RAWdance is seeking to expand its Board of Directors in the coming year. If this is something that you might be interested in, please don’t hesitate to reach out and let us know! Read about our current board members and download the role description below. Contact us at raw@rawdance.org with any questions or to start the conversation!
MELISSA HUDSON BELL
Melissa is a dancer, choreographer and researcher based in Oakland, CA. She has a PhD in Critical Dance Studies and an MFA in Experimental Dance from UC Riverside, and she currently teaches at the University of San Francisco. She is also a dance writer for the San Francisco Chronicle. Her research and choreographic interests circulate around 21st century strategies for audience engagement, especially those that incorporate food as a means of enlivening the senses, invoking memory, or crafting community.
CYNTHIA A. JONES
Cynthia has a deep love of dance and an unshakable belief in the power of art to affect the lives of people. She has a B.A. in Psychology and an M.A. in Gerontology and is retired from serving the community for 35 years as an investigator focused on legal issues pertaining to the elderly, concluding her career in a management position. She worked in concert with multiple legal, medical and social service segments of San Francisco, and was enriched by the great diversity of cultures that grace the Bay Area. Cynthia has lived in San Francisco for the past 35 years.
IRIS FLUELLEN Fundraising Co-Chair
Iris is a Bay Area native and San Francisco resident whose claim to fame is having lived in the 415 area code her entire life. She has been involved in the non-profit arena for many years holding positions at the SF Convention & Visitors Bureau, Asian Art Museum, the Nature Conservancy, Public Policy Institute of California, UC Berkeley (her alma mater), San Francisco Parks Alliance and is currently the Capital Campaign Director for the SF-Marin Food Bank. Along with her commitment to philanthropy, she is a strong believer in the arts being a catalyst for the creative spirit that lies within all of us. Iris was a long-time board member of SOMArts Cultural Center. In her spare time, writes about her observations on politics and relationships between the sexes.
PAM KRAMER President
Pam recently became a San Francisco resident after 23 years in the Bay Area suburbs. Her current work is focused on new media, podcasting, and audio innovation. She works with young companies and innovations that are poised to become part of everyday culture because she enjoys the process of figuring out how to help make something new, and useful, catch on. She has a bachelor’s degree in English literature and a master’s degree in Japanese cultural anthropology. Pam also serves on the board of the Bay Area Ridge Trail Council and supports local arts and progressive educational organizations.
KRISTEN JACOBSON
Kristen Jacobson is dedicated to the accessibility of arts education for diverse populations. In 2019, she became the Executive Director at Youth in Arts in Marin County, CA. Recently, she was the Managing Director of Education at Alonzo King LINES Ballet where she led initiatives to expand LINES’ programs that promote individuality, creativity and communication through dance. She also served on the Board of Directors of the Arts Educators Alliance of the Bay Area and recently on SFUSD’s Arts Ed. Master Plan Advisory Committee and was co-chair of the Community Education and Programs Group for Dance/USA. At Hubbard Street Dance Chicago she developed the Youth Dance Program from its inception as their Youth Programs Manager. She holds a BA Point Park University and a MA Columbia College Chicago.
NOEL BARRION
Based in San Francisco, Noel has a passion for effective teams and organizations. He practices this as a Human Resources professional focused on the healthcare industry and with experiences in global settings, having lived and worked in San Francisco, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. He is an avid student dancer, having been part of a Filipino Folk Dance company in his youth and is currently a student of the hip hop dance community here in San Francisco, and also during his stints abroad. Noel has a Masters in Human Resources and Organization Development and an undergraduate degree in Chemical Engineering.
ELIZABETH SHEETS ORCUTT Secretary / Fundraising Co-Chair
Storytelling and the arts have always held a special place in Elizabeth’s heart. She graduated cum laude from San Francisco State University with a Bachelor of Arts in Dance Performance and Choreography and a minor in Holistic Health. After performing as an artist and rehearsal director with Push Dance Company for three years, Elizabeth entered the non-profit sector as Operations Manager at the Lafayette Library and Learning Center Foundation, where her organization and customer-focused approach supported programs and operations. She now works for the Diablo Regional Arts Association, the non-profit partner of the Lesher Center for the Arts in Walnut Creek as Communications Director and Head of Marketing. Elizabeth is grateful to combine her personal passions and professional experiences to bring the arts to her community in the SF East Bay.
SEAN WAUGH Treasurer
Sean is currently Director of Artistic Strategy & Innovation at Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra & Chorale where he oversees artistic programming and strategy for the organization. Prior to his time at PBO he was Artistic Planning Manager at San Francisco Opera where he oversaw operations and assisted with casting and season planning. While at SFO, he helped launch several initiatives including its experimental programming arm, SF Opera Lab and has led a number of organizational partnerships including collaborations with Stanford’s d.school, Smule, and The City of San Francisco’s Mayor’s Office of Civic Innovation. Sean has previously worked with the Metropolitan Opera, OPERA America, the Castleton Festival, Glimmerglass Opera, Gotham Chamber Opera and the Handel & Haydn Society. He is an advocate of disruptive business practices and the application of human-centered design in the arts. He is a graduate of the Schulich School of Music at McGill University.
Advisory Board
GISELLE CHOW, RANDAL FIPPINGER, ANNE FRENCH,
MARGARET JENKINS, JENNIFER NORRIS
Photo by Hillary Goidell