BOARD OFFICERS

Linda Burroughs

Board President

GOVERNANCE COMMITTEE CHAIR

Linda Burroughs first joined the Santa Cruz Symphony Board in 1992 where she quickly became the Development Chair. She served as Board President during the 1996-97 season, then took a few years off to focus on her career as a Real Estate Broker while raising her two children.

Her passion for the Symphony brought her back on the Board where she served a total of twelve years as the Board President. She is currently the Symphony’s Endowment Chair and Governance Chair.

Linda and her husband, John, believe in community involvement. They are both active members of the Rotary Club of Santa Cruz where Linda served as Club President in 2009-10 and is currently serving as Chairman for the Club’s Endowment. She has also served on the Cabrillo College Foundation Board for a total of 15 years and served two terms as its Board President. In 2008 Linda was honored as Woman of the Year by the Santa Cruz Chamber of Commerce.

Linda has a deep passion for the Symphony and is so thankful to have the talents of Maestro Daniel Stewart working on our behalf. “His connections within the musical world are extraordinary, his dedication to his art is exemplary, and his commitment to our community is cherished,” says Linda.

Nancy Van Natta

BOARD SECRETARY

Nancy Van Natta grew up in Connecticut where she loved exploring the natural beauty around her childhood home. She earned her BA at Case Western Reserve University, her MA at Simmons College, and nine tenths of an MBA at Santa Clara University. She has two grown children with families of their own and four wonderful, young-adult grandchildren. She lives three doors away from her daughter and her family.

Nancy began her career as a corporate marketing executive where she could employ her love for clear communication and promotion. As Vice President of Corporate Marketing at Logitech during its startup years Nancy created the company’s corporate identity and launched its consumer product line into the market. Later as Vice President of Marketing at consumer software company Mindscape she launched products for LEGO, National Geographic, Doonesbury, and others.

In 2001 Nancy opened her interior design practice focused on home design, and commercial projects including office, hospitality, and senior living facilities. She and her dedicated team continue to work on wonderful projects throughout the Bay Area.

Nancy’s work life has been based on listening for cues from the market and creating clear, considered responses with a creative edge. She is dedicated to the success of the symphony as an arts organization and to the artistry of its musicians.

Ron Sekkel

Board Treasurer

Finance Committee CHAIR

After his family moved to the U.S. from Argentina when Ron Sekkel was eight, he carved a pathway to success by earning a BA from UCLA, Lieutenant stripes in the US Navy Supply Corps, a second BA, and an MA from Cal State in Long Beach. His education and service experience enabled him to become an Enrolled Agent in the early 1980s.

As an Enrolled Agent (EA) he could represent taxpayers to the IRS. Ron not only established his own Income Tax and Representation Practice, in the 1990s he served on a task force of EAs tasked with benefitting taxpayers.

He is always service-minded and today volunteers as the Santa Cruz County Treasury Oversight Committee Chair. Equally important to Ron, he joined Rotary in 1977 and is currently active in the Rotary Club of Scotts Valley. He has been a District Governor and worked to make significant improvements and changes to the international organization. He is also on the Board of RotaCare Bay Area that delivers free medical services.

Ron and his wife Cindy have been regulars at Santa Cruz Symphony performances since 1986. He calls Cindy his “better three-fourths” and she supports all of his activities. Ron joined the Board of the Symphony in 2018.

Anna Hackenbracht

Symphony League President

Anna Hackenbracht grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area with parents who treasured classical music. A special memory was attending a concert at the War Memorial Opera House in San Francisco, at the age of eight, to hear the Cleverest Symphony perform Tchaikovsky’s Symphony no. 3 under Maestro George Szell. Another wonderful influence in her love of music was attending concerts in San Francisco under the direction of innovative director Seiji Ozawa who brought a vibrancy and new voices to the Symphony.

Anna and her husband David moved to Washington, D.C., where David did a series of post-doc fellowships in Astronomy and Anna began and completed a PhD in Environmental Engineering at John Hopkins University. They moved to Santa Cruz in 1989, David as a Professor of Astronomy at the University of California Santa Cruz, and Anna as Director of Strategic Planning for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regional office in San Francisco.

She retired in 2008 and her activities include trying to learn cello, working with a migrant worker organization to bring assistance, serving on the Board of Santa Cruz Shakespeare, and singing with the Cabrillo Symphonic Chorus. Through the Chorus, Anna “met” the Symphony and Maestro Danny. She is currently the proud Co-President of the Santa Cruz Symphony League and a member of the Symphony Association Board.

DIRECTORS OF THE BOARD

Angela Chesnut

Angela Chesnut is the Chief Development Officer of Janus Santa Cruz. Previously, she was the District Director for State Senator John Laird in the 17th District, after spending four years as the Chief of Staff for Santa Cruz County Supervisor John Leopold in the 1st Supervisorial District.

Angela has led various capital and fundraising campaigns for local nonprofit organizations in Santa Cruz County and Silicon Valley that support the arts, STEM education, ocean conservancy, and healthcare for children. She was also a fundraiser for the Obama, Hillary Clinton, and Biden/Harris presidential campaigns both as a bundler and as part of the advance team for the DNC conventions in 2008, 2012, and 2016.

