CITY OF OAKLAND
CITY HALL • 1 FRANK H. OGAWA PLAZA, 3rd FLOOR • OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA 94612
Office of the Mayor (510) 238-3141 Honorable Libby Schaaf Fax (510) 238-4731
Mayor
October 25, 2022
The Honorable City Council
One Frank H. Ogawa Plaza, Second Floor
Oakland, CA 94612
Dear President Bas and members of the City Council:
Pursuant to City Charter Section 601, the Mayor has appointed the following person as a member of the following board or commission, subject to City Council confirmation:
Cultural Affairs Commission
Jim Santi Owen, to serve a three-year term on the Cultural Affairs Commission beginning October 1, 2022 and ending September 30, 2025 filling the seat previously held by Michael Orange.
Charles McNeal, to serve a three-year term on the Cultural Affairs Commission beginning October 1, 2022 and ending September 30, 2025 filling the seat previously held by Arnell Pleasants.
Iliana Lipsett, to serve a three-year term on the Cultural Affairs Commission beginning October 1, 2022 and ending September 30, 2025 filling the seat previously held by Roy Chan.
Vanessa Whang, to serve a three-year term on the Cultural Affairs Commission beginning October 1, 2022 and ending September 30, 2025 filling the seat previously held by herself.
Letter of Appointment
Jennifer Easton, to serve a three-year term on the Cultural Affairs Commission beginning October 1, 2022 and ending September 30, 2025 filling the seat previously held by herself.
Thank you for your assistance in this matter.
Sincerely,
Libby Schaaf
Mayor
Submit Date: Jul 22, 2022
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My name is Jim Santi Owen. I am a professional musician, producer, educator, and grant maker with a specialty in North and South Indian percussion, cross-cultural artistic collaborations, and childhood music education. I have five generations of family history in Oakland dating back to the 1880s. I have lived in the Bay Area since 1991 with the bulk of my time as an Oakland resident (West Oakland, Grand Lake/Rose Garden, and the Oakland/Emeryville border). I have served for two terms (6 years) as the Chair of the Funding Advisory Committee (FAC) of Oakland's Cultural Affairs Division. Prior to that, I served for three years as a panelist for the Zellerbach Family Foundation's Community Arts Program and have served on panels for the San Francisco Arts Commission and Oakland Unified School District's Visual and Performing Arts Grant Program. In September, I will be stepping down from my position at FAC. During my 6-year tenure there I have become intimately acquainted with the trials facing individual artists and arts organizations in Oakland as they compete with one another to be awarded what little money there is available in Oakland's chronically underfunded Cultural Affairs Division. In addition, I know the struggles of the staff and management of that understaffed and overworked department who have sought mu council as Chair of FAC. This experience, my 30+ year career as a performing and teaching artist, and my track record as both a grant awardee and a grant maker in the public and private sectors equip me with a unique set of knowledge and experience that I would like to bring to Oakland's Cultural Affairs Commission if I am honored to be chosen as one of its commissioners. I thank you for your consideration and welcome any questions or concerns.
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Jim Santi Owen
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Jim Santi Owen Music, Inc. Principal
Jim Santi Owen
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_Bio_and_Resume_-_2022.pdf
Jim Santi Owen
1 Jim Santi Owen
Avenue
Oakland, CA 94610
415.
www.jimsantiowen.com
@gmail.com
Jim Santi Owen is an American percussionist, educator, producer, performer, grant writer and funder based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Drumming since the age of eight, Owen began an intensive training in the North Indian percussion instrument tabla in 1991, studying under Pandit Swapan Chaudhuri at the Ali Akbar College of Music, the California Institute of the Arts, and in India. In 1995, Owen began studying South Indian percussion instruments including mridangam, ghatam, kanjira and morsing with master percussionist T.H. Subash Chandran , and the temple drum, thavil, with K. Sekar. At Cal Arts, Owen studied Jazz with Charlie Haden, James Newton, and Tootie Heath and African drumming and dance from the Ladzekpo Brothers. He studied North Indian music and tabla accompaniment from Ustad Ali Akbar Khan and the art of accompaniment for the North Indian dance known as Kathak from Pandit Chitresh Das. Owen holds a Bachelor’s of Humanities from New College of California and a Master’s degree in World Musi c from California Institute of the Arts. He served as the Music Director for the San Francisco World Music Festival from 2009 to 2014 and is on faculty at Dominican University, The California Jazz Conservatory, LINES Ballet School, the California Institute of the Arts, and the Ali Akbar College of Music. Owen served a 3 -year term as a panelist on the Zellerbach Family Fund’s Community Arts Panel and sits on arts panels for the San Francisco Arts Commission. He is currently serving his second three-year term as Chair of the Funding Advisory Committee for the Cultural Affairs Division of the City of Oakland and is C o-Chair of Developm ent for the Swapan Chaudhuri Foundation.
