Jim is a long-time resident of Loveland and has vivid memories of seeing first run classics at the Rialto such as “Outlaw Josey Wales”, “Logan’s Run” and numerous midnight “Creature Features.” Jim is thrilled the Rialto is now a first-class performing arts venue and as a board member of Backstage Rialto, Jim is committed to raising sizable supplemental funds to enhance the Rialto’s programming calendar.
EX OFFICIO BOARD MEMBER
Susan is the Cultural Services Director for the City of Loveland. She co-authored the City’s Art In Public Places ordinance in 1984, making Loveland the first city in Colorado to do so. In 1989, she received the Governor’s Award for Excellence in the Arts, for her work with the Public Art Program and the Museum. She is a founder of Loveland High Plains Arts Council, and she serves on the City’s Executive Leadership Team, and as liaison to the Loveland Historical Society, the Cultural Services Board, the Visual Arts Commission.
LYNNE NIEMEYER
BOARD SECRETARY
Lynne has been a Backstage Rialto Board Member since 2019. She has also served on the boards of the House of Neighborly Service, Angel House and the Women’s Resource Center in Fort Collins. For 36 years, Lynne represented State Farm Insurance across the country before returning to Loveland to retire in 2006. She has two sons and two grandsons in the area and enjoys hiking, biking and traveling in her spare time.
SUSAN RUFF
BOARD TREASURER
Susan and her husband Brian relocated to Northern Colorado in 2001, where her four children were born. She has served at the Fort Collins Mission. She also helps out with Operation Christmas Child and Homeless Gear. She is a well versed real estate agent with an extensive background in both real estate and rental investment properties. Susan also participates in axe throwing and two women handsaw competitions in her spare time.
KAREN COBB
BOARD CO-CHAIR
Karen has been a Loveland resident for 12 years. She is blessed to live close to her children and 2 grandchildren. Her background has been working in the hospitality, meetings and events industry for most of her career and is currently working as a Human Resources Outsourcing Advisor. She loves to travel and play golf in her spare time, dabbles in jewelry making and is a movie, theater and music lover.
LEAH JOHNSON
BOARD MEMBER
Leah grew up in Loveland and is a former City Council Member. She has worked with many local businesses and non-profits including The Community Foundation of Northern Colorado and the Bohemian Foundation.
DAN ENGELHARDT
BOARD MEMBER
Dan is a Loveland native and serves as a Lieutenant with the Loveland Fire Rescue Authority He has worked with the LFD since 2006. Before his firefighting career, Dan worked for many years as a professional actor in Northern Colorado and the Denver Area.
JEAN HOSEY
BOARD MEMBER
Jean and her husband Gary recently relocated to Loveland from Lockport, NY to spend time with family. Jean worked for Verizon Business Services for 27 years and retired from the YWCA of the Niagara Frontier in 2021. She volunteers at Habitat For Humanity, Neighbor to Neighbor, Food Bank for Larimar County and the Thompson School District. She and her husband have flipped 15 houses and enjoy the challenge of home renovation.
VALERIE NICHOLSON
BOARD MEMBER
Valerie is a Colorado native, born and raised on the western slope in Grand Junction. She retired from teaching high school to became a Realtor. She has two sons who both attended CSU and chose to make the NoCo area their home. When her sons began to become parents, she decided the Loveland area would be her new home! Valerie's love of music and live entertainment led her to volunteering at the Rialto, which in turn led to supporting the Rialto even more as a board member for Backstage Rialto.
BOARD MEMBERS EMERITUS
Kim Akeley-Charron
Jan Armstrong
Jacob Burd
Dale Cisek
Stef Erion
Wilynn Formeller
Harrison Hand
Charlotte Johnson
Tamara Lemmon
Linda Ligon
Gail Luna
Ryan O’Rourke
Jon Mark Patterson
Dylan Remus
George Walbye
Natalie Walsh