The Board of Governors (BoG) is an advisory group of Otis College of Art and Design. Working closely with the Board of Trustees and the President’s Office, the BoG serves as ambassadors to raise awareness of the College to the general public and specifically to prospective students and faculty, help establish new pathways for employment for graduates and grow fundraising efforts.
Todd Goldstein, Co-Chair; Chief Revenue Officer, AEG
Todd D. Goldstein is the Chief Revenue Officer for AEG. He is responsible for global business development, marketing and sales functions, and oversees all its revenue generating operations including Global Partnerships division, its premium seating activities and Entertainment Districts including L.A. LIVE.
Goldstein holds an MBA from the University of Colorado at Denver and Bachelor of Arts in Communications from the University of Colorado at Boulder.
Goldstein is involved with and serves on local and national boards including The GRAMMY Museum, The Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board, and Board of Directors of the Southern California Special Olympics. He joined the Otis College Board of Governors as Co-Chair in 2021.
Patricia Röckenwagner, Co-Chair; Branding Consultant/Co-Owner, Röckenwagner Bakery Group
Patricia Röckenwagner runs strategic marketing, branding and business development for major corporations and talent and co-owns The Röckenwagner Bakery Group, one of the fastest-growing bakery brands in the nation.
Röckenwagner is a graduate of U.C. Berkeley, a trained sommelier, avid tennis player and speaks English, Spanish, German and Korean. She is a board member of CA State Governor’s Task Force on Entrepreneurship, a working group created to propel California’s next generation of innovative entrepreneurs, and small and medium businesses, an advisor to Korean American Leaders in Hollywood, an advisor to Another Tomorrow, a compassionate and sustainable luxury fashion company and a supporter of No Kid Hungry, a nonprofit whose mission is to eradicate childhood hunger. She joined the Otis College Board of Governors as Co-Chair in 2021.
MEMBERS:
Steve Abram
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Scott Brown, CEO/Partner, New Energy Capital
Scott Brown is the founder of New Energy Capital Partners, an investor in clean energy infrastructure projects and developers. In 1988, Scott helped start the company which is now First Solar, the largest solar manufacturing company in the United States. From 1989-1992, he ran Glasstech Solar, Inc., a solar research and development company that held several records for thin film solar cell efficiency. From 1999-2005, Mr. Brown was a member of the National Advisory Council of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. NECP was acquired by Victory Capital Management in 2021.
In addition to his work in the renewable energy sector, Scott was a founding member of the Harvard Negotiation Project and President of Conflict Management Group, a non-profit international negotiation consulting company. HNP and CMG worked with leaders from Iran, South Africa, Sudan, El Salvador, Peru, Colombia, Ecuador, and the former Soviet Union, among others, to facilitate peaceful management of conflict. CMG was acquired by Mercy Corps in 2001.
Scott is the current Co-Chair of the Board of Mercy Corps, an international relief and development NGO that operates in more than 40 countries, and is on the boards of several privately held clean energy companies and local New Hampshire non-profits. Scott is a graduate of Dartmouth College and Harvard Law School.
Rio Caraeff; Chief Commercial Officer, Syng
Rio Caraeff is currently Chief Commercial Officer for Syng, Inc Syng is an audio company building hardware software and services that give listeners and creators the power to engage with sound in new and transformative ways. Caraeff is responsible for all aspects of Operations and Commercial Growth including Sales, Marketing, Customer Success, Supply Chain, Business Development & Partnerships, Finance and People Operations.
Prior, Caraeff served as Magic Leap’s Chief Content Officer, responsible for the engineering, development, operations and business management of Magic Leap’s entire spatial computing content & developer ecosystem.
Formerly Caraeff served as the Founder, President and CEO of Vevo, the world’s leading all-premium music video and entertainment platform formed as a joint-venture between the recorded music industry and YouTube.
His career spans more than 25 years in technology, strategy and new business building across all areas of entertainment, having worked in senior executive leadership roles for companies such as Universal Music Group, Sony Pictures Entertainment, and Sony Music Entertainment.
