Harrison (Mac) Bains has had a long career in Banking and Corporate Finance, including Senior Vice President of Chase Manhattan Bank, Senior Vice President and Treasurer of RJR Nabisco, and Acting Chief Financial Officer and Vice President and Treasurer of Bristol-Myers Squibb.  He has also served in leadership positions as a trustee or director on many for-profit and non-profit boards. These included:  the Mercer Funds, in roles that included Chair and Chair of the Audit Committee; The Bank of America Funds; two bio-tech companies, serving as Chair of the Audit Committees of both; The Park Avenue Armory, where he is a Trustee Emeritus after serving many years as Finance Committee Chair; the American Battlefield Trust; and the University of Redlands, where he served as Investment Committee Chair.  Mr. Bains holds a BA degree in Economics from the University of Redlands, an MBA in Finance from the University of California-Berkeley, and he attended the Harvard Business School’s Advanced Management Program.

After a working career in and near New York City, Mr. Bains now resides in Montecito with his wife, Leslie, where they are near their two children and two grandchildren, all of whom reside in Southern California.

Ellen Barger is the Assistant Superintendent, Curriculum and Instruction, for the Santa Barbara County Education Office, where she provides service and leadership to the county’s 20 school districts. An educator for more than 30 years, Ms. Barger’s experience includes elementary, secondary, and post-secondary teaching and administration. She earned a Bachelor of Science, cum laude, from The Ohio State University and Masters of Science in Secondary Education and Mathematics Education from CSU Fullerton, where she was named the Edwin Carr Fellow.

Ms. Barger is currently on the executive council of the statewide CCSESA Curriculum and Instruction Steering Committee, is the chair of the mathematics subcommittee, and serves on multiple work groups for policy, instruction, and accountability. She offers a social justice lens to her service as a board member of TODOS  and as a faculty member for the Institute for Equity in Education. Additionally, she serves as an active volunteer with Transition House and other Santa Barbara non-profits.  She lives in Santa Barbara with her husband Tony Helf.

Susan Black Berger spent 15 years in the financial services industry as an analyst and due diligence officer with various Los Angeles-based firms including Bateman Eichler, Citibank, Capital Group’s American Funds and Financial Network, before relocating to Philadelphia in 1995 to join Delaware funds.

Raised in Springfield, Massachusetts, Susan began her college journey at UMass Amherst before attending a theater program at Webster University in St. Louis. She graduated from the University of Southern California with dual degrees in Economics and East Asian Studies. After her children were of school-age, Susan returned to her entrepreneurial roots and pursued her love of food and catering first by working as a chef for Wolfgang Puck Catering and then starting her own catering business. As her children grew up, she shifted more of her time to volunteer work and philanthropy including working with The Fulfillment Fund.

She has also served on an advisory committee for the American Contemporary Ballet company in Los Angeles. Susan currently lives in Santa Bargara with her husband, where Susan has contributed her time and resources to various community organizations such as Newcomers, The Santa Barbara Symphony, Music Academy of the West, and The Women’s Fund. Susan and her husband have been members of the Young Presidents’ Organization for over 25 years. Susan enjoys tending to her micro-farm and cooking, biking, sailing, theater, music, and extensive travel.

Dean Carter was named the Chief People Officer of Guild Education in December 2022. Recently he led global HR, Legal, and Finance Shared Services for Patagonia Inc. based in Ventura, California, reporting directly to CEO Rose Marcario.  As an officer on the core leadership team, Mr. Carter furthered Patagonia’s unique business model proving that companies can “Do Well and Do Good,” as well as preserved and grew the unconventional values outlined in Founder Yvon Chouinard’s acclaimed book, Let My People Go Surfing.

Prior to Patagonia, Mr. Carter worked for Sears Holdings Corporation, a Fortune 500 company – serving as Chief Human Resources Officer. Leading up to Sears, Dean was CHRO for Fossil, Inc. during a time of high growth and international expansion.  Prior to his time at Fossil, he served in variety of progressive HR and Management roles for Pier 1 Imports, Pearle Vision and Procter & Gamble.

