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Members of the ARTSHIP Foundation Board of Directors represent a diverse group of dedicated individuals with extensive personal and professional experience in the creative arts, non-profit arts organization management, business and financial management, secondary and higher education, the professions, and volunteer organizations.
Chair. Dr. George Leitmann, Professor in the Graduate School and Associate Dean of Engineering for International Relations, University of California at Berkeley. Dr. Leitmann has a distinguished career both as a professor of engineering and in academic administration and service at Berkeley, having received its highest honor, the Berkeley Citation. He has published nearly 300 papers in peer-reviewed academic journals, holds two patents, is a member of the U.S. National Academy of Engineering, and is a foreign member of national academies in Argentina, Georgia, Italy and Russia. He also is an Alexander von Humboldt Senior Scientist, and has been awarded honorary doctorates from the University of Paris, Technical University of Vienna and Technical University of Darmstadt. A child refugee of the Nazi occupation of Austria, George and his mother emigrated to the US in 1940. He served with the CIC (Counterintelligence Corps) while with the U.S. Combat Engineers attached to the French army; he also served as an interrogator at the Nuerenberg War Crimes Trials. In 2005 the French government awarded its highest military hono, the Croix de Guerre avec Plames (Cross of War With Palms), to George for his service to that nation in WW II. George is a collector of fine art, and with wife Nancy, they have been instrumental in helping build the Berkeley Repertory Theater from its inception. His undergraduate and master’s degrees are from Columbia University and his doctorate is from the University of California at Berkeley. Dr. Leitmann was elected to the board in 2005 and to serve as Chair of the Board in 2006.
President & Acting Treasurer. Frank J. Giunta, President, Connaissance International, Oakland, CA. A board member since 2000 and its president since 2002, Frank was a senior financial manager at UC Berkeley for most of his career. For the past ten years he has been in consulting practice in the fields of knowledge-based and culturally-based economic development, with major engagements nationally and internationally with the Academy for Educational Development, the United Nations Development Program, other government and non-government organizations and higher education. His undergraduate degree in literature and physics is from the University of Pennsylvania, his Master’s work in literature was completed at San Francisco State, and he is a doctoral candidate in the humanities program at the California Institute of Integral Studies, San Francisco. His professional practice focuses on building productive relationships between business, community and arts enterprises, and his creative interests are in verse and metaphysics.
Secretary. TheArthur Wright, Visual Artist, Oakland, CA. A board member since 1998 and secretary since 2003, TheArthur served in the U.S. Air Force as an intelligence analyst in Japan, and after a career in the skilled crafts, he has become a visual artist, creating an innovative process called “pontiflet” in which he uses household bleach to create visuals and portraiture from a black background medium. TheArthur has exhibited his work at major shows in New York, Chicago, Las Vegas and San Francisco. His present and future projects are laid out in a series of panels that he calls suites, which are works depicting African, African-American, and ethnic themes and experiences. Each suite is composed of related pieces that are also able to stand individually on their own merit as works of art that can be seen at on the Internet at www.sigidiart.com. Father of four children and mentor to many others in the community, TheArthur has studied at Central Washington State College, the University of Washington and the University of California at Berkeley.
Nina Manzo, AIA Nina is a licensed architect practicing with Michael Rex Associates in Sausalito, CA. A San Francisco resident and board member since 2004, Nina is a member of the American Institute of Architects and is NCARB certified. She received her Masters in Architecture from the University of California at Berkeley and wrote her thesis on the Ramp as a Piece of Architectural Form, which can represent people with disabilities in an empowering way. At Berkeley Nina was a graduate student instructor in architectural design, sculpture, and rhetoric, and was selected to participate in the International Laboratory of Architecture and Urban Design in San Marino, Italy. Nina was the convening member of Artship’s Universal Design Committee and was one of the first architectural interns doing designs and studies of the TS Golden Bear/ARTSHIP beginning in 1994. Nina has volunteered with Habitat for Humanity as a construction worker, and lived in Kyoto, Japan in 2003, studying the Japanese language and traditional Japanese architecture and gardens. Her undergraduate degree is from Stanford University with distinction where she majored in Science and Technology Studies. She has been a database designer and computer programmer and is a new parent, with husband Jay, of Teo Avram born in November 2004.
