Our Staff and Leadership


The Colburn School faculty and staff are accomplished and well-received professionals in their areas of expertise. They are committed to providing our students the best instruction and guidance as the young performers prepare for advanced education and careers as professional musicians and dancers. Our staff and faculty also are key supporters of the Los Angeles cultural arts community.

Board of Directors

Officers

Andrew Millstein, Chairman
Carol Colburn Grigor, Life Chairman Emeritus

Vice Chairmen

David D. Colburn
Diane Naegele

Directors

Daniel L. Avchen
Henry Choi
Bethany Coffee
Richard W. Colburn
Linda Curtis
Jennifer F. Diener
Jerry Eberhardt
Darren Edwards
Juan Carlos Gonzalez
Terry Greene
Greg Guyett
Carol F. Henry
Catherine Colburn Høgel
William Kennedy
Molly Kirk
Aliza Lesser
Robert E. Lewis
Allan Marks
Beverly C. Marksbury
Worthy McCartney
Greg McWilliams
Ann Moore
Mahnaz Newman
Heinrich Schelbert, M.D., Ph.D
Harry B. Suh
Keith Terasaki
Dylan Yolles

Honorary Life Directors

Robert S. Attiyeh
Toby E. Mayman

In Memoriam

Alice Coulombe
David N. Barry
Iona Benson
Edmund D. Edelman
Robert B. Egelston
Warner Henry
Ann Ronus

Global Council

John B. Emerson and Kimberly Marteau Emerson
Dr. Jerrold D. Green
In Young Huh
Merle Mullin

Executive Leadership

Sel Kardan
President and Chief Executive Officer

Jennifer Kallend
Vice President, Communications

Maeesha Merchant
Executive Vice President, Chief Financial and Operating Officer

Annie Wickert
Senior Vice President of Philanthropy and Director, Capital Campaign

Mira Wolff
Vice President of Human Resources and General Counsel

Nathaniel Zeisler, DMA
Provost

Academic Leadership

Margaret Batjer 
Director, Music Academy

Lee Cioppa
Dean, Conservatory of Music

Susan Cook
Dean, Community School of Performing Arts

Janie Taylor
Artistic Director, Trudl Zipper Dance Institute (2024-25 season)

Staff

Artistic Administration and Career Development

Nick Gianopoulos, Artistic Administration Manager

Audio Visual

Francesco Perlangeli, Director of Audio and Video Production and Recorded Media
Sergey Parfenov, AV Technician
Derek Williams, AV Technician

Center for Innovation and Community Impact

Laia Pujol-Rovira, Assistant Director, Center for Innovation and Community Impact
Tracy Wong, Department Coordinator

Colburn Café

Steven Doner, Certified Professional – Food Safety, Foodservice Management Professional, Manager, Cafe Finance Operations

Communications

Kali Blevins, Senior Marketing Manager
Justo Diaz, Web Manager
Anne Ericksen, Senior Editor
Anneke Hiatt, Senior Graphic Designer
Abby Mahler, Communications Coordinator
Kay Marsh, Director of Marketing and Audience Development
Haley Nunez, Enrollment Marketing Manager
Bonnie Poon, Graphic Designer

Community School of Performing Arts

Kenia Agaton, Student Services Coordinator
Dan Gonda, Operations Specialist
Timothy Lewis, Program Manager
Ron Mitchell, Ensembles and Student Services Specialist
Arnulfo Reyes, Marketing and Program Specialist
Josiah Vietti, Orchestra and Student Services Coordinator

Conservatory of Music

Jessica Cameron, Assistant Dean, Administration and Operations
Allison Andreas, Director of Admissions and Recruitment
Caitlyn Chenault, Performance Librarian
Chris Cho, Manager of Performance Activities
Lin Phoong, Registrar

Facilities

Tom Ochoa, Director of Engineering/Chief Building Engineer
Joseph Arechiga, Engineer
Miguel U. De Leon, Engineer
Gloria Hernandez, Janitorial Manager
Tom P. McDonald, Operating Maintenance Engineer
Miguel Angel Meza, Operating Maintenance Engineer
John Ryan, Assistant Chief Engineer

Finance

Ramon Alvarez, Director, Budget and Reporting
Bethel Datingaling, Director of Accounting
Evelyn Garcia, Accounts Receivable Specialist
Aliana Lungo-Shapiro, Director of Finance, Colburn Center
Sherry Rotia, Accounts Payable/Accounts Receivable Manager
Karla Talavera, Senior Accountant
Teresa Wong, Senior Accountant

Human Resources

Daniel Monge, HRIS Manager
Sarah Rodriguez, Payroll Manager
Michelle Salinas, Sr. Human Resources Generalist

Information Technology

Oyvind Dossland, Director of IT
Efrain Cornejo, IT Associate

Library

Deborah Smith, Director of Library, Student Academic Engagement, and Learning Resources
Christopher Garcia, Senior Assistant for Technical Services
Eva Della Lana, Senior Assistant for Public Services
Brendan Morris, Archivist, Herbert and Trudl Zipper Archives

Music Academy

Allison Andreas, Director of Admissions and Recruitment
Olivia Richardson, Music Academy Coordinator

Office of the President

Parisa Zaeri, Executive Associate, Office of the President

Operations

Victor Pineda, Assistant Vice President of Operations and Facilities
Randy Osherow, Facilities and Special Projects

Philanthropy

Nina Zhou Girard, Assistant Vice President, Academic Philanthropy
Amy Bryan, Assistant Vice President, Patron Programs
Ali Bell, Philanthropy Officer
Luis Castro, Jr., Philanthropy Data Systems Manager
Tristen Gacoscos, Event Coordinator
Tara Grand, Director, Office of Events and Special Programs
Kelly Gray, Philanthropy Officer
Jenna Gundersen, Philanthropy Executive Associate
Talar LaSalle, Philanthropy Associate, Design
Lindsay Nuckel, Philanthropy Communications Coordinator
Nadine Rousseau, Philanthropy Officer
Alyssa Solis, Philanthropy Stewardship Associate
Jessica Truelyt-Knox, Director, Campaign and Philanthropy Operations

Piano Technology

Neema Pazargad, Director, Piano Technology
Sammi Lee, Piano Technician Coordinator
Ryan Maas, Piano Technician
Chris McKelway, Assistant Concert Piano Technician

Provost’s Office

Donna Yoo, Vice Provost for Academic and Student Affairs

Production

Sogol Aliabadi, Rentals Associate
Esteban Chim, Production Assistant
Rachel Drudi, Facilities Scheduler and Rentals Manager
Luis Hernandez, Production Assistant
Ruben Lopez, Production Assistant
David Mencos, Production Manager
Randy Osherow, Facilities and Special Projects
Elmer Pacheco, Stage Production Assistant Manager
Peter Phol, Production Assistant
Pedro Ruiz, Office Service Coordinator
Alexx Zachary, Production Coordinator

Residence Life

Erica S. Smith, Manager, Residence Life and Summer Housing
Sarai Benitez, Residential Advisor and Wellness Coordinator
Cynthia Kamurigi, Residential Academy Coordinator
Sage Ousley, Residential Advisor and Student Clubs Coordinator
Olivia Phaneuf, Residential Advisor and Events Coordinator
Marcus Williams, Residential Advisor and International & First-Year Students Coordinator
Brevin Woodford, Residential Advisor and Grad Coordinator

Security

Sandra Gendron, Director of Security

Trudl Zipper Dance Institute

Janie Taylor, 2024-25 Artistic Director
Gavin Kelley, Interim Administrative Director
Brian Alexander, Studio Manager
Jessica Martin, Dance Office Assistant