Board of Directors

She is a lifelong supporter of the arts and is an avid music fan. Catherine came to Knoxville to attend the University of Tennessee and that experience led her to visit the Bijou Theatre for the first time where she immediately fell in love with the space.

A former officer in the U.S. Navy, David is active in the Knoxville community and sits on the board of directors of the Bijou Theatre and Volunteer Ministry Center.

He earned a Bachelor of Science from the U.S. Naval Academy and a Master of Historic Preservation from the University of Georgia.

David lives in his hometown of Knoxville with his wife Meg and their son Russell.

She was born and raised in Knoxville.

Hobbies/Passions include teaching about financial literacy, volunteering, sports fan, music lover, spending time with family, and spoiling my 12 nieces and nephews!

Ashley’s career began while hosting a jazz show on the University of Tennessee’s WUOT public radio station in 1979. He was approached about setting up a show for an avant-garde cellist named Tristan Honsinger. He booked a small church/performing arts space called the Laurel Theater, made a homemade poster and sold 200 tickets for an artist that few in Knoxville had ever heard of.

In the late 1980s, Ashley opened a club in the Old City of Knoxville called Ella Guru’s. Perhaps Knoxville’s first nightclub to schedule a variety of traveling acts, artists included the Neville Brothers, Bela Fleck, Alison Krauss, Lyle Lovett, and Garth Brooks. Ella Guru’s was the beginning of relationships with artists, managers, and promoters that Ashley continues to this day.

Under Ashley’s leadership, AC Entertainment has primarily been responsible for the continued viability and success of Knoxville’s two historic downtown theaters. The world-class programming and the top quality production that musicians have come to expect from these two venues makes them desirable bookings for a wide range of music performances. As many historic theaters across the country struggle to stay afloat, both Knoxville theaters have flourished. The Tennessee Theatre, just a few blocks down from the Bijou, is home to the Knoxville Symphony and the Knoxville Opera.

Since 2001, Ashley has produced Bonnaroo, the first fan-based, multi-day music festival, which from its inception was marked by a vision for good. Its model, now widely emulated, promotes a community of care and responsibility among festivalgoers, and one that has proven sustainable, allowing the purchase and maintenance of the former farm that stages the annual event. Bonnaroo itself continues to increase in popularity and is an economic boon to Coffee County and Tennessee, bringing a notable increase in tourism dollars and economic impact.

Ashley’s enthusiasm for introducing Knoxville and Tennesseans to artists has defined many of his decisions. The annual Big Ears Festival in Knoxville brings hundreds of musicians and thousands of people to venues across the city to stretch their minds, open their ears, and experience unique musical and artistic events.

In 2009, Ashley helped launch the Bonnaroo Works Fund, the charitable arm of the Bonnaroo Festival, supporting nonprofit organizations with Tennessee based arts education and environmental sustainability initiatives. To date, more than $7 million has been donated to a wide range of causes, including Musicians on Call, Nashville Children’s Theatre to bring shows to low-income areas, and the funding of solar panels for the Manchester Coffee County Conference Center.

Ashley is a supporter of the Joy of Music School and the Community School for the Arts in Knoxville. Having served on the board of the Americana Music Association, Ashley has helped bring this genre of music to the forefront.

Upon becoming a dad and making the decision to get off the road full-time, Justin transitioned into the medical device industry working to make new healthcare technology available to patients around the southeast.

In his free time you can catch Justin helping coach his son’s baseball and basketball teams, cheering from the front row at his daughter’s music and theatre performances, still touring with his band part-time, and attending as many UT sporting events as possible.

As a family, they support the Bijou Theatre and Fanita is happy to be a part of the tremendous success and change that is ongoing at the theatre. The Bijou is such a special place for so many reasons, from its rich cultural history and sheer beauty to the eyes and to the ears, as well as its strong leadership.

Jack stays active in retirement with wake surfing, paddle boarding, bicycling, and golf – and going to the Bijou to hear live music!