Amber Jo Manuel, Executive Director
Michael Tamony, Director of Development
Adelaide Johnson, Executive Assistant
Massimo Massarotto, Development & Sponsorship Coordinator
Chris Paizis, Accounting & HR Manager
Nicole Dean, Accounting Assistant
Katie Austin, Box Office Manager & Membership Associate
Brenda Jendrusch, Box Office Attendant
Bohdan Russum, Box Office Attendant
Cydney Grogan, Box Office Attendant
Willow Fitch, Box Office Attendant
Erin Lewis, Marketing Manager
Leila Srouji, Marketing and Communications Associate
Juniper Lindquist Dacre, Graphic Designer
Michael Thompson, Front of House Manager
Robin Karlstedt, House Manager
Rachel Singleton, Bar & Hospitality Manager
Vanessa Bennett, Assistant Bar Manager
Teresa Lani, Volunteer Coordinator
Denay Woodman, Hospitality Assistant
Jeb Cornwall, Hospitality Assistant
Marc Allen, Bar Staff
Raja Meadows, Bar Staff
Conrad Sisk, Technical Director
Lori Tierney, Production & Operations Manager
Bret Scheinfeld, Stage Manager
Jaya Betts, Stage Manager
George Jayne, Lighting Technician
Brynn Farwell, Associate Director of Programming
Athena Aronow, Arts Education Program Manager
Executive Director
Amber Jo joined the staff at The Center for the Arts in Fall 2016. She is a native of Nevada County and returning home after working in development at not-for-profit arts organizations for the past 17 years. She most recently held the position of Director of Development at the American Conservatory Theater where she successfully led a $33 million capital campaign for ACT’s second stage, The Strand Theater, which opened in the San Francisco mid-market district in May 2015. Prior to ACT, Amber was involved with capital campaign fundraising and development efforts at both Cal Academy of Sciences and Berkeley Repertory Theater. Amber also worked as the Individual Giving Director at The Roundabout Theater in New York where she worked on the seat campaign for Studio 54 and the historic reopening of the Henry Miller’s Theatre, the first LEED-certified Broadway theatre, which later was renamed the Stephen Sondheim. Amber’s interest in the arts began on the stages of Nevada County where she was an active dancer, actress and director. She received a B.A. in Drama from UC Irvine and later earned a M.F.A. in Directing Asian Theater from the University of Hawaii.
Associate Director of Programming
Brynn Brauner was born in Penn Valley, California in 1995. In 2013, she moved from rural California, to Seattle, Washington to attend Cornish College of the Arts where she received her Bachelor’s in Fine Arts in 2017. She has exhibited in several solo and group exhibitions in Seattle, New York, and Nevada County. During her time in school, she studied abroad in Rome, Italy, in the Rome Studio Art Program through the University of Washington, Bothell. In 2015 she was selected as one in fourteen students across the continent to participate in the New York Studio Residency Program in Brooklyn, NY, for the spring semester of 2016. Brynn has worked for several non-profits including the Center for Wooden Boats in Seattle, as a youth sailing instructor and A.I.R. (Artist in Residence) Gallery in Brooklyn, as a Benefit Coordinator. Since moving back to Nevada County, Brynn sings in a local funk band, Elevation, creates visual art in her studio, and works at The Center for the Arts in order to participate in and give back to the artistic community she has always loved.
Technical Director
Conrad earned a BA in Ethnomusicology from the College of William & Mary in 2008, and spent the next six years as a performing and teaching musician. He took an interest in sound engineering; recording and mixing scores for his friends’ film and theater projects, and doing live sound production for his own bands and musical ensembles.
In 2014, Conrad moved to Penn Valley and began doing live sound as a full-time vocation, working as an audio tech and engineer for large-scale productions, including concerts, corporate events, music festivals, and trade shows.
In 2020, Conrad was hired as a sound engineer for the newly renovated Center for the Arts. Throughout the pandemic, he has provided stage sound for the performers and broadcast sound for the at-home audience for the Center’s livestream concert series. In 2021, Conrad was made the Technical Director of the Center. He is very happy to be working more closely with such fine and capable folks in this new capacity.