Jim Santi Owen has performed extensively with world -class musicians from a myriad of cultural and musical backgrounds. These include his gurus, Pandit Swapan Chaudhuri, Subash Chandran, and K. Sekar with whom he performed both in India and the U.S. Other internationally renowned artists with whom Owen has performed include: Jazz legend Pharoah Sanders, Nubian musician Hamza el Din, Double violin virtuoso Shenkar (L. Shankar) guitar innovator Stanley Jordan, Kathak dance master Pandit Chitresh Das , sitar maestro Kartik Seshadri , renowned Persian vocalist Sharam Nazeri, drum set virtuoso Steve Smith, minimalist composer Terry Riley, Jazz saxophonist Joseph Jarman (Art Ensemble of Chicago), Israeli oud player Yair Dalal, young sarode maestro Alam Khan, tabla virtuoso Bikram Ghosh, kanjira exponent Ganesh Kumar, Indo- Jazz fusion artist George Brooks, didgeridoo master Stephen Kent, devotional singer Jai Uttal, avant-garde pianist Myra Melford, Italian percussionist Alessandra Belloni, Tibetan artist Techung, Gamelan Sekar Jaya , Burmese pot-waing player Kyaw Kyaw Naing , Rova Saxophone Quartet , Cuban pianist Omar Sosa and bansuri flute exponent Steve Gorn. Owen has also appeared on numerous recordings in America and has recorded in India with ghatam maestro T.H. Vikku Vinayakram and kanjira wizard Selva Ganesh.
Owen’s work as a composer/producer is featured on Facebook’s Sound Collection which has released over 150 of his original and traditional world music tracks highlighting the classical music of North and South India, folk musics of Rajasthan and Bengal, traditional music of Ghana, and classical traditions of Iran and the Middle East.
2 As Music Director for the San Francisco World Music Festival, Owen directed a Youth World Music Orchestra and collaborated with master musicians from China, South Korea, Tibet, India, Spain, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Uganda, Burkina Faso, Mali, Azerbaijan, and Burma, and indigenous musicians from the Thao culture of Taiwan and the Costanoan Rumsen Ohlone Tribe of the San Francisco Bay Area. In 1999, Owen received a fellowship from the American Institute of Indian Studies (A.I.I.S.), which enabled him to spend two and a half years living in India conducting research on classical and folk percussion ensembles. During this time, Owen was based alternately in Kolkata and Chennai but traveled extensively throughout India to document drumming traditions in Kerala, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, and West Bengal. In addition to the A.I.I.S. fellowship, Owen has been awarded five grants from the Zellerbach Family Fund, a fellowship from The National Gugak Center of South Korea, an Isadora Duncan Award, a Black Box Award from the SF Weekly, and numerous grants to support his work as Music Director of the San Francisco World Music Festival (please see below). The San Francisco dance community has embraced Owen as an award- winning composer and performer. Owen has worked with numerous dancers and choreographers, including the San Francisco Ballet, Pandit Chitresh Das, Alonzo King, Kim Epifano, Joanna Haigood and Zaccho Dance Theater, Yannis Adoniou, Keith Hennessey, and K.J. Holmes. He has studied and taught Contact Improvisation and other body-based improvisational forms. From 1994 through 1998, Owen collaborated with dancer/musician Jules Beckman on an evolving form of dance, voice, and bucket drumming called Percussion Theater, which he continues to teach. Owen is currently on faculty with Dominican University, the San Francisco Dance Conservatory, LINES Ballet School, LINES Pre-Professional Program, and the ODC Children’s Program where he teaches music, drumming, and performance to hundreds of young dancers. He served as Music Director/Composer for the Indian/Jazz Dance theater show, Hindu Swing and recently premiered a dance/percussion piece for Kathak dance and body percussion with Farah Yasmeen Shaikh at the International Body Music Festival. As an educator, Owen has extensive experience working with students ranging in age from pre-school to the post-graduate level and beyond. Trained and certified in an approach to children’s music and dance education known as Orff-Schulwerk, Owen has taught music to children in numerous schools throughout California and around the world including Synergy, the San Francisco School, Park Day School, Marin Country Day School, and the Greenwood School. He has taught master classes for youth and adults in Hong Kong, Spain, and India. Owen was a featured clinician at the 2002 and 2007 AOSA (American Orff-Schulwerk Association) National Conferences and the 2000 NCOSA (Northern California Orff-Schulwerk Association) mini-conference. He has been