Throughout Mr. Carter’s career, his perspectives on the opportunities within human capital management have been featured in The Economist, NBC Nightly News, Fast Company, NPR Morning Edition, The Wall Street Journal, and various other national publications. The work of his HR teams has led to Brandon Hall’s Gold Award for Innovation in HR as well as SHRM’s prestigious HRM Impact Award.

Mr. Carter earned his bachelor’s degree in Speech/Organizational Communication from The University of Texas at Austin and has served as a Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law Workforce Science Fellow. Dean also serves as an Independent Director on the Board of Directors for several companies including Cornerstone on Demand (CSOD:NASDAQ), a publicly traded Cloud-based HR technology platform, as well as Griffith Foods, a Chicago-based privately held company.

In addition to Mr. Carter’s career, he has a long history of service on local community boards, including The Oak Lawn Park Conservancy, The Human Rights Campaign, Chicago’s Between Friends organization to support victims of domestic abuse, The Kessler Park Board, The Ventura Chamber of Commerce Board, and the City of Dallas Board of Adjustments.

Dean currently resides in Montecito with his husband, Mark Stori, and their daughter Grace, who is currently attending CalPoly in San Luis Obispo.

Mally Chakola is a disciplined, tenacious attorney and entrepreneur with a track record of employing vision and judgment to create actionable plans amid complex challenges. She has practiced corporate law for nearly 20 years, in parallel with owning and operating multiple businesses. Mally attended New York University (NYU) earning a bachelor's degree in Fine Arts, cumme laude, and received a Juris Doctor from Pace Law School. A member of the bars of both New York State and Connecticut, she began her career practicing mergers and acquisitions in New York City.

Some of the most fulfilling highlights of Mally’s career have been:

• Single-handedly procuring $100 million in capital raises and financings as a deal maker for her sphere of companies, leading to doubled enterprise growth and the creation of over 100 American jobs.
• Founding a luxury, fast moving consumer goods brand that launched in the prestigious Fred Segal with direct-to-consumer, wholesale, and retail sales and garnering over 200+ million media impressions from Success magazine to Harper’s Bazaar and HGTV.
• Creating the “Beauty Cottage” on Abbott Kinney (dubbed at the time “the Coolest Block in America” according to GQ magazine) in Venice, California, where she built an experiential retail space to elevate women's self-care by nurturing their well-being and business skills.
• Establishing Mally Chakola LLC in 2024, a transformational consulting and education company by which Mally works to support growth mindset individuals and organizations seeking to turn their goals into reality.

She serves as a director and committee member of numerous nonprofits in support of education, the environment, the arts, and DEIB.

Mally plays the Celtic harp, studied Mohiniyattam Indian Folk dance, and was a certified ballerina (The Cecchetti Council of America). In her free time, she enjoys writing and adventuring with her daughter, Fleur and husband, Dean Jackson.

Clive Chang is President of YoungArts, the National Foundation for the Advancement Artists, whose mission is to identify exceptional young artists, amplify their potential, and invest in their lifelong creative freedom. Clive brings to this role a unique combination of commercial and not-for-profit arts leadership experience, as well as the perspective of a lifelong artist himself as a classically trained composer and pianist.

Prior to YoungArts, Clive was Executive Vice President, Chief Advancement & Innovation Officer for Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City. In this capacity, he oversaw fundraising, strategic partnerships, and innovation programs for the world’s pre-eminent performing arts complex—home to 11 world class arts organizations across its 16-acre campus. He had previously served as Director, Strategy & Business Development and Special Assistant to the President.

Prior to Lincoln Center, Clive was Director, Strategy & Business Development for Disney Theatrical Group, where he led strategic planning and growth initiatives for Disney’s commercial live entertainment businesses worldwide.

