Staff & Board | Hillbarn Theatre

Hillbarn Staff

Dan Demers

EXECUTIVE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

Dan Demers a San Mateo native and holds a Bachelors degree in Theatre Arts and Direction. He has been working locally for more than 15 years in theatre production and management, educational theatre. He has made theatre a part of his life for over 25 years both as a director and actor. He currently serves on the board of directors for the Foster City Chamber of Commerce and is a proud advocate for non-profit support and education. He holds a diverse background in business management, graphic design, marketing, communications, creative direction, public speaking, writing and storytelling, Dan continues to bring a wealth of technical and creative ideas to Hillbarn Theatre & Conservatory. He is proud to create great art with the amazing staff at Hillbarn and continues to use his skills in creating a beacon of the theatrical arts in the Bay Area.

Pam Lampkin

DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATE

Pam Lampkin holds a degree in English and Theatre with an emphasis in Costume Design from Concordia University in Montreal, Quebec. She spent twenty years working for regional theatre companies across Canada, landing in Calgary as the head of the Costume Department of a multi-user production company. Her work there included managing the prototype construction of the skating costumes for the closing ceremonies of the 1988 Winter Olympics. From 1990 until 1998 her costumes appeared on the main stages of the Bay Area including A.C.T., Theatreworks, San Jose Rep., Shakespeare Santa Cruz and Opera San Jose. Since then she has worked as non-profit management professional generating revenue and increasing support bases for arts and education organizations including the Burlingame Community for Education Foundation, Ives Quartet, Music at Kohl Mansion and Hillbarn Theatre.

Randy O’Hara

CONSERVATORY DIRECTOR

Randy O’Hara is ecstatic to be joining the Hillbarn team as Conservatory Director! Originally from Massachusetts, Randy is now a local actor and educator on the peninsula. After spending many years performing all over the Northeast and New York City, he traded in his winter hat for sunglasses and couldn’t be happier on the west coast. He is overjoyed to have this opportunity to work with the incredible students and families involved in Hillbarn Conservatory. Along with the amazing team at Hillbarn, Randy is looking forward to creating beautiful art, and empowering children and adults through theatre.

Brigitte Losey

SOCIAL MEDIA ASSOC. & BOX OFFICE LEAD

Brigitte Losey is proud to be a member of the Hillbarn Team as our Box Office Lead. She has participated in theatre all around the bay area and holds a Bachelors Degree in theatre arts from California Polytechnic State University at San Luis Obispo. She is looking forward enhancing our patron’s overall theatrical experience. When she is not working in the Hillbarn box office she can be seen on the stage performing.Brigitte’s upbeat, bubbly personality and wonderful sense of humor, makes her a perfect addition to our team!

Alan Hafter

BOX OFFICE ASSOCIATE

Alan Hafter has been at Hillbarn since 2001 when he started working in the box office. A year later, he became the box office Manager. He has performed in many shows throughout the Bay Area since 1985. He had a private dental practice in San Bruno for 30 years and is happy to be at Hillbarn Theatre where he always does his best to satisfy our patrons’ requests.

Eve Cheney

BOX OFFICE VOLUNTEER

Eve Cheney is a native Californian and has lived in Foster City for over 40 years. Eve’s love for the theater led her to volunteer as an usher at Hillbarn Theatre. She joined the Hillbarn family as a Box Office Associate several years ago and loves being part of the Hillbarn Family.

Kevin Low

FACILITIES & HOUSE MANAGER

Kevin Low is delighted to be the new Facilities Manager for Hillbarn Theatre, where he combines his thirty years of business and customer care skills with over twenty years of dance and theatre experience. His expertise as House Manager for Broadway By The Bay and Hillbarn Theatre, as well as his administrative positions at both Dance Arts Center and the automotive industry, have prepared Kevin for this new role. Kevin has always supported the arts; volunteering for local schools including SMHS, Bowdich, and Borel, and a variety of local theatre groups. As a SF Bay Area native, Kevin is honored to be a part of this historical local theatre.