a guest clinician, an art specialist for youth, a director of a K-8 music program and a lead teacher with Cal Art’s Community Arts Partnership. At the university level, Owen is on faculty at Dominican University and the California Jazz Conservatory. He has been a guest instructor with the Experimental Performance Institute of New College of California and has taught at Cornish University, California State University, Sacramento, and Cal Arts. Owen has twice been a featured performer and clinician at the Seattle World Rhythm Festival, California State University Sacramento’s Day of Percussion, and the Percussion Arts Society’s Day of Percussion. Owen co-directs the award-winning Indian percussion ensemble Tabla Rasa with whom he produced San Francisco’s first Festival of Sacred Drumming, Dance, and Song in 1998 and the beloved Sacred Drums of India concerts. 3 Selected Employment: 2021 California Institute of the Arts, World Music Faculty, Valencia CA 2018-Present Jim Santi Owen Music, Inc., President and CEO, Oakland, CA 2016-Present Funding Advisory Committee Chair, Cultural Affairs Department, City of Oakland, Oakland, CA 2015-2018 Park Day School, Middle School Music Director, Oakland, CA 2015-2016 The Altschool, Expert Network, Music Specialist, San Francisco, CA 2013-2015 Community Arts Panelist, Zellerbach Family Foundation, San Francisco, CA 2009-2014 Music Director, San Francisco World Music Festival, San Francisco, CA 2010-Present Faculty, The California Jazz Conservatory, Berkeley, CA 1986-Present Freelance Performing Musician, Teacher, Clinician, Director, and Producer 2006-Present Dominican University, LINES BFA Program, San Rafael, CA 2004-Present LINES Ballet Summer Program, San Francisco, CA 2005-2014 Lines Ballet, LBSET Program, San Francisco, CA 2005-2006 San Francisco Dance Conservatory, San Francisco, CA 2006 San Francisco School, Orff Music and Dance Specialist, San Francisco, CA 2005-2006 San Francisco Arts Education Project, San Francisco, CA 2005-2006 Oakland Youth Chorus, Orff Music and Dance Specialist, Oakland, CA 4 2003-2005 California Institute of the Arts, Teaching Assistant in South Indian Percussion and World Music Survey, Valencia, CA 2003-2005 California Institute of the Arts, Community Arts Partnership, Lead Teacher, Valencia, CA 2003-2005 P.S. Arts, Orff Music and Dance Specialist, Los Angeles, CA 2002-2003 Creative Arts Charter School, Director of K-8 Orff Music Program, San Francisco, CA 2001-Present Ali Akbar College of Music, Faculty, San Rafael, CA 1995-1998 Orff Music and Dance Specialist - Synergy, San Francisco School, Park Day School, Marin Country Day School, and the Greenwood School. Selected Education: 2016/2018 Orff-Afrique Certification - Music, Dance, and Orff-Schulwerk in Ghana, Accra, Ghana 2003-2005 California Institute of the Arts, MFA in World Music Performance, Valencia, CA 2002-2003 New College of California, BA in Humanities, San Francisco, CA 1991-Present Ali Akbar College of Music, Ongoing Study of North Indian Classical Music, San Rafael, CA 1994-2001 Study of Classical Indian percussion, India 1995-2001 Mills College, Orff-Schulwerk Certification, Oakland, CA 1991-1992 California Institute of the Arts, Undergraduate Jazz and World Music Studies, Performance, Valencia, CA 1987-1990 Fresno City College, Jazz and Humanities, Fresno, CA 1989 California State University, Fresno, Upper Division Poetry Studies, Fresno, CA 5 Selected Fellowships, Awards, and Grants: 2017 Isadora Duncan Special Award, Shiva, with The Chitresh Das Dance Company 2016 Alliance for California Traditional Artists Master/Apprentice Grant with Pandit Swapan Chaudhuri 2016 San Francisco Friends of Chamber Music Commission 2016 Center For New Music Curatorial 2-year Residency Fellowship 2013 National Gugak Study Fellowship, Seoul, South Korea 2012 National Gugak Study Fellowship, Seoul, South Korea 1998-2001 American Institute of Indian Studies (AIIS) Senior Performing Arts Fellowship, Study and Research of Percussion Ensemble in India 1998 Black Box Award, Best New Score for Dance 1996 Isadora Duncan Award, Best New Score for Dance 1998/2002/2003/2013/2014/2015 Zellerbach Family Fund 2009-2014 The following foundations funded Owen’s work as Music Director for the San Francisco World Music Festival: Arts Loan Fund, Bothin Foundation, California Arts Council, Grants for the Arts, Wattis Foundation, Sam Mazza Foundation, Westaf, Sun Culture Foundation, Zellerbach Family Foundation, Columbia Foundation, Wallace Alexander Gerbode Foundation, Fleishhacker Foundation, Christensen Fund, Bill Graham Memorial Fund, March Foundation, Morgan Family Foundation, Panta Rhea Foundation, Silicon Valley Community Foundation, Fresno Regional