Current Staff Members:
Theresa VanWetten
Artistic Director
Theresa received a BA in Public Relations from the School of Journalism at the University of Oregon, along with a dance emphasis. For 20 years she was a certified fitness/dance instructor for Nautilus Plus of Oregon and Gold’s Gym. She has been on, coached, and choreographed for professional dance teams including The Portland Trail Blazers and The Portland Forest Dragons. She taught at June Taylor’s School of Dance, Thunderbird High School Dance camp and coached and choreographed for several high school dance teams in Oregon. Her CYT involvement began in the fall of 2012 when three of her kids joined classes and were cast in Oliver. From there she has choreographed more than 19 CYT productions. She teaches beginning, intermediate and advanced dance classes. Theresa has been married to her husband Ray for 32 years and they have nine children and four grandchildren.
Jeff Lippert
Managing Director
Jeff received his BS from Willamette University, where he also met his wife of 25 years. Following graduation, they got married and moved back to southern Oregon where he spent 5 years working in his family company. In 2001, he and his wife made the move to the Portland area. They have dedicated the last 20 years to helping people build thriving marriages, healthy families and profitable businesses which has given them the freedom to achieve their dream of raising their two children together.
Alison Geist
CYT Portland Accountant
Alison has been married to her husband, Aaron, for 21 years and is a mom of four boys. She has spent the past 23 years working in tax and accounting, and loves bringing order and clarity to the numbers behind the scenes. Alison has been part of the CYT community since 2021. She and her husband enjoy being part of an organization that helps kids grow in confidence, creativity, and character.
Jen Straite
CYT Portland Class Coordinator
Jen is a former high school teacher and current full time mom. She became involved with CYT through her daughter’s love for theater in 2017. Jen is excited to work with class planning and organization for CYT, using her teaching experience to aid such an amazing organization.