Tasi Alabastro

Stream Runner

Tasi Alabastro is an actor, online content creator, and multi-disciplinary digital artist whose work focuses on creating impact through visual storytelling. He was recently featured in the SF Chronicle Datebook highlighting his efforts with local arts organizations as it pertains to virtual programming. His online content on Twitch and Youtube focuses on storytelling and interactive programming to engage his audience and deepen community relationships. In addition to having the honor of being published in CONTENT Magazine, and Tayo Magazine, he is also the recipient of the 2019 Leigh Weimers Emerging Artist Award and the 2018 SVCreates Emerging Artist Laureate. He is a proud member of the Red Ladder Theatre Company and is currently working with inmates in state prisons as part of the Arts-in-Corrections program; The program hopes to re-engage participants with their creativity and imagination. To find ways to support the journey, reach out by visiting tasialabastro.com

Samantha Ricci

Online content manager

Samantha Ricci holds a degree in English and Theatre with additional training in clowning, devising, improv, and Commedia. She began her career with a year-and-a-half touring the US, Canada, and southeast Asia with the Missoula Children’s Theatre, followed by over two years teaching and performing with the California Theatre Center in Sunnyvale. She was last on the Hillbarn stage as Leo in “Leading Ladies.”

Sam is proud to help with Hillbarn’s media arm through co-writing trivia games, building the play-at-home versions, editing videos, and more. When not with Hillbarn, Sam is the host for the Dragon Theatre’s creepy storytelling Twitch show, “Sleepless with the Dragon” every third Saturday of the month. She is also proud to continue her work with the Red Ladder Theatre Company, now creating distance-learning theatre workshops for incarcerated men and women in California State prisons. For more, visit samanthakricci.com

Board of directors

Lisa WolfKlain

President

Lisa WolfKlain moved to Foster City in 1987 with her husband and their four children. Professionally she has been an international consultant with AchieveGlobal working with executive teams to improve performance and interpersonal skills. She was Vice president of Human Resources and Wellness for American Western Life insurance Company running an alternative medicine health plan as well as being a member of senior management facilitating meetings and strategic planning. Lisa served as board chair of Community Overcoming Relationship Abuse and was on the boards of Family Support in the Workplace, The Northern Peninsula Chapter of the ACLU and The Institute of Naturopathic Medicine. In 1993 she was inducted into San Mateo County Women’s Hall of Fame. She received a BA in Social Welfare from UC Berkeley. She currently spends her time with her family and is an avid fiber artist. She also runs TheBen Fund, a non-profit she and her husband set up as a legacy to their son, Ben, who passed away in 2011.

Jan Pickering

SECRETARY

Janice Pickering is a native San Franciscan and 49 year resident of San Mateo County. Ms. Pickering is co-founder, past board president and governor emeritus of Odyssey School, an independent middle school for gifted and talented students. Founded in 1997, Odyssey School is located in San Mateo. Since leaving a corporate management position with Pepsico Inc. to raise her family, Ms. Pickering has devoted her time and effort to advocacy for progressive education in both public and independent school education. She has a strong background in board leadership and fundraising. Married for 42 years to husband and local periodontist, Steve, they are the parents of three adult daughters and three grandchildren. A certified clinical research coordinator, she is currently employed by Peninsula Periodontal Associates as a professional relations manager. Ms. Pickering holds a BA degree in English from UC Davis.

David Grisham

TREASURER

David Grisham has lived in the Bay Area for 38 years; the last 25 years with his wife Michele in San Carlos. Dave is a partner in the San Mateo office of Hemming Morse, LLP, a forensic accounting and consulting firm. In that role, he performs analyses primarily relating to commercial litigation and leads financial investigations. Dave began his career as an auditor with Hemming Morse before working in the Financial Advisory Services group at Coopers & Lybrand (now PwC). He was then the Planning and Reporting Manager at GRIC Communications assisting in their IPO. Dave returned to Hemming Morse’s forensic accounting practice in 2003. He is a past President of the San Francisco Chapter of the California Society of Certified Public Accountants. In addition, he is a member of the CalCPA State Council and serves on the both the CalCPA Education Foundation and CalCPA Board of Directors Nominations and Leadership Development Committees. He has also served on the Menlo College Accounting Advisory Board where he helped develop the accounting curriculum.

Liz Buljan

DIRECTOR

For over 35 years the Buljan Real Estate group has been a true lead in the Real Estate mark! Liz handles the much of the administrative duties of the office and works to keep everything in good working order. The Buljan group believes that selling Real Estate is an art form that demands extraordinary commitment to the clients they serve and a belief in exceeding their client’s expectations with knowledge and desire to be the best at what they do! Whether you are looking to buy a home or sell your home, the Buljan Group is all comforts of Luxury Real Estate with the personal touch and attention that you can only get from a family run business.