Rio was featured in Billboard’s The Power 100 (2013, 2012) and 40 Under 40 (2013, 2012), Vanity Fair's The Next Establishment (2012, 2010), The Hollywood Reporter's Digital Power 50 (2012), Fortune’s 40 under 40 (2011, 2010, 2009), Fast Company’s 100 Most Creative People in Business (2011) and Evening Standard's London's Most Influential (2011). Rio lives in Austin, TX and sits on the board of directors for the live music festival and music television venture, Austin City Limits.
Ellen Castleman; Exotic Leisure Travel Specialist, Altour
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Yulia Dultsina, Executive Director, Ilya and Emilia Kabakov Foundation
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Steven Ehrlich; Partner, Ehrlich Yanai Rhee Chaney Architects
Steven Ehrlich is Founding Partner of Ehrlich Yanai Rhee Chaney Architects, recipient of the 2015 American Institute of Architects (AIA) Firm Award. The jury recognized the firm for “fluidly melding classic California Modernist style with multicultural and vernacular design elements by including marginalized design languages and traditions.” Ehrlich, a self-proclaimed “architectural anthropologist,” learned early on the significance of architecture’s response to the culture and to the environment. Upon graduating from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Ehrlich spent six years in the 1970s living and working in Africa, serving for two years with the Peace Corps as their first architect in Marrakech, Morocco; he later traveled across the Sahara and taught architecture at Ahmadu Bello University in Nigeria. The wisdom of indigenous building—architecture without architects—was instrumental in forming Ehrlich’s approach to design and continues to influence the firm’s work today. Steven Ehrlich is a recipient of the AIA California’s prestigious Maybeck Award for outstanding lifelong achievement in architectural design as well as the 2015 AIALA Gold Medal Award.
Mandy Einstein
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James Evans
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Robert C. Feldman
Bob Feldman is a retired partner of Weil, Gotshal and Manges law firm. He has been a lecturer in law at UCLA Law School since 2009. He also serves on the Board of Directors of UCLA Health Sciences and UCLA Geriatrics Board of Advisers. He previously served on the Board of Otis.
Ted Fikre; Vice Chairman & Chief Legal and Development Officer, AEG
Ted Fikre is Vice Chairman and Chief Legal and Development Officer of Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG), where he is responsible for overseeing business development, government and media relations, administration and legal affairs for the Company. In addition, Fikre oversees AEG’s large real estate and venue development projects globally, including several current strategic initiatives throughout Asia. As a member of the company’s Board of Directors as well as its Office of the Chairman, Fikre is closely involved in directing the management of the company and playing a leading role in major strategic and financial transactions for the company. Starting with AEG’s acquisition of the Los Angeles Kings and the construction of STAPLES Center over 20 years ago, and continuing through the company’s foray into a myriad of other areas including music, soccer, facility management, and real estate development, Fikre has been at the center of AEG’s rapid expansion into an international company that is a leading presenter of sports, music and other live entertainment, as well as a developer, owner and operator of first class facilities around the globe.
Prior to joining AEG as general counsel in 1997, Fikre was an associate in the Los Angeles office of Latham & Watkins, where he handled a variety of transactional matters, with a focus on project finance and mergers and acquisitions. Before embarking on a legal career, he was an assistant economist with the Federal Reserve Bank of New York where he conducted international financial market research.
Fikre graduated magna cum laude from Princeton in 1989 with a degree in economics and received his law degree, with distinction, from Stanford Law School in 1994. He lives in Cheviot Hills with his wife, Angela, and their four children, Asher, Serafina, Quinn and Nina.
Kim Garner, Executive, AXS TV
Kim Garner is a senior music and entertainment executive with a wide breadth of creative and strategic marketing experience across many aspects of the business including management, label, technology, live music and cable television currently including AXS.TV.
Since 2017 Kim has pursued her interest in the field of social emotional intelligence and psychology. She is a 4-year graduate of University of Santa Monica’s acclaimed Spiritual Psychology Certificate Program in Soul Centered Living and graduated from Yales’ The Science of Well Being certificate program.