Slobodan Dan Paich, Executive & Artistic Director, ARTSHIP Foundation, San Francisco, CA. Slobodan is a founding member of ARTSHIP Foundation and has been a board member since 1992, serving as its president until 2002. He is the principal choreographer and artistic director for Artship Dance/Theater, and is the coordinator for Artship Visual Arts & Community/Cultural Commons initiatives. He also served as director of arts and culture on the board of directors of the International Peace Foundation, Berlin & Vienna from 1996 to 2002. Never far from the rehearsal process in the theater, he has taught performing visual arts and architecture at major performing, visual arts and architecture schools and studios in United States, England, Germany and Italy. During the past two decades in the Bay Area, Mr. Paich initially taught architecture at UC Berkeley, mostly about the architecture of theaters and performance venues, and has been involved in a number of large-scale community projects, working daily with artists, actors, dancers, writers and directors in nurturing and actualizing personal and collective dreams. He has received many community, state and national awards for art, performance and numerous local, state and national awards for his work in bringing arts and culture-making into the community. His international awards include the UNESCO Prize for architecture for continuing education and he was selected to exhibit New Academia Bridge Proposal at the Venice Biennale. Slobodan’s undergraduate degree is from the Belgrade Academy of Fine Arts and he holds the MFA degree from The Royal College of Art, London.
Katie Wolf, Visual Artist and Teacher of Art, Architecture and Sculpture, St. Ignatius College Preparatory High School, San Francisco, CA. Katie has been a board member since 2004, although her work with and interest in ARTSHIP Foundation programs dates back two decades. A native San Franciscan, Katie’s undergraduate degree is from Santa Clara University and her graduate degree is from the San Francisco Art Institute. She has been developing and implementing curriculum to teach the creative process for more than 32 years in San Francisco. Subject areas include architecture, sculpture, painting and set design. Her teaching has inspired thousands of students to recognize and express their gift of creativity, and their work consistently receives national honors. Her personal creative work ranges from environmental fabric designs for the vast and modern St. Mary's Cathedral in San Francisco to intimate sacred spaces and Byzantine icons. An ancient and personal symbol system imbues her large scale paintings, welded steel sculpture, stained glass pieces, painted fabric wall scrolls and wearable art with an energy that presents itself as a bridge allowing the Sacred to be sensed in daily living. Katie is developing a large parcel of private property in Lake County, CA, into an artist retreat with studios and residencies. She often hosts students from St. Ignatius College Prep and other city schools for weekend and summer retreats, working with them on major environmental art projects there.
Dr. Paul Pangaro. An international expert and practitioner of the science of cybernetics, Paul is a graduate of MIT in Computer Science and Humanities/Drama, and he obtained his Ph.D. from Brunel University (UK) in conversation theory. Paul has served as Chief Technology Officer (CTO) in Internet startups, most recently at Snap.com in Pasadena. He was Senior Director and Distinguished Marketing Strategist at Sun Microsystems, and he managed software and strategy projects for major clients for more than 15 years in a software development company that he founded in 1981. He is currently CTO for CyberneticLifestyles.com, a San Francisco-based consultancy in marketing and product strategy for technology companies. He has lectured widely on media, conversation, and design, at venues such as ITAU Cultural Biennale (São Paulo, Brazil), Bartlett School of Architecture (UK), Digital Arts and Media Program at University of California (Santa Cruz), American Society for Cybernetics Conferences, and at Stanford University’s Human-Computer Interaction program where he teaches each autumn. In harmony with his experience as a singer and performer, his lifelong pursuit is the pragmatic application of cybernetics for improving human learning and human-machine collaboration.
Dr. Jasmina Vujic. Professor and Chair of the Department of Nuclear Engineering, University of California at Berkeley, Dr. Vujic received her PhD and master’s degrees from the University of Michigan in nuclear science, and her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in electrical and nuclear engineering and engineering physics from the University of Belgrade, Serbia. Her teaching and research at Berkeley relate to biomedical, energy and environmental applications of advanced nuclear science and engineering. Dr. Vujic also maintains deep and vital interests in the arts, culture-making, and cross-cultural experiences of university students from many countries.