Clive holds dual Bachelor of Music and Bachelor of Commerce degrees from McGill University, an MFA in Musical Theater Writing from NYU/Tisch School of the Arts, and an MBA from the Harvard Business School. He has been an adjunct professor in the graduate program in Arts Administration at Columbia University in New York City (2018-2021) and serves on the board of the Music Academy in Santa Barbara, CA. Clive and his husband divide their time between Miami, FL and Weston, CT.

Ted Cronin, founding partner of Manchester Capital Management, LLC, joined the Music Academy Board of Directors in November 2017. Recognized for many years in Barron’s as one of the top independent financial advisors in America, Mr. Cronin has been honored with numerous industry awards and is a frequent guest speaker at industry conferences. A member of the Explorers’ Club, he is active in numerous civic and charitable organizations, including former member of the Vermont Business Roundtable, former Trustee of the Village of Manchester, past Chairman of the Board of the Vermont Natural Resources Council, and former member of the Advisory Board of Charles Schwab. Mr. Cronin received his bachelor’s degree from Williams College and completed coursework at both Harvard Business School and the New York Institute of Finance. He then founded Manchester Capital as a family office, dedicated to caring for the assets of related families.

Jerrold L. Eberhardt had a distinguished 40 year career at Smith Barney. He and his family moved from Chicago to Los Angeles in 1997 when he was named Senior Executive Vice President of the Western Division. He was responsible for Smith Barney’s Wealth Management operations in eleven Western States, which was expanded to include Asia and Australia. He retired in March 2009. Jerry is a founding member of the Board of Directors of Dynasty Financial Partners, LLC. Dynasty is the premier provider of integrated wealth management solutions and technology for Independent Registered Investment Advisors.

Throughout his business career, Jerry was active in charitable and civic affairs in the Chicago community. Prior to moving to Los Angeles, he was a Trustee of the Ravinia Festival Association and served as Vice Chairman and member of the Executive Committee. He also served on the Boards of several civic and industry organizations.

Jerry has served as a member of the Board of Directors of The Los Angeles Philharmonic Association for 22 years and is a former Chairman of the Board. He is a member of the Board of the Music Academy of the West and serves on the Executive Committee. Jerry is also on the Board of the Ojai Music Festival as the current Chairman, and a member of the Board of Trustees of the Colburn School. He is a past Trustee of the Aspen Music Festival & School, having served on the Board for six years. He is a member of The California Club and previously served on the Board of Directors as Treasurer.

Mr. Eberhardt graduated with a bachelor's degree from the University of Illinois and received his MBA from the University of Cincinnati.

Jerry is married to Kathleen Kane. He has three daughters: Elizabeth, 52; Martha, 50 and Ellen, 40 from his marriage of 54 years to his deceased wife Margaret. He has seven grandchildren.

Rachel Fine is the Executive Director of the Yale Schwarzman Center (YSC), Yale University’s first-ever center for student life and the arts, and former Executive Director & CEO of The Wallis Annenberg Performing Arts Center. Together with the board of directors and administrative team, she established The Wallis as a major player and leading cultural organization in Los Angeles’ burgeoning arts scene.

At The Wallis, she demonstrated dedication to diversity, equity, inclusion, and access; built dynamic artistic partnerships and projects between The Wallis and Los Angeles’ cultural organizations; launched and implemented a $55 million campaign, which more than doubled the organization’s endowment and established a healthy cash reserve in the campaign’s first year; and steered and managed The Wallis successfully through the pandemic. Prior to her tenure at The Wallis, Rachel served as Executive Director of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra (2010-2015) and Los Angeles Children’s Chorus (2007-2010). In 2009, she founded and built the Los Angeles Children’s Chorus’ Young Men’s Ensemble, a rare chorus for boys with changing voices, which has toured the United States, Canada, Cuba, Vatican City, and Mexico City. Rachel has also held leadership positions at the DeVos Institute of Arts Management, Aspen Music Festival, Santa Fe Opera, and The Juilliard School, among others. She is a proud alumna of the Music Academy, which she attended in 1988 as a solo piano fellow.

Bridget Foreman, CPA joined Bartlett, Pringle & Wolf, LLP in 2003, becoming a partner in 2009. Her specialties include closely held businesses and individual taxation for high net worth individuals.