Foundation. Professional Affiliations: 2019-Present Recording Academy Member 6 Selected Productions: 2017-Present Producer of Original & Traditional World Music for Facebook’s Sound Collection 2009-2014 San Francisco World Music Festival 2000-2005 Sacred Drums of India 1998 Festival of Sacred Drumming, Dance, and Song 1998 World Music Sundays Selected Publications: 2002 “Sophisticated Simplicity: North and South Indian Rhythmic Concepts as Applied to the Orff-Schulwerk,” Orff Echo, fall 2002, Volume XXXV, Number 1. Selected Workshops: 2020-Present Introduction to Indian Vocal Percussion, Freight and Salvage Produced Online Course 2018 San Francisco International Orff Course World Music Course, San Francisco, CA 2017 California Institute of Integral Studies, Spirituality and Indian Classical Music, San Francisco, CA 2017 Northern California American Orff-Schulwerk Association Mini-Conference, Indian Rhythmic Concepts, Hidden Valley, CA 2015 Master classes for Youth and Teachers, Mumbai, India 2013-2014 Master classes for Youth and Teachers, Beijing, China 2013 Master Classes for Music Educators, Barcelona and Madrid, Spain 2012 Master classes for Youth and Teachers, Hong Kong 7 2010 Master Classes for Orff Teachers, Washington D.C. 2011 Master Classes for Orff Teachers, Idaho 2007 AOSA National Conference, San Jose, CA 2006 Bay Area Tap Festival, Indian Rhythmic Concepts 2006 Bay Area Orff Certification Course, Drumming Skills and Indian Rhythmic Concepts 2006 Doug Goodkin’s Jazz Course, Jazz Drumming 2006 Kripalu Sacred Pulse Festival, Indian Rhythmic Concepts 2004-2012 LINES Ballet School, Drumming for Dancers 2005 – 2006 San Francisco Dance Conservatory, Drumming for Dancers Spring 2006 San Francisco School, Time, Technique, and Theory June 2005 Percussive Arts Society, Indian Rhythmic Concepts 2003 - 2005 New College of California, Percussion Theater Workshops for the Experimental Performance Institute 2003 Cornish University, Master Classes for the Dance and Music Departments 2002 and 2004 California State University, Sacramento, Indian Rhythmic Concepts 2002 AOSA National Conference in Las Vegas, NV, Indian Rhythmic Concepts 2000 Northern California American Orff-Schulwerk Association Mini-Conference, Indian Rhythmic Concepts, Hidden Valley, CA Submit Date: May 13, 2022
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I have been an Oakland resident for over 20 years. My background is in education, arts, culture and diversity, equity, inclusion, and access. I would like to see the City function better in support of Oakland residents.
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Charles C Mc Neal
Mobile: (510) Mobile: (415)
Mc Neal Consulting Owner
McNeal-Resume-2022.pdf
Charles C Mc Neal
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Charles C Mc Neal
C HARLES C HIP M C N EA L , M . E D ., P H .D. C .
Oakland, CA 94609 www.askcharles.com
+1.510 Mc Neal - LinkedIn @gmail.com Twitter @Oaklandartsman
LEADERSHIP , COLLABORATION , CULTURE & EQUITY
Excellence | Strategy | Vision
Accomplished senior executive, e ducator, Transformative Learning Specialist and equity expert with substantial experience in organizational development, strategic planning and change management . Outstanding communicator and adjudicator, distinguished for dynamic leadership, and creative vision. Employs proven strategies that engage and inspire, facilitating the achievement of key business objectives. An exceptional executive coach with a track record of successful project management with focus on learning, diversity, equity and inclusion, with demonstrable results.
AREAS OF EXPERTISE
§ Non-Profit Leadership
§ Organizational Development
§ Curriculum Development
§ Executive Coaching
§ Critical Dialogue
§ Change-Agent
§ Arts Education & Integration
§ Cross-Cultural Competency
§ Transformative Learning
§ Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
§ Anti-Racist, Anti-bias Training
§ Civic & Community Engagement
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
SAN FRANCISCO OPERA 8/2019-Present Director of Diversity, Equity and Community
§ Chief equity officer for the Association – works collaboratively with executive leadership to set and advance strategic priorities and policies related to equity, diversity, inclusion, access, and company culture. § Researches and develops specialized training in anti-Black racism, anti-bias, and cultural competency using evidence- based best practices to drive results. Contributes subject matter expertise in executive communications on DEI topics. § Provides specialized guidance on Board development, training and membership diversification. § Research, Design and Produce equity-driven creative programming as required.
