Since childhood, Westrum’s been bringing his artistic visions to life, whether drawing, singing, acting, or writing. He has a BA in English from Buena Vista University with an endorsement in Speech Comm. and Theatre, and an MA in Education from Ashford University. He has directed 33 shows, has written (and produced) five plays, and imagines if there were such a thing as free time his would be spent writing, traveling, or spending time with his goldendoodle, Noodles.

Sam is a 2010 Valley alum who attended Drake University and graduated with a degree in Public Relations and a concentration in Leadership. Sam has previously directed, choreographed, and stage managed for shows at DMYAT. Her full time job is marketing for PowerSchool. Her obsessions include, but are not limited to her dog Gob, Taylor Swift, Meghan Markle, and tennis shoes. And no, she is not the cheer coach; that is her look-alike sister Haley, who she also ropes into helping with Valley speech!

Pichler is a 2008 Valley grad, and while she never thought she'd be working back at Valley, she is thrilled to serve as the PAC manager and Tech Director since 2014. A graduate of Brenau University with her MAT in theater education, she makes up for the long dark hours in the theater by spending as much time outside camping, hiking, and exploring with her husband, Darin. They have several creatures at home who help remind her to nap between all the crazy times at school.

A 1975 graduate of Valley, Tim performed onstage and worked on costume/prop crews. He was a member and president of Baker’s Dozen and a member of Troupe #2048. In 2022 he retired as a police detective after 40 years in law enforcement. Tim believes he gets along with kids so well because he is still a kid at heart. Tim and his wife Theresa, a Registered Nurse, live in Ankeny with their dogs Bentley and Archie.

Nicole McBride, a Valley alum, has a BA in elementary ed from the University of North Carolina. She co-directs Valley’s Choralation and Ignition show choirs and choreographs HS and MS musicals, show choirs, and camps throughout the state. She is also the Director of Children’s Ministries at WDM Christian Church and an instructor at Pulse Dance Fitness Studio. Nicole loves to spend time with her husband Jeff and their kids, Savannah and Jacob. She also loves traveling and exploring the world.

Kruger teaches Speech and Theatrics at Valley Southwoods and directs the freshman LG and IE IHSSA teams. She graduated with a BA in English from Northwestern College, with endorsements in ELA and Speech Communication & Theatre. She first joined the Valley Drama Family when she student taught under Stacy Hansen. Outside school, you might find her spending time with friends and family, reviving Brad the sourdough starter, and making her husband watch reality TV.

Darin grew up in Fairfield and studied film, theatre, and computer science at Iowa. He's been here with his wife Amanda since the PAC opened in 2014 and loves helping make sure shows go off safely, smoothly, and with much applause. He’s an engineering manager with Code.org building things for the virtual world, which is why he loves working in the shop building things in the physical world. Otherwise, you'll find him biking the trails, taking his dogs to the park, or visiting National Parks.