Marketing Manager
Coming Soon
Director of Development
Michael Tamony joined the staff at The Center for the Arts in early 2024. He was born in San Francisco and moved to Auburn, CA as a teen. He spent much of his youth traveling to rivers and music venues around Nevada City and Grass Valley.
He was most recently an External Affairs Officer for California State Treasurer Fiona Ma. In that role he represented Treasurer Ma in over 20 California counties, including Nevada County and Placer County. Prior to the California State Treasurer’s Office, Michael spent over a decade as an award-winning Communications Officer in Southern California. Michael also spent many years in music marketing with Tower Records. His love for music and art is a theme throughout his entire life, and he has performed with his band at Sweetwater Music Hall, The Torch Club, The Mint, The Troubadour, Largo, and many more.
Michael lives in Auburn, and is incredibly grateful to be helping The Center for the Arts in its mission to promote and present literary, visual and performing arts for the enrichment of our community.
Front of House Manager
I have been a paperboy, retail sales clerk, bartender, restaurant owner, and concert security with Bill Graham Presents. I was born in Barstow, Ca. and lived there for all of 2 weeks. Most of my life was spent in the SF Bay Area.
With deep roots in the Grass Valley area (my father was born in Nevada City and paternal grandparents were from North San Juan and Camptonville) I always knew I would live here someday. I am very excited and happy to be a part of The Center for the Arts.
President
Martin has lived in Nevada County since 2004, and in California since 1988. He grew up in Denver, Co. where he began his love of the outdoors including skiing, hiking, and biking and generally trying to keep in shape (which has become harder over the years!). Martin earned his BA in Finance from the University of Denver, and MA in Applied Economics from San Francisco State University. He started his career as a financial analyst in banking, followed by positions as Chief Financial Officer in homeless and mental health non-profits, and he held the Chief Fiscal Officer for the County of Nevada for 11 years. Martin retired from the County in 2024 after 20 years. He spends his time staying healthy (took up pickleball—injured a couple of times but tenacious), cooking and doing house projects, and staying in touch with friends and family. Martin balances life with the love of his wife Linda, and active participation in local arts and culture including music, dancing, karaoke, and a healthy dose of spirit and the written word. He currently holds the position of Board President.
Vice President
Elissa Spencer has been an educator for 16 years. She started her career in the NYC public school system teaching special education, and has taught 1st through 8th grade during her tenure. Elissa received her bachelor’s in arts from Sarah Lawrence College and a dual Master’s in special and general education from Hunter College. For the past six years, she has been teaching middle school at GV Charter school.
Elissa is passionate about the arts–both as a participant and consumer and is thrilled to help infuse more art in local education through her work on the board. Elissa spent her adolescence in Nevada County and credits theater as the thing that brought her the most joy, perspective, insight and confidence. She has toured the US, singing in a variety of bands and can currently be seen in local community theater productions.
Elissa lives in Grass Valley with her brilliant daughter, her kind husband and her devious dog and cat. When she isn’t working, acting, running a fundraiser or serving on a board she is hiking, swimming, gardening and enjoying movie nights with her family.
Board Treasurer
Ms. Sima Hsu is the founder of SIMA Consultancy, a boutique consulting firm currently based in Nevada City, where she advises clients ranging from non-profit organizations and small businesses to large publicly traded companies on “all things accounting”. She is an accounting and finance professional with over 20 years of experience in a variety of roles within the office of the Chief Financial Officer. As a citizen of the world, she was originally born in the People’s Republic of China, grew up in the Netherlands but then worked in various countries in Europe, Asia and the US, and currently resides in Nevada City with her partner Andrew, her daughter Miki and dog Che.
Ms. Hsu started her career in public accounting with PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC) in the Netherlands and transitioned to doing mergers and acquisitions (M&A) and other complex financial transactions with PWC in San Francisco. Before she started her own consulting firm in 2013, she worked at VISA Inc. as the director of Accounting Policy and M&A.
Ms. Hsu became the Treasurer for the Center of the Arts in April 2024. Whenever she has spare time, she can be found hiking and biking in the Sierra Foothills, skiing in Tahoe, or just home behind a pottery wheel or behind a canvas.
