|
 |
The board of directors, drawn from Palo Alto and neighboring cities works to enhance programs and develop new sources of funding. The Foundation seeks board members who are committed to the Palo Alto Art Center’s mission in the visual arts, who have both connections to the community, and diverse skills such as marketing, public relations, and fund raising. |
| Palo Alto Art Center Foundation Board |
Deborah Pappas, President
Rebecca Matteson Nelson, Vice President
Karen Valladao, Treasurer
Roxane Mehta, Secretary and Governance
Stephanie Anderson
Pat Bashaw
Bern Beecham
Melissa Baten Caswell
|
Judy David
Natasha Kurtova French
Joanne Gee
Carol Kenyon
Carol Rutlen
Loren Saxe
Anna Weldon |
| Stephanie Anderson has been a resident of Palo Alto for over 20 years, and an active schools and community volunteer for much of that time. She graduated with honors from Princeton University and has an MBA from Stanford, but the arts are a true passion of hers. She grew up in Hong Kong and Japan, and collects Asian art, especially Japanese woodblocks, porcelains and textiles. Her 2 daughters enjoyed taking Japanese brush painting classes through the Art Center during their elementary school years. Stephanie firmly believes that the arts are a fundamental part of a child's development, and will work to ensure access to art for all children. Her hobbies are travelling, cooking, reading and gardening. |
| Pat Bashaw has been a Palo Alto resident for over 30 years, has been actively involved with local non-profit arts and service organizations in parallel with a career as a human resources executive in several high tech biomedical companies. For the ten years prior to her “retirement” in 2005, she consulted to early stage, venture funded companies in organization and human resources development. She has been a Board member and Chair of both the Djerassi Resident Artists Program and Next Door Solutions to Domestic Violence. Her two sons attended Palo Alto schools, and two of her four grandsons live in the Bay Area. Pat lives in Palo Alto with her husband, Gene Segre, who is also a long time supporter of the arts. |
| Bern Beecham is a former mayor and council member of Palo Alto. He has a business background in Silicon Valley and continues to be involved in technical efforts, such as bringing Fiber To The Premises in Palo Alto, and other volunteer efforts such as improving Palo Alto libraries and Stanford University's hospitals. |
| Melissa Baten Caswell has lived in Palo Alto with her family for the past 21 years. She has a BA from Dartmouth, with a major in Psychology and a minor in Economics, and an MBA from Dartmouth with a focus on Organizational Behavior and Marketing. She has worked on Wall Street and in high-tech marketing, business development, corporate development and strategy in companies across the Silicon Valley. Since 2007, Melissa has been an elected member of the governing board of the Palo Alto Unified School District. During this time, she has served as both Vice President and President of the Board. Prior to joining the PAUSD Board of Education, Melissa played an active role in PTA leadership at Duveneck School, across the entire Palo Alto Unified School District and she spent 4 years on the Board of the 6th District (Santa Clara County) PTA. She has served as PTA Council President, PTA Council EVP and PTA Council VP of Communications, PTA Unit President, Parliamentarian, Secretary, Chair of Communications and eNews Editor and as a member of the 6th District Out of Council Leadership team.
Melissa is currently Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Youth Community Service Organization, she is a member of the Community Advisory Board for the Palo Alto Medical Foundation, a Family Resources Ambassador. Melissa is also trained as a Junior Great Books Leader, and as an Instructor for the Biz World and the Meet the Master's education programs. |
| Judy David brings to the board extensive professional experience working with technology start-ups in the U.S. as well as internationally. She has lived and worked in Mexico, Hong Kong and Japan where art served as a bridge to understanding the local culture. She has also served on the board of a Peninsula dance company. |
| Natasha Kurtova French brings to the board a diverse background and experience. A graduate of Moscow State University's School of Journalism, Natasha wrote for a number of Russian national magazines and newspapers, reporting on art, culture and politics. She came to the United States in 1990 to participate in the John Knight Fellowship program for journalists at Stanford University. She subsequently earned an MBA from UC Berkeley and worked at global and start-up high technology companies in Silicon Valley. She moved into the banking industry, mostly recently with The Private Bank of the Peninsula. Natasha has, for several years, been actively involved with local non-profit organizations. She served on the board of The El Camino Youth Symphony and the Pacific Art League. Art has been Natasha's hobby and passion throughout her adult life. |
| Joanne Gee worked with many national businesses as a senior project manager until early retirement two years ago from a large telecommunications corporation. She previously served as a member of the Belmont Arts Council and on the board of trustees of a non-profit, Peninsula dance company. Her interest in art has been primarily as an art enthusiast. She has dabbled in brush painting and stained glass. Her passionate belief is that everyone should have an early introduction to all forms of art and then have that introduction develop and grow with attentive nurturing. |