Jill Manning. A graduate student in the master’s degree program, Goldman School of Public Policy, University of California at Berkeley, Jill is serving as the Berkeley Board Fellow at ARTSHIP Foundation for the period Fall 2005 to Spring 2007. An economics graduate of Wesleyan University in Connecticut, Jill has worked in Boston at Charles River Associates as an economic analyst, and at Thompson Financial as a research analyst. Her community service includes volunteering as a fundraising/grants intern for Art Interactive in Cambridge, as a facilitator for the Junior League of Boston Arts Program, and as a tutor at Cambridge Rindge and Latin High School. Jill also studied economics and geography at University College, London. Douglas Young, a UC Berkeley Haas School of Business MBA student, with international management consulting experience, was our first Berkeley Board Fellow, beginning when the program was established in 2004, and serving for two years.
Capt. Ray Addicott (USN, Ret.), Director Emeritus. Capt. Addicott served on the Board for eight years and is the immediate past Chair of the board. He is president of Training Resources, Ltd., Inc., a firm that provides maritime job training programs in partnership with high schools in northern and southern California. A graduate of the University of Washington, Ray had a distinguished career as a U.S. Navy officer and faculty member at the California Maritime Academy. He was instrumental in helping the Foundation select and receive the TS Golden Bear to become the ARTSHIP.
Patricia Bath, M.D., Director Emerita. Dr. Bath served on the board for eight years, and is the inventor of the Cataract Laserphacoprobe, the medical instrument used to remove cataracts from the eye. Dr. Bath was the first Black female surgeon appointed to UCLA Medical School faculty in 1975, and is credited with the founding of the Student National Medical Association along with other Howard University students. She also was its first president.
Augusto Ferriols, Director Emeritus. Mr. Ferriols served on the board for ten years, holding the office of Secretary, and as co-director of the Augustino Dance Theater (now ARTSHIP Dance/Theater) through 2002. A graduate of the University of California at Berkeley, Augusto founded Sepktrum Design, a graphic design and web development firm in Los Angeles, and continues to perform with ARTSHIP Dance/Theater from time-to-time.
Hallie Williams, Director Emerita. A founding member of ARTSHIP Foundation and board member since 1992, Hallie has served as board treasurer for four years, and as board chair since 2001. Hallie’s undergraduate degree in psychology is from the University of California at Berkeley. She did graduate work in social sciences and town planning at Cornell University and completed her master’s degree in transformative leadership at Saint Mary’s College, Moraga. In addition to her professional and personal work with at-risk youth and African-American faith-based organizations, Hallie participates in various ethnic dance expressions.
The ARTSHIP Steering Committee is the forum for Board member development locally and for
national and international outreach. Current members include:
Beatrice Chissale,
PhD, Professor of French Literature, University of Berne, Switzerland
Mathew Comfort,
BA, MS, Urban Planning and Development Principal, New York, NY
Vera Iljin,
BA, French & Serbian Translator, Belgrade, Serbia
Linda Justice,
BA, Visual Artist and Iconographer, New York, NY
Francois Miglio,
BS, Visual Artist, Beziers, Languedoc-Rousillion, France
We currently are engaging several individuals in San Francisco and the Bay Area to serve as members of our Steering Committee and Board of Directors.
Over the years many dedicated people have served on the ARTSHIP Foundation Board of Directors. Here is a partial list of prior board member, most of whom continue to support our programs and initiatives.
Claudia Albano,
City of Fremont planning director, Berkeley, CA
Margaret Bertrand,
International Marketing Executive, now residing in San Luis Obispo County, CA
Jeannette DesBoines,
Visual Artist
Gordon Fulton,
President, Concept Marine, Inc., Oakland, CA
Daniel Harris,
Visual Artist and Poet, Oakland, CA
Bruce Lawrence,
MD, Family Medicine Practice, Oakland, CA
Mary O’Donnell,
Rear Admiral, U.S. Coast Guard, Alameda, CA
Tom Sargent,
Principal, Community Equity Builders, San Francisco, CA
Marguerite Welch,
Lecturer, St. Mary’s College, & HR/Organization Development Consultant,
Oakland, CA
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