Mark A. Pearson is an attorney at ARC Law Group, where he advises creative, talented, and entrepreneurial clients on legal issues in the entertainment industry. Mark considers himself lucky to work with Oscar nominated filmmakers, Grammy award recipients, Emmy winning talent, and lot of clients he acknowledges are, “far more talented than I am.” In another life, Mark spent a decade as television producer, which he says provides a unique perspective on the needs of his creative clients. As he explains, “I thrive on being a small part of helping creatives achieve their goals. My work is very, very rewarding.” When not working with his clients, Mark advocates for the Recording Academy and serves on the Board of Governors for the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (Emmy® Award) where he recently received the Governor’s Citation for his service to the Academy.
John Baggett and his family have lived and supported arts education in Nevada County for decades. He currently serves as Superintendent of the Nevada City School District, was Superintendent and Principal at Colfax Elementary School District for six years and Principal and Director of Education in the Grass Valley School District for seven years. He was Director of visual and performing arts serving 21 elementary schools and 10,000 students in Sacramento for ten years after teaching elementary school for five years.
John’s history of building strong relationships among the Board of Trustees, co-workers and families allowed him to implement and improve school arts programs, culture, and community in his appointments. His work ranges from overseeing large district programs, including securing funding and bringing arts to urban and rural schools. He was awarded Administrator of the Year, Middle School Principal, Nevada County ACSA in 2012, received the Administrative Leadership Award by the California School Library Association in 2006 and the Hope Award from the Sacramento Hunger Commission for bringing gardens to poverty schools.
After attending Nevada City schools from Kindergarten through 8th grade, John graduated from Nevada Union High School, and received his Bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Irvine. He earned a teaching credential, Masters Degree in Education and Administrative credential from National University, Sacramento. John performed and traveled Europe and Asia with Nevada Union and UCI Choirs. He and his wife Katy enjoyed raising their two daughters, exploring the beautiful hiking and running trails, as well as the rich arts community in Nevada County.
Secretary
On the Center’s Board since January 2022, local businessman and songwriter Mark Vieaux has a long history of connection to the Center, dating to 2000 when Jon Blinder first tried to recruit him as a volunteer. Through the years, Mark has served on the programming committee and as a volunteer usher, etc. Mark is active in the Grass Valley & Nevada City communities, and has a heart for keeping the arts alive & well for children of all ages.
Raul Audelo is a nonprofit executive, digital media producer, and visionary strategist with more than 20 years of experience leading teams of marketing and communications professionals. Most recently he served as Senior Director of Marketing and Communications for the National Recreation and Park Association. Previously, as Chief Digital Officer at the Association for Latino Professionals for America, he developed and led the organization’s strategy to amplify the ALPFA brand nationally among corporate leaders, universities, existing and prospective members, and the Latinx market. And as the Senior Manager for Web at Earthjustice, he led digital innovation and transformation projects including a full-scope website redesign and the establishment of a social intranet supporting internal communications and culture change.
Beyond the technical and strategic aspects of digital transformation, Raul has a passion for authentic initiatives to enable communication and support diversity in the workplace. At Earthjustice, he was a founding member of the organization’s diversity, equity, and inclusion leadership group where he collaborated with senior executives to develop a DEI vision and plan of action. In that role, Raul provided insight and direction to catalyze the hiring of a Vice President of Diversity and Inclusion, and helped form the organization’s first employee resource group for people of color.
Driven by a passion for community and a belief in the power of altruism, Raul embraces his responsibility to give back by transforming neighborhoods through inspirational works of art and mentoring at-risk youth. A creative at heart, Raul is a practicing painter and muralist, creating both large and small projects that have been shared around the world from Mexico to San Francisco to Tokyo. As a consultant, he developed an innovative web property promoting the Santa Barbara Museum of Art’s purchase of the last remaining mural in the U.S. by the renowned social realist painter David Alfaro Siqueiros.
Raul lives with his wife and two sons in the western Sierra Nevada of California. He enjoys hiking, meditation, yoga, and exploring the area’s majestic rivers and lakes.