Craig Courtin

Director

Craig Courtin has been a Foster City resident for 22 years. He worked for the Foster City Police Department for 28 years, serving the last eight as the city’s Police Chief before retiring in 2012. During his tenure as Chief, he served for four years on the board of the San Mateo County Police Chiefs and Sheriff Association, serving as President of that organization in 2008. He also was in charge of the San Mateo County Gang Task Force and served on the board of the San Mateo County Narcotics Task Force.

Craig has been an active member of the Rotary Club of Foster City since 2000. He served on the Rotary Board for eight years, including as club president in 2013/14. He is currently the club’s student scholarship coordinator. In the past he also served on the Board of the San Mateo/Foster City Education Foundation, raising funds for all twenty schools in the district.

Craig has been married to his wife for more than 30 years and has two sons, both of whom were deeply involved in the Bowditch Middle School and San Mateo High School drama programs. Between them, they appeared in twenty-eight school productions over the years as well as in Hillbarn and Broadway by the Bay shows. It’s through their involvement in their sons’ productions, as drama boosters and set builders, that Craig and his wife developed their deep interest in local theater. It’s with pleasure that Craig serves as a Hillbarn Board member and he is honored to have the opportunity to contribute to the institution that Hillbarn Theater represents for the community of Foster City and the entire Bay Area.

Doris Duncan

DIRECTOR

Doris Duncan has been a Foster City resident since the 1970s and after serving on the faculty for nearly 40 years is now a Professor Emerita of Computer Information Systems at California State University, East Bay in Hayward. In addition to computer information systems classes, she occasionally taught accounting, marketing, and business law and was the Director of the MBA program and director of masters programs in computer information systems and telecommunications. Doris also served as a faculty member and head of the information systems program at Golden Gate University, San Francisco, and was a Visiting Professor of Information Systems in the Foster School of Business at the University of Washington, Seattle.

Prior to her academic career, Doris was a marketing manager for AT&T and member of the senior consulting staff for two high tech management consulting companies, QuantumScience Corp. and Input, Inc. Doris has authored a book, Computers and Remote Computing Services, and has published over 85 refereed journal articles and conference proceedings. She was selected “Computer Educator of the Year” in 1997 by the International Association of Computer Information Systems and served as a Fulbright Scholar/Specialist (Uganda) in 2009 and again in 2012 (Tunisia). In 2016 Doris was named a Fellow of EDSIG, the Special Interest Group in Education for the Association of Information Technology Professionals (AITP). Doris is the former President of AITP San Francisco Chapter and member of the international board of directors.

In Foster City, Doris currently serves as a member of the Citizen Advisory Committee for Information Technology (ITAC) and as an active member of the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) and has won several home and landscape decorating awards over the years. Doris is a member of the Advisory Boards for the Graduate School of Business and Undergraduate Programs at Golden Gate University, volunteers for the Computer History Museum, Broadway by the Bay, San Francisco Ballet, and several professional societies and journals. She has been a fan of the Hillbarn Theatre since moving to Foster City and enthusiastically attends performing arts around the world. Doris earned her BA and MBA degrees from the University of Washington and PhD in Business Information Systems from Golden Gate University. She holds four computer technology certifications.

Saili Gosula

Vice President

Saili Gosula lives in Redwood Shores and owns and operates two businesses in San Mateo: Synergy HomeCare and Active In-Home Therapy. Both of her businesses focus on serving the needs of seniors. Saili grew up in Brazil and has been in the Bay Area since 1996. Saili has a Bachelor’s in Math and Computer Science and a Master’s Degree in Computer Science. In her last corporate job, she was the Director of Inventory Systems for Gap, Inc. Always an avid volunteer in the schools and local non-profits, focusing on people and the community became more important to her, and she made a career switch. She is passionate about her career in senior care, where she gets to help others, be involved in the community, and create jobs. She is very active in both the senior industry and in the local small business community. Saili currently serves as the Membership Chair of the Board of Directors of the San Mateo Chamber of Commerce and as one of the leaders of the Senior Round Table of San Mateo County. Saili first became involved with Hillbarn Theatre when her children participated in the Hillbarn Conservatory. Saili fell in love with Hillbarn then and has even been seen on stage at Hillbarn. Saili was also the President of the Board of Piped Piper Players, as well as their webmaster for 7 years, and on stage many times with PPP. Saili is still the parent volunteer for the Aragon High School electronic newsletter, and a very involved mother to her two children (who are not so little anymore). Saili calls herself a “theater geek” and can be found enjoying many productions up and down the Peninsula.