Kim coaches and leads workshops on emotional intelligence, authenticity, creativity and authentic success. Kim is a success coach at the GALS (Girls Athletic Leadership Skills) an all-girls Grade 6-8 charter school in Los Angeles. Several times a year Kim participates in FreedomToChoose.org weekend workshops at men and women prisons in Central California.
Barbara Horwitz
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Lan-Chi Lam; Director of Revenue Generation, LA Metro
Lan-Chi is a communications professional with over 20-years experience spanning media, internet technology, consumer software, transportation, and government. In the private sector, she has held full-time positions at Apple, MSNBC, and EMC (now Dell) creating world class customer-focused products and services. She designed the iTunes Music Store garnering Product of the Year recognition from Time and Fortune Magazine.
Lan-Chi has been a civil servant for 12+ years with Los Angeles Metro, providing private sector know-how, strategies, and execution of digital migrations, revenue generation, and customer experience improvements. She has a BFA from Otis College of Art and Design.
Ms. Miky Lee; Vice Chairwoman, CJ Group
Miky Lee is vice chairwoman of South Korea’s CJ Group and is responsible for the overall strategic direction and management of the group’s entertainment and media subsidiary, CJ ENM. Born in Knoxville, Tennessee as a grandchild of Lee Byung-Chul (the founder of CJ and the Samsung Group), she earned her B.A degree at Seoul National University and received her M.A in Asian Studies from Harvard. In 1994, Miky founded the entertainment and media division of CJ and invested in DreamWorks SKG as one of the early investors. Since then, Miky has continued to strengthen CJ’s presence by leading the global phenomenon of the Korean wave. She was on the Forbes Asia list of Asia’s 50 Power Businesswomen in 2012 and 2014. In 2017, Miky was named one of the founding Leadership Champions of the World Bank affiliated Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative (We-Fi) and The Hollywood Reporter’s “International Producer of the Year 2020” for her work as the executive producer on the 2019 Best Picture Oscar winner, Parasite.
Ronald L. Leibow
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Arthur Lewis; Creative Director, United Talent Agency - Fine Arts
Arthur Lewis is a Partner and Creative Director of Fine Arts and the UTA Artist Space at leading global talent, entertainment, and sports company, UTA. A patron of the arts and a significant collector of both emerging artists and Contemporary African American Art, Lewis – who is a member of the board of Governors Otis College Art and Design, on the board of Prospect New Orleans, a member of the National Advisory Committee for The New Orleans African American Museum and is a Global Council member at The Studio Museum of Harlem – is a well-known and distinguished figure in the art world.
Lewis joined UTA in 2019 and during his tenure the Artist Space has exhibited diverse showcases including collaborative exhibitions such as: partnering with Carpenter’s Workshop Gallery, Mariane Ibrahim Gallery, Rachel Uffner Gallery for a solo show with Arcmanoro Niles, a solo show for Blitz Bazawule, a group exhibition with Galerie Myrtis, and most recently, a digital exhibition with Misan Harriman.
Lewis previously served as Executive Vice President of the New York Design Office for Kohl’s, where he oversaw product design and development. Lewis has also held executive leadership roles at HSN, Hautelook, and Gap Inc., where he focused on brand management, merchandising and product development.
He is a tireless advocate for artists and the arts community at large.
Edward Lightner
Edward Lightner was born in the San Joaquin Valley of California in 1960. Although this is the farming area that Dorothea Lange chronicled during the depression, he was drawn to the arts from an early age, instead of choosing the dominate careers of the area such as agriculture and oil. It is here that Edward became enthralled with colors and lines, shapes and form. He was fascinated with the idea of someone representing their views and ideas through art, and how that vision could be viewed by others. Naturally, against the best counseling of his mother, Edward chose to pursue a life in the world of contemporary art.
After completing his bachelor’s degree at California State University Bakersfield, Edward furthered his artistic development with a stay at University of South Florida before returning and finishing his master’s degree at California State University Northridge. He has felt for many years now that artistic work can focus both on the aesthesis of beauty, through pattern and decoration, and at the same time be socially and politically relevant. To further this idea, Edward has been using a technique over the last several years that is derived from how kaleidoscopes form simple patterns and applies this method photographs of underground atomic testing sites.