SAN FRANCISCO OPERA
8/2014-2019
Senior Program and Curriculum Specialist
§ Provide expert advice, coaching, and instruction in best practices in teaching and learning § Researches and develops specialized training content in all art forms, and change-management § Advise organization on best practices in equity and diversity
MC NEAL CONSULTING 9/1985– Present Arts, Education, Equity & Non-profit Consultant
§ Instructional coach and mentor for in-service and pre-service educators, teaching artists, and school leaders and executives § Provide instruction in arts integration methodologies aligned with State and National Core Arts Standards. § Advise on critical pedagogy, culturally responsive teaching strategies, multicultural education, curriculum development, education equity and social justice. Addresses all aspects of diversity, equity and inclusion practices. § Advise for-profit, non-profit, individuals, and government agencies on best practices in all aspects of DEI & B STANFORD UNIVERSITY 2010– present Guest Lecturer - Arts Integration & Social Justice
§ Provide specialized professional development for pre-service teachers in Stanford Teacher Education Program (STEP). § Instruct in arts integration methodologies, dance pedagogy, and social justice, and SEL practices.
ALAMEDA COUNTY OFFICE OF EDUCATION 4/2010– 2020 Policy Advisor, Professional Expert, & Senior Faculty
§ Professional Expert and Transformational Learning Coach for the Integrated Learning Department. § Researcher, policy advisor, instructional coach and mentor for artists, educators, principals and classroom teachers. § Senior Faculty for the Integrated Learning Specialist Program utilizing Teaching for Understanding pedagogy, Studio Habits theory and practice, Social Justice, Culturally Responsive Teaching, and Social-Emotional learning techniques.
HARVARD UNIVERSITY 7/2012-2017 Senior Guest Faculty – Future of Learning Institute (FoL) § Provide specialized instruction and facilitation as part of Future of Learning Institute (FoL), Harvard Project Zero, Harvard Graduate School of Education. Use design-thinking and human-centered pedagogy to address globalism, digital divide, and 21st century learning by transforming collective thinking around educational place-making and practice. § Develop and implement arts integration and cultural content as desired for adult learning.
SAN FRANCISCO BALLET ASSOCIATION 9/2002-7/2014 Director of Education § Envisioned, created, operationalized, and directed the San Francisco Ballet Center for Dance Education. § Expertly devise and manage sixteen cultural programs, and twenty-five employees for the San Francisco Ballet Center for Dance Education, including the award-winning Dance in Schools and Communities program. § Provide key organizational strategy in arts education, community relations, audience development and outreach initiatives, and serve as an organization spokesperson for public and media relations. Provide instruction in dance, music, and drama and serve as talent adjudicator for SF Ballet School. Consulting Clients include: UC Berkeley The California State Department of Education Harvard University The Edinburgh International Arts Festival (Scotland) Stanford University San Francisco Arts Commission San Francisco Conservatory of Music Manhattan School of Music Presenter – Director, Master Artist Educator & Creative Lead § Create/CA Leadership Committee, Equity Co-lead, advocates on arts education for Social Justice 2017-present § London International Conference on Education, Keynote Presenter 12/2019 § California Arts Council, Funding Panelist 4/2019 § Co-Chair & Host - Alameda County Office of Education’s Integrated Learning Summer Institute 2012-2017 § The Kennedy Center – Turnaround Arts Summer Leadership Retreat National Conference, Presenter 6/2016 § Project Lead, creative contributor and editor, San Francisco Ballet interactive Nutcracker iPad App, 2014 § Presenter - National Dance Education Organization Conference in 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014 § Keynote Speaker and Presenter – Creative Scotland’s ArtWorks Scotland National Conference in 2012 § Creative Director - Cultural Connections through Dance at the de Young Museum, S.F., CA in 2010. § Director and Presenter - Dance-IT Family Workshop Series, SF Public Library, Segerstrom Center for the Arts, 2008. § Co-Creator and Lead Designer - Dance-IT (Dance and Information Technology): A multimedia interactive movement and digital media installation project at UC Irvine in 2008. § Director – Bay Area National Dance Week Children’s Showcase, Union Square Park, S.F., CA in 2006 § Master Artist Educator – Arts leadership Workshop for School San Francisco Unified School District Principals, 2005 EDINBURGH INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL 1997, 1999, 2003, 2010, & 2012 Guest Lecturer & Master Artist Educator § Inaugural artist educator and scholar – Led creative team of artist & educators in ‘World Dance & Music’ residencies. § Multicultural civic engagement arts workshops for all ages throughout Edinburgh, Scotland metropolitan area. § Led and organized a team of artist & educators in ‘World Dance & Music’ residencies, including special needs § Developed