Anthone Jackson

DIRECTOR

Anthone Jackson, is a Bay Area native that was born and raised in the South Bay, currently living in the East Bay with his loving wife and daughters. Anthone works with Seneca Family of Agencies as an Assistant Director in their counseling enriched classrooms on public-school campuses. He has a background in Marriage and Family Therapy, previously working as a classroom therapist for 7 years in one of Seneca’s non-public schools. Anthone graduated from Morehouse College(Atlanta) in 2007 with a B.A. in Psychology and John F. Kennedy(Campbell/Pleasant Hill) in 2011 with a M.A. in Counseling Psychology. Anthone has previously served as a Mentor Lead with the East Bay College Fund, where he interviewed and supported other mentors throughout their process. Anthone is currently a part of the Bay Area Morehouse Alumni Association as well as the NAACP.

Anthone has previously performed and will continue to perform on stages throughout the Bay Area as a theatre artist, as well as a singer and background vocalist. Hillbarn holds a special place in Anthone’s heart, as the home of one of his most memorable productions(The Color Purple), he looks forward to serving as a board member and bringing his passion for Mental Health and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.

Linda Koelling

DIRECTOR

Linda Koelling is a 39 year resident of Foster City. She served on the Foster City Council from 2003-2011 and served as Mayor in 2006 and again in 2011. She was born and raised in San Francisco, has been married for 40 years, and has three children and four grandchildren. Linda received Bachelor of Science Degree in Parks and Recreation Management from California State University, Hayward in 1971. She was a Recreation Supervisor for the City of Burlingame and a member of the California Parks and Recreation Society. Linda completed a leadership studies program and graduated in 2003 from the San Mateo-Foster City Chamber of Commerce Leadership. An advocate for high-quality education, she was the founder of the original Kids Connection private preschool and elementary school in Foster City. Her involvement in the community spans over a variety of interests including her devotion to the various sports organizations as well as PTA. Linda was President of Pony/Colt Baseball for 2 years and created and coordinated a girl’s softball league. She was a member and chair of the Foster City Parks and Recreation Committee for several years and instrumental in developing a number of parks in the City. While on the City Council she represented Foster City on key San Mateo County Boards and Committees and also served as President of the Peninsula Division of the League of California Cities. She was the League’s Division Campaign Chair to pass State Proposition 22 and recently co-authored a City initiative to increase the TOT tax that overwhelmingly passed by the voters. Linda is a board member of the San Mateo/Foster City Leadership Studies, Foster City’s Hillbarn Theatre and the Foster City Chamber of commerce. She is also a member of the board of the San Mateo County chapter of California Women Lead. She now wants to play a more active role in management consulting and provide leadership that will serve in the best interest of her community.

Paul Regan

Past President – DIRECTOR

Paul Regan has lived in Hillsborough with his wife Barbara for 33 years. He served on its School Board for 10 years and two terms as its President. He also served on its City Council for 12 years, including a term as Mayor. Paul was on Hillsborough’s recreation commission for almost 20 years. He currently serves on the Board of the Jesuit School of Theology at Berkley – Santa Clara University, as well as the Board and Executive Committee of Catholic Charities of San Francisco, Marin and San Mateo counties. He is a past chair of the California Society of CPAs and is the Chair of Hemming Morse, LLP CPAs, Forensic and Financial Consultants. He has undergraduate and graduate degrees in accounting and is certified in financial forensics and is a certified fraud examiner.

Robert Sloss

DIRECTOR

A native Chicagoan, Bob came west 45 years ago and has never looked back. He graduated from Stanford University, with degrees in modern American history and mechanical engineering, and the University of California, Hasting College of the Law.

Bob is a partner in the Palo Alto office of the law firm Procopio, Cory, Hargreaves & Savitch LLP, where he specializes in complex commercial and intellectual property litigation, focusing on patents and trade secrets. He has spent his entire professional career in the Bay Area, working for law firms and in-house at Oracle Corporation.