A 13-year resident of Grass Valley, I was born and raised in the heartland of traditional American values in the Midwest. I graduated from the University of Illinois with a double major in Psychology and Spanish. I’ve worked in healthcare and social services as well as in schools, directly with students, serving many types of adults and children throughout my career. As a local performer and nonprofit board member, I also value arts in education and in the community. An impassioned volunteer leader, valued employee, and committed parent at Grass Valley Charter School, I dedicated 13 years to fundraising and social events, teaching enrichment Spanish classes, and creating an impactful and positive culture and community for students, staff, and parents.
Huck’s practice focuses on real estate, wills & trusts, estate planning, personal injury, copyright, trademark, trade secret, privacy and publicity rights, advertising, marketing, unfair competition, and entertainment law issues and disputes. He also has experience in financial services and appellate litigation.
Huck has represented real estate brokerages, buyers, sellers, landlords, tenants, apparel manufacturers, movie studios, production companies, record companies and prominent entertainers, and handled trademark and copyright enforcement proceedings for a wide variety of clients. His practice includes advising companies on how to protect and promote their intellectual property. Huck also aids clients in developing litigation prevention strategies and related counseling, including drafting internal policies and guidelines to help clients achieve business objectives while minimizing risk.
Prior to beginning his career as a lawyer, Huck was a judicial clerk and extern for Justice Lawrence D. Rubin at the Second District Court of Appeals in Los Angeles, California where he was exposed to a wide array of civil and criminal matters.
With twenty-five years of experience working in Enterprise Applications. He’s a technologist who knows business and is able to engage with both technologists and laymen. He’s worked with PeopleSoft as a startup, Vecta PLC in the UK, and is currently Senior Software Advisor, Chief Evangelist, and a member of the Board of Directors with Lotus Technology. He holds a degree in computer science from California Polytechnic State University and studied management at Harvard Business School.
Rick served as Vice President of the Board of Directors for eight years and continues to serve on the Board Advisory Committee.
Lisa Swarthout was elected to her first term on the Grass Valley City Council in November of 2004. She was re-elected in November of 2008, November 2012 and November 2016. Lisa served two years as Mayor in her second term, and was appointed to her second term as Mayor in December of 2018. Previous to her elected position she spent nine years on the Grass Valley Planning Commission. Some of Lisa’s duties on the City Council have included: General plan steering committee, Economic Resource Council City representative, Member of LAFCO (10 years) Liaison to the City Park and Rec Commission, liaison with the Grass Valley Downtown Association and a member of the City’s budget committee.
Lisa is also the Past Chairman of the Grass Valley Downtown Association, and past Chairman of the Nevada County Economic Resource Council. She has served on the boards of many non-profit organizations in our community including: the Grass Valley/Nevada County Chamber of Commerce, The Friendship Club, Silver Springs Foundation and Soroptimist International of Grass Valley.
Lisa received her BA in Communications from CSU Chico, with a minor in Political Science. She recently retired after running a successful retail store in Downtown Grass Valley for 30 years. Lisa resides in Grass Valley with her husband Chris Therrien and their beloved cats and dog.
Ms. Swarthout is currently serving as the Board’s Vice President.
Tyson Tucker serves as a Managing Director in Coldwell Banker Grass Roots Realty’s Commercial Division (CBGRR). Mr. Tucker is consistently one of the top-producing commercial agents in the region. Mr. Tucker has 13 years of experience in all facets of commercial real estate on both the principal and brokerage sides of the business. He has been integrally involved in excess of $1B of commercial real estate transactions since 2006.
Most recently, Mr. Tucker served as the Director of Acquisitions at Berkeley Partners (www.berkeleypartners.com), a premier real estate fund manager for institutional investors which owns and operates over 5M SF of multi-tenant industrial real estate located across the country and has over $500M in assets under management. While at Berkeley, Tyson was directly responsible for managing a transactions team of 15 people, including analysts/associates, lease administration, transactions management, and in-house counsel. During his 18-month tenure, Tucker was directly responsible for over $150M in real estate acquisitions across the country. Tucker also led the firm’s disposition efforts where he directly marketed and sold properties in 8 different states totaling $130M.
Tyson started his tenure as Board President in 2022.