Along with being an artist, Edward co-owned a gallery in Los Angeles for ten years, and now lives and works in Pasadena California, and his work can be seen at http://www.edlightner.com/
James Lin; Product Manager, Pex
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Enrique Martínez Celaya; Artist and Professor
Enrique Martínez Celaya is an artist, author, and former scientist whose work has been exhibited and collected by major institutions worldwide. His monumental and multi-faceted body of work connects art to literature, philosophy, and science, and suggests the map of a territory shaped by self, meaning, time, memory, ideations of home, exile, myth, and identity. His practice presumes art should be not only a cultural pursuit but also an ethical effort that turns thinking into action and aims to understand better and be engaged with the world and ourselves. He currently holds the position of Provost Professor of Humanities and Arts at the University of Southern California.
Martínez Celaya was born in Cuba and raised in Spain and Puerto Rico. He initiated his formal training as an apprentice to a painter at the age of 12 and developed what was to become an enduring interest in writing and philosophy in the turbulent Puerto Rican cultural and political environment of the 1970s. He received a Bachelor of Science in Applied Physics and a minor in Electrical Engineering from Cornell University, and a Master of Science with a specialization in Quantum Electronics from the University of California, Berkeley. He conducted part of his graduate physics research at Brookhaven National Laboratory, and while there, he painted the Long Island landscape. He holds several patents in laser devices and completed all his doctorate coursework and a significant part of his dissertation before deciding to devote more time to art. He attended the Skowhegan School of Painting & Sculpture and earned an MFA with the department's highest distinction from the University of California, Santa Barbara, where he was also a Regents Fellow and Junior Fellow of Interdisciplinary Humanities Center.
Chris Miller, Principal, Miller & Associates
Chris Miller is a marketing and communications executive with an expansive career as Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) of several creatively-driven public and private companies, including Discovery Communications (cable networks), Bloomingdale’s, Westwood One, Newsday (previously a division of Times Mirror) and the Magazine Publishers of America (MPA).
Chris began her business career in advertising agencies as a Vice-President of Doyle Dane Bernbach, and Managing Director of the New York Office of Hill Holliday, a Boston-based advertising agency. Prior to her business career, Chris worked in Washington, D.C. on the staff of the White House Urban Affairs Council, as well as a US Congressman from Los Angeles, and the United States Information Agency (USIA). She also served as Director of Development for A Better Chance (ABC), a non-profit educational organization. Currently, Chris has her own marketing and communications business with clients in the hospitality industry, higher education and non-profit foundations.
Chris is a member of the Business Leadership Council (BLC) of Wellesley College and has served on the Board of Advisors of Catalyst, a New York City non-profit organization dedicated to improving opportunities for women in business. She was also on the Board of Directors of Manhattan Theatre Club (MTC), a New York non-profit theatre company where she was Chair of the Marketing Committee. Earlier in her career, Chris was appointed by two Massachusetts Governors to the Governor's Commission on the Status of Women, an advisory body on public policy and legislative issues affecting women.
Chris has an MBA from Harvard Business School, a Master’s in Public Administration from UCLA and a BA from Wellesley College.
Nicole Nicholas; Senior Consultant, Cognizant Technology Consulting
Nicole Nicholas is an experienced entertainment executive who has worked with major media companies to impact their creative and strategic businesses. Currently, she is a Senior Consultant with Cognizant Consulting, where she leads strategy, project development, and implementation planning efforts to address some of film & television studios' most pressing business challenges.
Previously, she worked closely with the senior management team at Endeavor Content, to use data to establish creative and corporate best practices in the first year of the company. As a lead Creative Executive at Fox Broadcasting, Nicole was responsible for managing the annual development and production cycles for several television series and live specials, including MasterChef, So You Think You Can Dance, and the Teen Choice Awards. She also worked with the FNG Global Strategy team to source strategic opportunities and monetize content packages across the entire Fox Networks Group entertainment portfolio, which included delivering for the NFL on FOX and the award winning Breaking2 documentary for National Geographic.