In 1999 Angela ran the Fraud Investigations Team at eBay and brought online mediation and dispute resolution to the online auction company. She moved to California in 1999 after nine years as a special agent with the Department of Justice in Washington, DC, where she served on the FBI’s Joint Terrorist Task Force and the DEA’s Violent Gang Task Force, and she also focused on human trafficking cases in the INS Anti-Smuggling Unit.

She received her MA in International Studies and Sociology at the American University and her BA from Hofstra University in Hempstead, NY. She is an ardent supporter of the arts and live music. She is not an accomplished musician, though she has taken drum lessons from Don Demut of Oscar Peterson’s Ink Spots during her time in Washington, DC. She fantasizes about being a touring drummer.

Bob Edmund

Bob Edmund grew up in California, spending summers in Santa Cruz where his grandparents lived. After attending Stanford then UC San Francisco for medical school, he joined the US Army as an Internal Medicine Doctor and Psychiatrist, serving in Washington D.C., Italy, and Korea. He retired in 1996 and moved back to Santa Cruz, where he was a volunteer and board member of the Homeless Garden Project of Santa Cruz, and volunteered at UC Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz County Mental Health, and the Juvenile Hall.

After the exciting arrival of Danny Stewart at the Santa Cruz Symphony, Bob wanted to be more involved with the Symphony and became a Board member. He serves in the South County sub-committee and loves being part of the school programs.

“It has been a joy to be part of such a talented and dedicated board,” says Bob, “and I have had the great opportunity to host musicians at my home and have gotten to know our accomplished and passionate players, and hear their music in my living room.”

Catharine Gill

Catharine Gill was an active board member of the Santa Cruz Youth Symphony when her two daughters played violin in that orchestra. She and her husband, Jim, have been Santa Cruz Symphony subscribers and supporters for decades, and when she was asked to join the SC Symphony Board, several decades ago, she was glad to accept.

Because of her professional background as a secondary school English teacher, Catharine is especially interested in the educational outreach programs of the Symphony. Jim is a retired UCSC earth sciences professor who used to play flute in his school orchestra, and Catharine had piano lessons while growing up in Japan.

The Gills’ musical background deepens their appreciation of what the Santa Cruz Symphony gives to the community. “A privilege of being on the Symphony Board has been the opportunity to get to know some of the musicians, and our brilliant conductor, at a more personal level,” says Catharine. She was a founding member of the Pacific Collegiate School Board and has served on several school boards. Catharine says, “I have especially appreciated the collegiality and dedication of the Santa Cruz Symphony Board.”   

Lesley Harris

Lesley was born and bred in NYC and surroundings. She got her exposure to classical music at Tanglewood in the Berkshires. She switched her allegiance from the Yankees to the Giants in the 80s after setting roots in San Francisco and then Santa Cruz.

Lesley is an attorney and mediator. She's retired from a full-time practice, and currently serves as Board Chair of County Parks Friends. County Park Friends partners with the parks department to promote, preserve and enhance our parks, open space, and cultural programs.  County Park Friends prioritizes accessible, inclusive facilities and programs.

Lesley has been a subscriber of the Santa Cruz Symphony for over 15 years. She describes her experience at the concerts as “an escape into a deep, moving and peaceful place.”

Lesley spends her free time doing yoga, forest bathing, playing basketball, and making music with friends. On most weekends you can find her dancing at one of Santa Cruz’ local music venues.

SCOTT HARTMAN

Scott Hartman is one of the Bay Area’s leading French horn players and teachers. He has performed with the most prestigious ensembles including the San Francisco Symphony, Opera and Ballet and is a member of the Symphony San Jose horn section. He studied privately with principal horn players of the San Francisco Symphony and New York Philharmonic.

Scott started performing with Santa Cruz Symphony as principal horn under George Barati, vacating the position to play in Mexico City. He worked at Apple Computer for nine years, where he took 45,000 technical support phone calls and was the technical lead for retail products outside the US, all graphics products, and managing both Mac and Windows support teams. Scott left Apple in 1998 when he became a full-time horn player and teacher. He was a longtime lecturer at Santa Clara University, and is currently a contract teacher in the Cupertino, Fremont High School, and San Jose Union school districts. He has performed with many celebrities, from playing 1st horn in Henry Mancini’s orchestra on tour to playing with Pavarotti, Doc Severinson, Danny Elfman, the Moody Blues, the Skorpions, Rain, and more.

Scott and his wife Rachel—who played in the 1st violin section of Santa Cruz Symphony under Larry Granger and Mitchell Klein—are volunteers for Canine Companions and have raised 5 puppies who were trained as service dogs. Scott also serves on the boards of the chamber orchestra Espressivo and The Friends of Levitt Pavilion in San Jose, and is past president of the Nova Vista Symphony Association and a founder of the Palo Alto Philharmonic. He is on the Symphony San Jose Player’s Committee and has been its chair during contract negotiations. Scott’s main horns are a custom made Keith Berg standard double with a Sandner hand hammered bell and a Bruce Roberts custom Bb-high Eb descant. He lives in West San Jose with Rachel and several dogs and cats.

