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Ann Watts – Executive Director
Executive Director Ann Watts' responsibilities are overall management and funding of Starting Arts. She seeks out art education resources within the San Francisco Bay community, evaluating their quality and suitability for Starting Arts programs. Additionally, she determines the type and number of classes offered by Starting Arts, locates facilities, acquires materials, and hires artists to instruct. Ms. Watts actively solicits public/private funding to sustain and expand the number/size of programs offered by Starting Arts. She oversees and contributes to grant writing, and has begun an aggressive campaign for corporate sponsorship. Ann has successfully established relationships with local media, keeping Starting Arts in the public eye. Her planning and management skills have created a solid business foundation, but it is Ms. Watts' energy, enthusiasm and high standards for excellence that assure Starting Arts' continued success. Ann Watts has earned a bachelor's degree in English (Honors, 1982), a bachelor's degree in Education (1984), has passed the CBEST and holds a California Teaching Credential. She has taught general education for grades preschool through 12, and served as dance teacher/ choreographer/ production coordinator for numerous extracurricular programs. Ann's arts background includes: 18 years formal dance training; 10 years dancing professionally on stage; and Artistic Director/ Manager of Lakeshore Dance Studio (Montreal, Canada, 1982-84). Ms. Watts' recent business experience includes co-founding an internet service company in Mountain View, CA
Michael Boston – Artistic Director
Mike Boston oversees direction and production for all Starting Arts shows. He is responsible for material selection, physical production, and coordination of staff, volunteers and students to create the events that showcase our students’ talents. He has more than 10 years experience teaching dramatic technique, story telling and play writing to elementary/middle/high school students. His directing credits include more than 60 staged productions for school and community theatre groups. Since 1992, Mr. Boston has taught and directed the theatre program at Benjamin Cory performing arts magnet school in San Jose, CA. He has also been performing arts director/ drama instructor for Villa Montalvo's Summer Performing Arts Camp since 1994. In addition, Mike has directed plays and musicals for the Sunnyvale Community Theatre including: Robin Hood, The Music Man, and Oklahoma. One of his many original plays, Picture This, has also been recently published. Mike Boston received his BA in English with a minor in Theatre Arts from the University of California at Los Angeles. He holds a Stage Production Vocational Credential and CLAD Credential from the State of California.
William A. Berry – Board Member
Bill Berry brings to the Board of Starting Arts more than 40 years of business and financial management experience, including nearly 20 years as Chief Financial Officer for both for-profit and non-profit companies with annual revenues ranging from $50 million to $1.2 billion. After retiring from the corporate world in 2005, Bill actively set out to cultivate and pursue new interests unrelated to his former profession. In 2008, during a stint as summer camp “chauffeur” for the daughter of a friend, Bill rediscovered The Wizard of OZ, discovered Starting Arts, and began his new career as an advocate for arts education.
Mr. Berry attended Stanford University on an NROTC scholarship, receiving a BS in Industrial Engineering. After completing his Navy obligation, he returned to Stanford and received an MBA. Bill Berry began his corporate career at Raychem; co-founded Optical Shields Inc.; joined Compression Labs, Inc. for a 6-year period; and finally became Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of the Electric Power Research Institute, a non-profit organization doing research for the electric power industry worldwide. While there, Bill established boards and served as Board Chairman for three profitable subsidiaries. In addition to serving on the Board of Starting Arts, Mr. Berryl also currently serves on the Board and as Chairman of the Audit Committee for Southwall Technologies, Inc.
Edith Espinola - Board Member
Edith Espinola is proud to step up her longstanding support of public school arts education by joining the Board of Starting Arts. As a parent and Ponderosa Elementary School PTA President, she had a front row seat at Starting Arts’1990 debut - an afterschool arts program piloted by Santa Clara Unified School District at Ponderosa in Sunnyvale. From the start Edith has been enthusiastic supporter of Starting Arts, both organizationally and financially. A skilled community builder, she brings with her formidable fundraising and networking skills honed through years of colaborating with parents, teachers, public school and district administrators.
Ms. Espinola is currently a local business owner and top selling agent with Keller Williams Realty, Silicon Valley. Having won numerous top agent awards, she has also served on the KW Agent Leadership Council for the past 4 years, teaches KW courses, and mentors new agents. Previously Edith also worked at Hewlett Packard - but child oriented community volunteer work has been a constant passion and avocation throughout her career. During her tenure as Ponderosa PTA President and Fundraising Chairperson, Edith Espinola helped raise unprecedented amounts of money to fund Ponderosa’s arts, literacy and computer programs. Ms. Espinola holds has a BS in Business Administration/Marketing with a minor in Fine Arts/Photography from San Jose State University.
Andrea Thurber – Secretary
Andrea Thurber has been involved in Starting Arts since its inception, working with Ann Watts to help define and name the organization, gather supporters and procure funding. Her supporting roles have and continue to include: program development, website development and grant writing.
Andrea’s community minded “See a need; fill a need. Keep it simple.” philosophy and ability to clearly see the big picture while hammering out details have served not only Starting Arts. Ms. Thurber’s various incarnations include: Clinical Laboratory Supervisor, Spectra Laboratories, Fremont; founder of Las Palmas Dog Park, Sunnyvale; Parent Association President, Mid-Peninsula High School, Menlo Park; Head of Training Sub Committee, Minor Protection Committee, Presbyterian Church of Sunnyvale.
Ms. Thurber received her BS in Medical Technology from the State University of New York at Buffalo (SUNYAB) and sings to maintain her sanity.
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