Community Lecture Series and taught workshops for students, teachers & families. § Led professional development program for UK artist-educators through Practitioner School of the Edinburgh Festival. VOICE OF DANCE 3/1998– 8/2002 Columnist, Editor & Master Educator § Authored, developed and researched the weekly advice column on the voiceofdance.com website designed to educate and provide guidance to pre-professionals, specializing in education, job search, career and training recommendations. THE CALIFORNIA ARTS PROJECT: THE CALIFORNIA STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 4/1990– 7/1995 Master Artist Educator § Instructed and presented for pre- and in-service teachers for the Subject Matter Project: The California Arts Project, which received co-sponsorship from the University of California. EDUCATION, TRAINING & AWARDS PH.D. CANDIDATE AT CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE FOR INTEGRAL STUDIES (2022) MASTER OF EDUCATION: CURRICULUM & INSTRUCTION, LESLEY UNIVERSITY (2012) BACHELOR OF ARTS - PSYCHOLOGY, BACHELOR OF ARTS - SOCIOLOGY, EXCELSIOR COLLEGE (2009) EDUCATION EQUITY, RESTORATIVE JUSTICE AND TRAUMA-INFORMED PRACTICE STUDIES (2017-2020) TEACHING TOLERANCE (SOUTHERN POVERTY LAW CENTER) – ANTI-RACIST, ANTI-BIAS TRAINING (2014-2017) TEACHING FELLOWSHIP, FUTURE OF LEARNING INSTITUTE, HARVARD UNIVERSITY, GRADUATE SCHOOL OF EDUCATION (2012) MUSEUM OF PERFORMANCE AND DESIGN (PERFORMING ART LIBRARY AND MUSEUM) – CERTIFIED ORAL HISTORIAN (2010) CERTIFIED ARTS INTEGRATION SPECIALIST, ALAMEDA COUNTY OFFICE OF EDUCATION (2010) MANHATTAN SCHOOL OF MUSIC – EQUITY ARTIST SCHOLAR (2020-2021) YALE SCHOOL OF MUSIC’S DISTINGUISHED MUSIC EDUCATOR AWARD (2015) CALIFORNIA STATE LEGISLATURE CERTIFICATE OF RECOGNITION (2010) SAN FRANCISCO UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT’S DREAM CATCHER (2009) LEVI STRAUSS & CO. AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING ARTS TEACHERS AND ADMINISTRATORS (2004) Submit Date: Jul 05, 2022
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Interests & Experiences
Please tell us how your qualifications and participation will relate to the requested board and/or commission's mission.
As someone raised in this city, I seek opportunities where I can use my knowledge and experience to support the evolution of Oakland as a place of humanity, equity and access. I believe the arts can and do lead this dialogue, and this critical function needs deeper support within the structure of the Oakland's governance, and by the community-at-large. Art cannot be relegated to definition of entertainment, its methods and roles are vast and its impact deep and critical. The Oakland Cultural Plan is an important document that supports this dialogue and engagement strategy. As an Arts Commissioner for the last 2 1/2 years, I have collaborated with the other commissioners to build support and awareness of the value that arts and culture bearers bring to the soul of Oakland. As my resume indicates, I have been an arts administrator for many years. I have deep experience working within city governance, and with non-profit arts organizations. I would appreciate the opportunity to continue as an Arts Commissioner, to continue to uplift the voices of fellow commissioners, artists, and arts organizations and educators in our community.
Thank you for the consideration.
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Please paste the text of your resume or curriculum vitae below.
Jennifer Easton
Home: (510) Mobile: (718)
San Francisco Bay Area Rapid
Transit Art Program Consultant
Jennifer Easton
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Jennifer Easton
Submit Date: Oct 06, 2022
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Ilana Lipsett
Mobile: (415) Mobile: (415)
Institute for the Future Senior Program Manager
Ilana Lipsett
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Please tell us how your qualifications and participation will relate to the requested board and/or commission's mission.
Much of my past work has focused on centering culture as a catalyst for equitable community and economic development, and I would be honored to serve my city and community through being a member of Oakland’s Cultural Affairs Commission. I attended the Community Dialogue at the Eastside Arts Alliance as part of the Cultural Development Plan’s process, and was deeply inspired by the conversation and intentionality behind the plan.
My experiences and expertise in cultural work and community engagement would benefit the Commission’s work in furthering equity and belonging in Oakland.
I have
worked across sectors - government, real estate, non-profit, the creative community, tech - to create cultural programming and cultural commons in physical locations and public spaces.
This has included:
-
Co-founding and running [freespace], an award-winning initiative to turn vacant spaces into temporary cultural, community, and civic engagement hubs. [freespace] was almost entirely participant-driven, hosting hundreds of free cultural and civic engagement events - from arts programs for local youth and unhoused adults alike to civic hackathons - that served the community in San Francisco’s SOMA neighborhood.