Nicole’s media experience also includes roles in CAA, on the Programming team at NBC network and as the Managing Producer for Debbie Allen’s Dance Academy. A proud Los Angeles native, Nicole earned her MBA from USC and Management Science & Engineering degree from Stanford University.
F. Ronald Rader; Principal, Lee & Associates Los Angeles West, Inc.
Ronald has vast experience representing owners, developers, investors, and users of Commercial Real Estate, acting as an exclusive agent representing both buyers and sellers, as well as landlords and tenants.
Ron is skilled in assisting owners redevelop and reposition their industrial and office properties, especially in upgrading them to modern, more leasable projects. He is skilled in consulting with owners on total renovations of a single parcel or an entire business park.
In 1989, Ron helped an owner convert his vacant 125,000 square foot 1949 manufacturing building in West Los Angeles to one of the first creative spaces on the Westside. He has gone on to help dozens of other owners convert their properties to amazing modern business parks.
Steve Ruchefsky; Private Investor
Pelle Sjoenell; Chief Creative Officer, Activision Blizzard
Pelle joined Activision Blizzard as Chief Creative Officer in September of 2019. Prior to joining the company, he was at BBH Worldwide where he also served as the Chief Creative Officer (CCO), overseeing the firm’s creative efforts on behalf of brands, such as Google, Nike, Samsung, Audi, E! and T-Mobile. Before becoming BBH’s CCO, Pelle founded the BBH Los Angeles operations and strategic initiatives, including the launch of The Creative Studio - BBH’s joint venture with entertainment talent manager Scooter Braun.
Prior to BBH, Pelle spent part of his career as the CEO of an advertising agency, King, as well as having a stint at Fallon in Minneapolis. He studied Art Direction & Communication at the Berghs School of Communication in Sweden. Throughout his career, Pelle has been behind an array of award-winning marketing initiatives, including a campaign on behalf of Google that was named Time Magazine’s Best Ad of the Year in 2011. BBH was awarded more than 30 Cannes Lions under his leadership, in addition to two Grand Prix Lions.
Pelle serves on the advisory council for The Women in Public Service Project, a global initiative at the Wilson Centre in Washington DC, which mobilizes young women on issues of critical importance in public service. He also works with the Creative Alliance to address gender equality and justice around the world.
Jean Smith
Photo and bio coming soon
Claudia Teran
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Ben Vandebunt; Entrepreneur, Inspire Energy
Ben VandeBunt is an entrepreneur and co-owner of Cypress Creek Renewables, Paramount Equity, LoanPal, FHR, Nestidd and Rosewood Homes. Previously, Ben worked at Guthy-Renker, serving as CEO and President for over 15 years. Since leaving Guthy-Renker, Ben has made many venture capital and social entrepreneurial investments in start-ups and serves and served on many various boards of directors, including Houlihan Lokey, Solar City, St. Johns Hospital and the Watts Learning Center. Ben has been married for 28 years, has two daughters and is a graduate of UCLA and Harvard Law School.
Christina Vo, Program Management Consultant
Christina Vo has a career that spans 20+ years in Information Technology in construction, telecommunications, software and semiconductor industries. She received both her BS degree in Mathematics (minor in Computer Science) and an MA degree in Mathematics (focus in Financial Engineering) from the University of Alabama. Christina started her career as a computer programmer, transitioned to Business Analysis, and eventually honed her skillset in Program Management. In her most recent position at Apple, Inc., she built a program to support sustained discipline, process and standards. In addition, Christina led and identified business process improvement opportunities within the organization, driving accountability across teams and senior management. She transformed a release-challenged software development life cycle (SDLC) into structured successful releases; this was possible by leading global resources and delivering projects in scope, on time and within budget. This program was voted at Apple to receive the highest User Satisfaction result in the company’s tools satisfaction survey in 2017. Upon taking ownership, Christina drove the end-user satisfaction to greater than 97% success rate.
Beyond Christina’s scope of ownership, she assisted and made recommendations in hiring, training, mentoring, and on-boarding of new Project Managers and engineers. Christina appreciates the value of fine arts in shaping young people.
Gail Werner
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