Bob and his wife have lived in the same house in San Mateo for 37 years. Their daughter and son-in-law are San Francisco residents.

Gary Stanford Jr.

DIRECTOR

Gary Stanford Jr. is a Bay Area (Peninsula) Native and a 40-year veteran of performing arts. He has performed In thousands of productions with the San Mateo Recreation
Department, P.S Performance company, and Bay Area Musical Theaters. He has also choreographed and directed musical production numbers for the California State Talent Competition. He has recently become a Bay Area educator of Anti-Racism and Pro-Social Justice and Emotional Intelligence. His passion in the Arts community is to help open the floodgates for creativity and enablement of Ethnic and Cultural stories in theater arts.

Sara Steppe

DIRECTOR

Sara Reynolds Steppe was born and raised in Shaker Heights, Ohio, where she graduated cum laude from high school (Laurel School) in 1978. Ms. Steppe received her B.A. from Northwestern University with honors in 1982, and her J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center in 1985. She spent her junior year in college studying in Paris, France, at L’Institut d’Etudes Politiques, where she received an honorary degree in Political Science.

Ms. Steppe has practiced real estate law for nearly 30 years. Ms. Steppe’s experience extends to the full range of commercial real estate transactions, including acquisitions and dispositions, leasing, joint ventures, construction and development, financing, real estate investment trusts, 1031 exchanges, condemnation and land use, and the workout of distressed properties, as well as general corporate and partnership law. She has served as an expert witness in real estate related lawsuits.

Ms. Steppe served for five years as General Counsel, Senior Vice President, and Secretary of Spieker Properties, a publicly traded real estate investment trust that was merged into Equity Office Properties in 2001. She ran Spieker’s quarterly Board of Trustees meetings, and was responsible for securities compliance and reporting, as well as oversight of the Company’s outside legal counsel. Additionally, she worked directly with the human relations department, and also served on the management committee at Spieker Properties.

Prior to joining Spieker Properties in 1996, Ms. Steppe was a real estate partner at Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP in Los Angeles, California, having previously been a real estate partner at Morrison & Foerster LLP in both the Los Angeles and San Francisco offices. She was a member of the real estate group at both firms.

Following the merger of Spieker Properties into Equity Office Properties in 2001, Ms. Steppe and the other members of the legal department at Spieker Properties formed SSL Law Firm LLP, a woman-owned law firm based in San Francisco, California, that now has over 26 lawyers, making it the largest woman-owned firm in the United States according to The Recorder. SSL Law Firm specializes in commercial leasing and other real estate transactions. Although she has retired from the firm, Ms. Steppestill consults on client development matters.

Ms. Steppe served on the Executive Committee of the California State Bar Real Property Law Section for several years, and also formerly served on the Executive Committee of the Los Angeles County Bar Association Real Property Law Section. She has been a frequent speaker and author on a variety of real estate law topics. Ms.Steppe is currently serving on the Board of Visitors of Georgetown University Law Center. She is also active with the Northwestern University alumni and parents’ association. Volunteer activities at her children’s school (Sacred Heart Schools, Atherton) have included: serving as President of the Parents Association Board, fundraising co-chair for the school’s annual Fashion Show, chairing the Annual Fund (helping to achieve 100% parent participation both years she was chair–which at the time was unprecedented for the school), helping with the school’s Capital Campaign, forming a Fine Arts Boosters Club, and chairing a fine arts committee on behalf of the Director of Schools. She also has served on the Board of Directors of the Basic Fund, an organization that provides scholarships to private schools for inner-city children, and she chaired the Basic Fund’s Program Committee. She has tutored high school and middle school students in East Palo Alto, and does pro bono work for charter schools.

Her favorite activities include fly fishing with her husband, Steve Steppe, in Sun Valley, Idaho, and playing the piano, singing and golfing with her three daughters, ages 25, 23 and 18.

Mark Watson

DIRECTOR

Mark Watson is an accomplished litigator and is successful in both trial and appellate courts. Mr. Watson practices in the California courts, the United States Northern District Court and the Ninth District Court of Appeals.

A proud member of the Foster City Rotary Club. Mark spends a lot of his “off” time working with service organizations and making the community and world a better place. Additionally, he is the owner and publicist of the Foster City Islander, Foster City’s own weekly news periodical.

An avid supporter of the arts, Mark brings his legal, non-profit background, drive and passion to Hillbarn Theatre.

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