- Working with the SF Mayor’s Office of Economic and Workforce Development (OEWD) to map underutilized spaces in the Tenderloin, and creating a pilot program to bring cultural programs to low- income adults to activate those spaces, and co-authoring a downtown development plan with OEWD staff. -Supporting placemaking and placekeeping initiatives such as the Market Street Prototyping Festival. -Creating a role for myself at a real estate company as the Outreach and Engagement Director, which included co-creating and running The Hall, the phase-zero activation project of a vacant building.
The Hall housed nascent food businesses, free weekly music for the community, art shows, and programming that brought together diverse communities for fundraisers, social impact projects, and community meetings. Through this space I also ran a participatory community engagement process for our Percent for the Arts requirement, running a grassroots engagement initiative to gathering community input into the building’s art piece. -Working with a group of refugees in a camp in Uganda create an outdoor amphitheater in which they could host cultural programming to foster a sense of belonging and community in an inhospitable environment. I helped identify funding, worked with government and international aid agencies to enable this project, and provided capacity-building support to community groups to help them host talent shows, an inaugural women’s day festival, and events to bring together and showcase cultures from the 9 different nations represented in the camp.
All of this work has focused
on engaging people to reimagine the future of their city, listening to their stories, and inviting them to participate and share their own unique expression with their neighbors, their community, or their city. I have seen that participation is critical to fostering a sense of belonging - when people help create something, they will feel a sense of ownership and belonging.
I would be honored to serve the Oakland
community through the Cultural Affairs Commission. Thank you for your consideration! Please submit your resume or curriculum vitae. You may upload a document. (A Word format is preferred.) Alternatively, you may paste the text of your resume in the field provided below.
Please paste the text of your resume or curriculum vitae below.
Ilana_Lipsett_resume_Oct_2022.pdf
Ilana Lipsett
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Ilana Lipsett
ILANA LIPSETT
CONTACT
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EXPERTISE
I am working to enhance our collective capacity to create a resilient, inclusive, and fun future that works for all. I use participatory design and futures thinking to help companies, cities, and communities reimagine their relationship to place, to each other, and to the future. I build bridges between government, community, business, and nonprofits by creating programs and experiences that bring people together.
Craft and deliver virtual and in-person workshops on futures thinking and strategy to clients including governments, Fortune 500 companies, foundations, and coalitions
Manage distributed research and programmatic teams
Run a fellowship program for a cohort of 7 fellows across the country Lead research and consulting projects: responsible for project scoping, research design, team management, client communications Co-created and teach a design futures course to 100 director-level participants in 75 companies worldwide
Guide internal initiatives on climate, racial justice, and culture Designed and implemented stakeholder engagement initiatives, participatory design workshops and programs, placemaking programs, built coalition of support for real estate firm's projects Oversaw public art program, from community engagement to artist selection
Created and oversaw social impact programs, including nonprofit partnerships, affordable housing efforts, sustainability, philanthropy; produced annual social impact report
Represented the company in presentations, talks, and forums Managed programs and community-building at interim use space, supported 14 new businesses at this space
Manage a creative consultancy that provides participatory design and creative placemaking strategies for governments, nonprofits, philanthropy, real estate, and international development agencies Build, organize, and facilitate cross-sector collaborations and programs Develop and manage community engagement strategies, workshops, pilot programs to support economic development
Speak at national and international conferences, panels, and events Support local communities, entrepreneurs, social enterprise with capacity-building, leadership development, and program management Institute for the Future
Tidewater Capital
SENIOR PROGRAM MANAGER
IMPACT AND ENGAGEMENT DIRECTOR
PARTICIPATORY DESIGN AND ENGAGEMENT
2019 - Present
2012 - present
.com
Program design & management
Participatory design
Workshop design & facilitation
Event management & production
Strategic foresight & futures thinking
Creative placemaking
Community engagement
Grassroots & political organizing
Coalition & partnership development
Curriculum design
Public policy
Public speaking
Strategic planning
Real estate development
Economic development
415
com
2014 - 2018
EXPERIENCE, CONT'D
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT 2011 - 2014 San Francisco Mayor's Office of Economic and Workforce Development Conducted community outreach, facilitated focus groups, prepared analysis and presented to interagency government groups
Drafted neighborhood economic revitalization strategy
Developed and ran pilot programs to support local economic development Facilitated collaborations between business, tech, non-profits, and community groups POLITICAL DIRECTOR 2008 - 2010
Service Employees International Union, Local 32BJ
Developed strategy and ran grassroots lobbying and campaign efforts for public policy and electoral campaigns related to labor, workforce development, and working people’s issues Created and ran trainings for workers, built cross-sector coalitions, worked closely with elected officials, government agencies, nonprofits, community leaders to advance workers’ rights Managed a team, including members of the union, to campaign for policy reform LEAD ORGANIZER AND POLICY ADVOCATE 2005 - 2007DC Employment Justice Center Developed and ran policy campaigns to enact paid sick days, living wage laws, and workers’ compensation reform
Led coalitions of nonprofits, unions, small business, community leaders, and workers to advance pro-worker policies
Drafted and analyzed legislation
Ran free legal clinic for low-wage workers
OTHER EXPERIENCE
EDUCATION
MBA, Sustainable Management
Presidio Graduate School, San Francisco, CA
B.A. with Honors in History
University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA
2012
2004
Urban Land Institute: Serve as an expert on a national advisory services board to help identify strategic and practical solutions to land use and development challenges Farming Hope: Board member for food-focused social enterprise that provides job training to hard-to-employ adults. I support the Executive Director and founder with fundraising, strategy and operations.