| Carol Kenyon was born and raised in Salt Lake City and graduated from the University of Utah in 1958 with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Education. Carol married her husband, Don, after graduation and moved immediately to Palo Alto where Don was born and raised and owned a family business. She taught school in the area for 4 years, raised 2 children and was a homemaker. Carol became a full time volunteer for an educational foundation, Creative Initiative/Beyond War and was an active part of that organization for 20 years. She and her husband lived in Pasadena for 5 years during that time period. Carol's other volunteer activities include: Palo Alto PTA, Planned Parenthood Mir Mar, Democratic politics, Emily's List and sheis currently working with Inn Vision at the Palo Alto Food Closet. Carol is a member of the Palo Alto 'Y" and considers exercising regularly one of her priorities. Carol's 2 children are adults and live in Palo Alto. She has 2 teenage grand children. Carol is honored to be a member of the Palo Alto Art Center Foundation Board and wishes to contribute to the on going activities of the Art Center as it continues to grow. She is a firm believer that the arts are basic in our complex world today and Palo Alto needs an active vibrant art center for both adults and children. |
| Roxane Mehta is a passionate advocate for the crucial role that art and design education can play in the intellectual development of children, no matter what career or interests they may pursue as adults. Her joy is in observing and helping to nurture the creative instinct that is present in every child. Roxane serves on the Board of the Palo Alto Council of PTAs as Arts Chair, and lives in Palo Alto with her husband and three children. Reading and cooking are two of her favorite pastimes. |
| Rebecca Matteson Nelson is a Palo Alto native and is SVP of Wealth Management at Technology Credit Union. Becky has over twenty-five years of leadership and management experience primarily in the Palo Alto community, at national and community business and private banks, trust and investment companies. She believes that art experiences and education enhance the quality of life in the community and support the enriched education and successful future for our community's children. Becky is deeply involved in the community with a variety of local non-profits and professional associations.In addition to the Palo Alto Art Center Foundation board she serves as the Vice-Chair of the Stanford Medical Youth Science Program, Palo Alto Medical Foundation, Philanthropy Advisors Council, the Ronald McDonald House and Lucile Packard Foundation for Children's Health Professional Advisors Councils in Palo Alto, the El Camino Hospital Foundation Planned Giving Council and the Palo Alto Children's Health Council Auxiliary and a number of local professional associations. Becky is a UCLA graduate with post-graduate work at Stanford Graduate School of Business. She lives on the Peninsula with her husband, John Nelson, and family of Bouviers. |
| Deborah Pappas is SVP and Manger of the Palo Alto office of Borel Private Bank & Trust. Ms. Pappas started her career with Borel in 1993 as a commercial lending officer in the San Mateo office. In the Borel spirit of community involvement, Ms. Pappas is active in the Palo Alto community and serves on the Board of the Palo Alto Downtown Association, is President Elect of the Palo Alto University Rotary Club and is current Membership Chair of the Palo Alto Chamber of Commerce. She has 2 teenage daughters and is married to Palo Alto native, Steve Pappas. |
| Carol Rutlen is a CPA and the managing partner of Rutlen Associates LLC. Carol brings to her clients over 25 years of experience with extensive concentration in tax and human resource issues associated with international tax, expatriate assignments and global stock plans. Prior to starting her own business, Carol was a partner with PricewaterhouseCoopers and was the partner-in-charge of their global stock practice and the International Assignment Services in northern California. Carol also founded and served as CEO of ExpatEdge, a software company focusing on the unique needs of mobile employees. |
| Loren Saxe has lived in Palo Alto for the past 50 years except for 6 post-Paly years in southern California where he received MBA from UCLA and subsequently earned his CPA. He has served in various financial/investment capacities since then. Loren has served on the boards of many local non-profit organizations over the past 30 years, most recently, Theatreworks, where he served a term as Board Chair. He has no artistic talent but rather a deep appreciation of the transformative power of the arts in its many forms. His interests include cycling, running, travelling and sports, especially baseball. |
| Karen Valladao is a Bay Area native and has worked in Palo Alto for 9 years. She graduated from Santa Clara University with a BS in accounting and a minor in Spanish. She is a CPA working with individuals and venture funds on income and estate tax planning, including charitable giving planning. Art develops creativity that can be used in all facets of life. She enjoys spending time with friends and family, reading, getting exercise, and watching the San Francisco Giants. |
| Anna Weldon currently serves as Director of Communications at Arts Council Silicon Valley. Prior to the Arts Council, she drove PR efforts for the Palo Alto Art Center and as co-founder and principal of Market Strategy Group, provided strategic communications planning and marketing services for many arts and non-profit organizations. She also held senior marketing management roles at Sun Microsystems and other technology innovators. Anna serves on the Community Grants Program Advisory Board for the Los Altos Community Foundation and was on the Board of Directors for the Los Altos Educational Foundation, Los Altos History Museum, and the de Saisset Museum. She lives in Los Altos with her husband, Jack, and daughter, Lauren. When not promoting and marketing the arts, one of Anna's favorite activities is playing cello/piano duets with Lauren. |
|
| Copyright 2012 Palo Alto Art Center Foundation |
