Our Team

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.

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. 

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.

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.

Gaylene Tompkins-Hoefer is a dedicated advocate for the arts and an engaged
community leader with deep roots in both creative expression and public service. A
lifelong lover of the arts, Gaylene’s passion began in childhood, when she danced with
the Sacramento Ballet Company and developed an early appreciation for performance,
storytelling, and artistic collaboration. She later expanded her creative pursuits into
writing and is an accomplished poet, author, and editor, with a body of published work
spanning poetry, prose, and community-focused publications.
 
Gaylene brings more than two decades of executive-level administrative experience
with the State of California, where she specialized in organizational strategy, public
affairs, and project management. Throughout her career and beyond, she has
consistently supported nonprofit and arts organizations through volunteer leadership,
fundraising, and event work. Her involvement with The Center for the Arts—as a fund
development committee member, ambassador, and advisory contributor—reflects both
her commitment to the organization’s mission and her belief in the transformative power
of the arts in community life.
 
Her dedication to community service extends across a range of local organizations,
including the Sierra Gold Parks Foundation, the Nevada County Narrow Gauge Railroad
Museum, and the Nevada County Arts Council. Whether supporting historic
preservation, cultural programming, or literary events, Gaylene is driven by a belief in
fostering access to enriching cultural experiences for all.
 
Family and legacy are also central to Gaylene’s story. She was inspired at a young age
by her mother’s active volunteerism in the arts, and today she continues that tradition
alongside her husband, Craig. Together, they honor and carry forward a family legacy of
philanthropic support through the Hoefer Family Foundation, strengthening the cultural
fabric of their community.

For the last 20 years beginning in 2001, Peter Blachley has helped steer the success of
The Morrison Hotel Gallery which he co-founded into the world’s leading brand for fine
art music photography. In the beginning, Peter was responsible for launching the SoHo
New York based gallery and 4 other galleries in the New York area creating a new genre
in how music is appreciated and sold in addition to curating and representing many of the
best-selling photographers. In addition, he was responsible for expanding the brand into
The Sunset Marquis Hotel in West Hollywood, CA and working with Mick Fleetwood
transforming Fleetwood’s General Store into the Maui, Hawaii based gallery.
Blachley also developed and branded the successful photography tours and appearances
for Henry Diltz, Pattie Boyd, Mick Rock, Joel Bernstein and Graham Nash Under the
title of “Behind the Lens.” The shows are represented by Regency Artists and continue to
tour throughout North America.
Peter Blachley’s initial journey has been one of many roads taken. He has been a
carpenter and served in Vietnam in 1967-68. But his passion was always music. He
began his professional career in the Capitol Records/EMI Hollywood Corporate location.
Beginning in the mailroom and within one-year Blachley moved up to the creative
services music and marketing area before crossfading to EMI’s Picture Music
International as head of their ground-breaking music video and television division. Peter
would executive produce the Grammy Nominated concert film Spontaneous Inventions
for Bobby McFerrin .As Executive Producer he oversaw videos for George Thorogood, The
Stray Cats, John Lennon Live In New York City, Duran Duran and many other television and
home video productions.
Peter left Capitol Records in1989 to produce a music documentary for Warner Music
Group and PBS featuring photographer Henry Diltz and art director Gary Burden titled
Under the Covers about the singer/songwriter era of the ‘60s and ‘70s featuring the
Eagles, Jackson Browne, The Doors, CSNY and more.
In 2000, Peter reinvented himself as the founder of the fine art music photography
gallery, The Morrison Hotel Gallery with partners Richard Horowitz and iconic
photographer Henry Diltz. Today, it’s the number one brand in fine art music
photography with galleries in New York, Los Angeles and Maui. Peter sold the galleries
to Concord Music Group in 2024.
Currently Peter is enjoying hosting his own radio show on Northern California’s FM
radio station KVMR with a show focusing on stories and music through interviews with
a varied list of well-known guest musicians and producers.
Peter lives in Grass Valley, California with his wife, Susan Brandt and dog Rossi.