Staff

R. Hunt Brawley, J.D., Director of Development

R. Hunt Brawley became the full-time director of development for the Hippodrome/Colony Historical Theatre Association (HCHTA) in January 2004. He first investigated the possibility of restoring the Colony Theatre in 1998 through the Marietta Community Foundation visioning and asset identification process of Community 20/20.

As Director of Community 20/20, Brawley incorporated or helped establish a number of community development projects, including the HCHTA. He helped to establish the U.S.D.A. Nutrition program for the Marietta School District and worked on the early development of Marietta’s bike and pedestrian path application. He was also instrumental in establishing the community kitchen (Marietta Kitchen Creations) and the Ely Chapman Education Foundation, an after-school learning center in Marietta, where he still participates as board president. 

Brawley is a graduate of the University of Baltimore’s School of Law and of Duke University where he majored in political science and played Lacrosse. Before moving to Marietta, he was an attorney in Baltimore practicing in the areas of real estate law, probate law and related litigation. He also served as one of the first court-appointed mediators in child custody cases for the Baltimore City Circuit Court in 1996.

Brawley has had a lifelong interest in music, particularly jazz and blues, and has played drums since high school. He lives in Marietta with his wife, Sandra Kolankiewicz, a professor at West Virginia University-Parkersburg, and their two children, Maddie (10) and Trevor (8). His drums are currently idle in the basement serving mainly as clothes hangers and children’s props.

Rebecca (Becky) L. Bowles

Becky joined the Hippodrome/Colony Historical Theatre Association as administrative assistant in July 2004.

Her career in office administration has included positions with the State of Ohio, Levi Strauss & Company, McDonald’s Corporation, the Marietta Area Chamber of Commerce and Marietta College. She has participated in a variety of volunteer activities and is a former member of the Marietta Kiwanis Club in which she served as the first woman president.

Bowles grew up in Bowling Green and Lima, Ohio, and has called Marietta home for 26 years. She moved here from Columbus, Ohio, where she raised a family of four with her husband Paul. When Paul passed away, she decided to stay in Marietta. She lives with her granddaughter Becca, two dogs and a cat.