A significant part of Bridget’s business practice focuses on partnership taxation and entity structure. She is accomplished in evaluating complex financial transactions, including acquisitions, purchase price allocations and eventual dispositions.

Bridget integrates tax planning, compliance and consulting services for her clients as well as orchestrates the efforts of their other advisors, including investment managers, attorneys, bankers and insurance agents. She has frequently been recognized as one of the “Top 50 Women in Business” by the Pacific Coast Business Times.

During the course of her career, Bridget spent six years working within the hospitality market sector at a four-star hotel and resort in various capacities ranging from credit manager to leading the internal audit department. In addition, she is well versed in the financial services issues faced by franchisees of national restaurant chains. This related work experience has proved invaluable for her clientele.

Bridget received her Bachelor of Arts degrees in Business Economics and German Studies from the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Today, a mother of two, Bridget’s top personal priority is spending quality time with her family. When she manages to find a quiet moment, Bridget enjoys reading and relaxing on the beach. She also values community involvement and is on the Board of Directors of CALM and the Lobero Theatre.

Todd Gerber is a marketing executive currently serving as Vice President of Go-to-Market & Sales for Adobe, Inc. focusing on helping businesses unlock their creative potential and drive impactful outcomes with Photoshop, Lightroom, Illustrator and Acrobat applications across desktop, web and mobile platforms. During his tenure at Adobe, he developed the Acrobat freemium business into a multi-billion dollar revenue stream and led the document productivity business unit transition from perpetual to subscription-based recurring revenue.

Prior to Adobe, he served in a variety of leadership positions at HP, Inc. focusing on digital marketing to drive brand engagement and direct revenue through HP.com.

He received his master's degree in English with a specialization in scientific and technical communication from Bowling Green State University and his bachelor's degree in English and Psychology from Heidelberg University.

Andrea Hein is a retired entertainment industry executive focusing on licensing and merchandising. During a 15-year career with Paramount Pictures and Viacom, Inc. she was the President of Viacom Consumer Products, which licensed and merchandised movie and tv properties including Star Trek, Forrest Gump, Mission Impossible and Cheers. Her experience covered a broad spectrum of licensing ventures such as restaurants, exhibits, events, theme park attractions, stage plays, and consumer products.

Prior to Paramount, she was vice president of merchandising for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, responsible for national promotions and product placement for the James Bond franchise, among others. She began her licensing career in entertainment at Lucasfilm Ltd., with a focus on the Star Wars and Indiana Jones properties.

After Paramount, Andrea was a licensing consultant, providing business development, marketing, and growth solutions for select clients. She is also an expert witness in cases involving intellectual property disputes.

She received her M.A. in education from the University of Memphis and her B.S. in education from the Peabody College of Vanderbilt University.

Andrea is a member of The Motion Picture Academy of Arts and Sciences and was a founding board member of the Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. restaurants. She was also a long-time child advocate with CASA Los Angeles and Santa Barbara, served on the 2021 Santa Barbara County Grand Jury, and is a founding member of Hands Across Montecito. She and her husband, Ron love to travel, and enjoy classic sports cars which Ron has restored to perfection.

Kandy Luria-Budgor and her husband Dr. Aaron Budgor have lived in Montecito for the last 15 years, with family roots in the community since the mid-1950s. Her career has spanned Counseling and Psychology (in which she holds her Master’s degree) for 10 years in corporate settings (mostly in the Los Angeles area), specializing in addiction, career counseling, and short-term therapy, to 20 years in real estate in Washington D.C., including land acquisition, building, and residential sales.

After moving back to Santa Barbara, Kandy took over running The Luria Company and the Luria Foundation, both started by her father Eli Luria. The Luria/Budgor Family Foundation is a philanthropic entity which gives to four specific organizations: Music Academy of the West, Jewish Federation, Santa Barbara City College, and the Santa Barbara Museum of Art.

