Emily E. Becher, Associate Professor of Lighting Design, received her MFA in Lighting Design from the University Arizona Tucson and holds a BA in Theatrical Design and Production from The University of Memphis.  She is a member of United Scenic Artists (USA) 829 and International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) local 69.

Emily has designed on a regional, national and international level for several years for prestigious companies such as Liz Lerman Dance Company, Wolf Trap Opera Company (at the Filene Center Virginia, Nashville Underground Theatre Collective, Cumberland County Playhouse, Smithsonian Institute of Folklife and Cultural Heritage, Ballet Appalachia, Houston Opera, Rutgers Theatre Company, Arizona Repertory Theatre Company, DanceSpan and many others. Emily served as the lighting designer for the First Americans Festival, the gala opening of theNational Museum of the American Indian and for the National World War II Reunion, both on the National Mall in Washington D.C.

Previous to joining JMU School Theatre and Dance, Emily taught at American University and Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University. At JMU, she teaches Lighting Design, Performance Production, Professional Issues for Designers and Technicians and Sound Design.