ReAllocate: Board member for non-profit that connects resources and talent with global need. I provide operational support to the Executive Director and founder to execute on his vision, develop strategic plans, and manage fiscal sponsorships for social entrepreneurs Big Ideas Contest: I am a mentor and judge for annual competition that encourages students to develop innovative solutions to urgent needs
CO-FOUNDER 2013 - 2014
[freespace]
Created initiative to transform vacant buildings into temporary community, cultural, and arts centers Scaled from 1 month experiment to global movement with 14 international locations Engaged with community members, arts and cultural organizations, and government Facilitated workshops to develop governance protocols and organizational strategy Developed and managed communications, outreach, strategy Honored at the White House as a Champion of Change in civic innovation Approved as to Form and Legality
____________________________
City Attorney’s Office
OAKLAND CITY COUNCIL
RESOLUTION NO.____________C.M.S.
INTRODUCED BY MAYOR LIBBY SCHAAF
RESOLUTION CONFIRMING THE MAYOR ’S APPOINTMENT OF JIM
SANTI OWEN, CHARLES MCNEAL, AND ILIANA LIPSETT, AND
REAPPOINTMENT OF JENNIFER EASTON AND VANESSA WHANG TO
THE CULTURAL AFFAIRS COMMISSION
WHEREAS, Section 601 of the City Charter provides that members of City boards and commissions shall be appointed by the Mayor subject to confirmation by the affirmative vote of five members of the City Council; and
WHEREAS, Ordinance No. 11323 C.M.S., amended by Ordinance Nos. 11778 C.M.S. and 13561 C.M.S., establishes the Cultural Affairs Commission as a professionall y qualified citizen committee responsible for advising the City regarding all matters affecting arts and cultural development in the City of Oakland; and
WHEREAS, Ordinance No. 13561 C.M.S provides that all terms shall commence on October 1 and end on September 30, and for the initial appointment only, four members shall be appointed for a three -year term, four members shall be appointed for a two -year term, and three members shall be appointed for a one-year term, and thereafter, all appointments shall be for three years; and
WHEREAS, Ordinance No. 13561 C.M.S. provides that no person shall be appointed to serve as a member of the Cultural Affairs Commission for more than two consecutive three-year terms plus any initial term of less than two years; and
WHEREAS, the Honorable Mayor Libby Schaaf has appointed Jim Santi Owen, Charles McNeal, Iliana Lipsett, and reappointed Vanessa Whang, and Jennifer Easton to serve a three-year term on the Cultural Affairs Commission; now therefore, be it,
RESOLVED: That pursuant to City Charter section 601, the City Council hereby confirms the Mayor’s appointment of:
Jim Santi Owen , to serve a three -year term on the Cultural Affairs Commission beginning October 1, 20 22 and ending September 30, 2025 filling the seat previously held by Michael Orange;
Charles McNeal , to serve a three -year term on the Cultural Affairs Commission beginning October 1, 202 2 and ending September 30, 2025 filling the seat previously held by Arnell Pleasants; and
2 3219332v2/MJM
Iliana Lipsett, to serve a three-year term on the Cultural Affairs Commission beginning October 1, 2022 and ending September 30, 2025 filling the seat previously held by Roy Chan; and be it
FURTHER RESOLVED: That pursuant to City Charter section 601, the City Council hereby confirms the Mayor’s reappointment of:
Vanessa Whang , to serve a three -year term on the Cultural Affairs Commission beginning October 1, 2022 and ending September 30, 2025 filling the seat previously held by herself; and
Jennifer Easton , to serve a three -year term on the Cultural Affairs Commission beginning October 1, 2022 and ending September 30, 2025 filling the seat previously held by herself.
IN COUNCIL, OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA,
PASSED BY THE FOLLOWING VOTE:
AYES - FIFE, GALLO, KALB, KAPLAN, REID, TAYLOR, THAO AND
PRESIDENT FORTUNATO BAS
NOES –
ABSENT –
ABSTENTION –
ATTEST:
ASHA REED
City Clerk and Clerk of the Council of the
City of Oakland, California