Kandy has served on the Music Academy of the West’s Board of Directors for nine years, also leading as Chair of the Building, Instruments, and Grounds Committee. Additionally, she served on the Board of the Santa Barbara City College Foundation and was Chair of the Friends of the Luria Library and served on the Committee for President’s Scholarships. She is currently serving on the Board of Directors for Santa Barbara Museum of Art and is on the Collections Committee. Kandy served on the Board of Ensemble Theatre Company and PAL (Police Activity League). She has been instrumental in guiding community programs and organizations to success, such as Running Start 2—a program for high school students entering college, acquisition of the theatre for the Ensemble Theatre Company, and building projects at Jewish Federation.

Currently, Ms. Budgor is completing a Master’s degree in Contemporary Art with Sotheby’s Institute of Art, New York City.

Born in Burbank, Thomas Orlando grew up in the San Fernando Valley and earned a Bachelor’s Degree in business administration at California State University, Northridge. Following a successful four-year stint as a sales associate with food and beverage wholesaler, Young’s Market Company, he joined the staff of Los Angeles-based manufacturing concern CTD Machines, Inc. where he became sales manager before becoming owner, President and CEO. He left the company when it was sold in 2007, and currently manages several industrial properties in Southern California.

Mr. Orlando currently serves as a director on the board of Daum Commercial Real Estate Services, and previously served on the boards for the Wood Machinery Manufacturers of America and the Association of Woodworking & Furnishings Suppliers. He was president of the latter trade organization’s board in 2002 and 2003.

Mr. Orlando previously served on the Music Academy Board of Directors from 2012 until 2022 where he helped oversee the reconstruction of the Marilyn Horne Main House and the construction of Hind Hall. He was the Chairperson for the Finance Committee for seven years during his previous terms. He has also served on the Investment Committee and the Buildings and Grounds Committee as well as the Executive Committee.

Stephanie Shuman was born in England and moved to New York City in 1960.  She is married to Fred Shuman and has two children and two grandchildren.

Mrs. Shuman attended both The American Musical and Dramatic Academy and Sarah Lawrence College.

Mrs. Shuman serves on the Boards of The Neighborhood Coalition for Shelter, Lincoln Center Theater, and The International Center of Photography.  The Shumans support The Shuman Fund for GIST (Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors) Research at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and are members of the PhotoFutures Committee of the Santa Barbara Museum of Art.

Stephanie and Fred Shuman reside primarily in New York City and East Hampton, New York, and relocate to Santa Barbara, California during the winter months.

Born in New York City, Maurice Singer studied English and economics at the University of Vermont and went on to hold a succession of senior management positions in the film and television industry, including president of HBO Films and senior vice president at Home Box Office, Columbia Pictures Corp., and Westinghouse Broadcasting Co. Shortly after becoming a licensed financial advisor, he founded Los Angeles-based Riviera Capital Management in 1993, an independent firm specializing in wealth management, venture capital, and initial public offering consultation. Maurice is currently a founding principal at The Evergreen Advantage, a Real Estate Investment Trust based in Santa Monica with offices in Montecito. The firm has a real estate loan portfolio throughout the west coast. In addition to being a member of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences and the National Association of Television Broadcasters, Maurice has served as a board director for Tempra Technology and Qnext Corp, and The Industry, a Los Angeles-based opera company. He is currently a member of the Board of Directors of the Ojai Music Festival. Maurice Singer served on Music Academy Board of Directors from January 2010 through December 2018 and returned to the Board in January 2020, serving as the Music Academy Board Chair from January 2023 through December 2024.

Pamela B. Strobel is the retired executive vice president and chief administrative officer of Exelon and retired president of Exelon’s Business Services Company. She also served as chairman and CEO of Exelon Energy Delivery, the holding company for the corporation’s energy delivery businesses, PECO Energy in Philadelphia and ComEd in Chicago.

Prior to the merger of PECO and Unicom, Strobel was executive vice president of Unicom Corporation and its chief subsidiary, ComEd. She joined ComEd as General Counsel in 1993, prior to which she was a partner in the law firms of Sidley & Austin and Isham, Lincoln & Beale.

Currently, Strobel serves as a director of Illinois Tool Works Inc. and State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company, and is on the Board of Directors for the Music Academy of the West. She is a past trustee of the University of Illinois, life director and past chair of the Joffrey Ballet, life trustee and past chair of the Ravinia Festival, and life trustee and past chair of the Civic Consulting Alliance. She was a founding board member and past director of ChiArts, the first public high school for the arts in Chicago. She is also a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago.

Strobel received both her undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Illinois, where she was a Bronze Tablet recipient and a member of the law review.

She is married to Russ Strobel and they have two grown children, Ben and Libby.

Kelly’s immersion in the Montecito community began in 2005, when he joined the esteemed architectural firm, The Warner Group Architects, Inc., as an aspiring architect. Over the span of the past two decades, he has had the privilege of collaborating with clients in the creation of award-winning, bespoke residences spanning diverse architectural genres across Montecito, Santa Barbara, Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, Orange County, and even internationally. Now a principal architect who oversees the design process and management of the firm, Kelly assumes the role of President at The Warner Group Architects. Prior to his architectural career, Kelly earned a Bachelor of Architecture degree from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, where he also met his beloved wife who is a pediatric occupational therapist based in Santa Barbara. Outside of architecture, Kelly explores the depths of the Santa Barbara coastline and the around the Channel Islands through his passion for scuba diving, as well as backpacking in the Eastern Sierras, all the while enjoying life alongside his wife and two sons.

Pat Wadors grew up as the youngest of eight siblings. She was diagnosed as dyslexic in college and has leaned on her neurodiversity as a strength. She is a mother of three millennials, grandmother x2, and wife of 30 years. An introvert by nature, Pat is an advocate for results over talk. She works feverishly to embrace the quieter voices and was inspired to write this book by her personal purpose: “I need to leave the world better than I found it, to be kind, to give more than I get, to make a difference.”

With a focus on helping people and companies thrive, Pat grew her career in Human Resources, serving as a Chief People Officer and HR leader for companies such as UKG, Yahoo!, LinkedIn, ServiceNow, Plantronics Inc., and Procore Technologies. Pat currently serves as Chief Human Resources Officer at Intuitive. A multiple-time recipient of the National Diversity Council’s Top 50 Most Powerful Women in Technology award, Pat is renowned for her transformative and strategic leadership. She is a sought-after speaker on diversity, inclusion, and belonging topics. Pat earned a Bachelor of Science in Business and Human Resource Administration and a minor in Psychology from Ramapo College of New Jersey.

In her book Unlock Your Leadership Story, Pat delivers a powerful discussion of the lessons we can draw from some of the most well-known stories in the world. In each chapter, she introduces a different fable or folktale, reflects on the story's morals, and uncovers how we can apply it to help us meet contemporary challenges at work and in life.

Todd Yancey, MD, has 40 years of professional experience across clinical care and as a corporate biotechnology executive. After completing his medical school training at the University of Virginia, he went on to complete his internship, residency, and fellowship at the Weill-Cornell Medical School and to serve on the faculty of the New York-Presbyterian Hospital.

After 14 years of clinical care, he worked for nearly 25 years at publicly-traded companies including Amgen, Genentech, Onyx, Medivation, Clovis, BioMarin, and BeiGene. In this capacity, he served as a C-Suite executive beginning in 2006 and currently serves as Chief Strategic Advisor for Agenus.

He has served on four non-profit organization boards which include Gay Men’s Health Crisis (including three years as vice president), The New York Lesbian and Gay Community Center, The Primary Care Development Corporation, and The Santa Barbara Newcomers Club (including one term as president). Additionally, he is the co-lead of the University of Virginia Santa Barbara Alumni Association Chapter and serves on the Riviera Association Board. He has a life-long interest in music and studied piano for many years.

Since moving to Santa Barbara, he has been involved in supporting the mission of the Academy through philanthropy; performance and event participation; leadership thought partnership; and by serving as a Compeer for summer fellows.