VANCE LANDIS

Vance Landis joined the Symphony Board in October 2020. A resident of South County, she serves on the South County committee and the governance committee. She is impressed by the world-class quality of Santa Cruz Symphony under the leadership of Maestro Danny Stewart and grateful that our community has this incredible asset.

Vance is Founder, CEO and President of Gateway Health Management, a healthcare consulting company that manages industrial catastrophic injuries. There, she handles strategic planning, governance, and fiscal oversight. She is an avid sailor and cruiser on her sailboat Ethos. She served as Commodore of the Santa Cruz Yacht Club in 2022 and is Treasurer of the Santa Cruz Sailing Foundation Board, supporting Junior sailing.

Vance has served on several other boards in Santa Cruz County. She is currently on the Cabrillo College Foundation board; she was co-chair of the Cabrillo College Foundation President’s Circle Committee in 2020-2022; President of the Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History, where she greenlighted the Abbott Square Market project in 2012; Vice President of Big Brothers Big Sisters Santa Cruz (now Monterey Bay) Chapter where she successfully petitioned to take over the Day on the Monterey Bay Regatta; the UCSC Alumni Association; and the Case Management Society of America. She holds a BA degree in Psychology from UCSC and a MA degree in Marriage, Family and Child Counseling from Azusa Pacific University.

Vance loves travel, learning from other cultures, good wine, good food and good friends. And most important of all, her three grandsons have stolen her heart.

A favorite quote from Pablo Casals: “Music is the divine way to tell beautiful, poetic things to the heart.”

VALERIE MACKEN

Valerie Macken was born in Yokohama, Japan where her father was serving in the Navy. The family returned to Santa Cruz when Valerie was one year old. She attended Westlake Elementary, Mission Hill Jr. High and Santa Cruz High School. At SCHS Valerie was a cheerleader, President of the Girls Athletic Association, President of the California Scholarship Federation Club and graduated 3rd in her class. She attended UC Davis and received her Bachelor of Science degree in 1977.

Returning to Santa Cruz, Valerie became an active member of the community. In 1978 she joined Omega Nu (a women's charitable group) and was President in 1990. This is the year their main fundraising event, the Ducky Derby, was established. Valerie was in the first class of "Leadership Santa Cruz County" sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce in 1985. She served on the Board of Directors for Skills Center Santa Cruz from 1986-1989. Then the Skills Center merged with Hope Services and she served on their Fundraising Board of Directors.

When women were allowed to join Rotary Clubs, Valerie became the first woman to join the Santa Cruz Rotary in January, 1988. She has served on the Rotary Board of Directors (2006-2008), has been an Endowment Trustee since 2010, and is still an active member of the Club.

Valerie is a Commercial Real Estate Broker, owner of V. Macken Commercial Properties. She has retired from sales but is still actively managing her own property portfolio. She is thrilled and honored to be a member of the Santa Cruz Symphony Board since 2022.

JEANNETTE MORETTI

Jeannette Moretti was raised in the Berkeley Bay Area, singing in youth choirs since age 6, but comes from Kansas homesteaders who grew into families of artists and musicians, as well as farmers. Jeannette also fell in love with horses at age 6 and has enjoyed a lifelong passion for both interests. She completed a B.A. in Music, Vocal Performance, while working with horses most summers and singing opera while cleaning stalls and guiding trails in a national park. She’s kept horses in the family ever since, and is past Treasurer of the Santa Cruz County Horsemen’s Association.

After college, Jeannette left her horses to sing professionally in the San Francisco Bay Area for 10 years, teaching voice and studying while building a presence performing stage and oratorio roles. She later developed a career in psychology and holds two Master’s degrees. She retired after 35 years of private practice.

Jeannette returned to singing for the past 12 years, and as a member of Cabrillo Symphonic Chorus and Cantiamo under the direction of Cheryl Anderson, Jeannette has sung many major works with the Santa Cruz Symphony. These have been exemplary experiences. She has also been a strong supporter of the Cabrillo Youth Chorus, serving in an advisory capacity for many years.

Jeannette is honored to be a Santa Cruz Symphony Board member and to support the making of extraordinary music, to further its presence in the community, and to contribute to the development of access and understanding for children and youth. Jeannette’s life has been shaped by the culture of music and its generalizable skills. Teamwork in the co-creation of beauty, the demand for excellence, and the discipline required to produce rare and remarkable experiences, touches us like nothing else. Sharing it with the audience increases the influence and joy in the beauty. We are all changed. The Santa Cruz Symphony offers and inspires such excellence. Jeannette is thrilled to work in its support.

Mary Ann Orr

Mary Ann Orr moved to the Santa Cruz area in the late 1980s when she and her husband Peter started a strawberry company, Pacific Gold Farms. She and her family also own and operate Margaritaville in Capitola Village, and they recently opened a second restaurant in Monterey, called Stokes Adobe. Mary Ann has been a tireless community volunteer with numerous nonprofit organizations, including the Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History, the Homeless Services Center, and the Symphony League. She is currently the co-President of the Santa Cruz Symphony League.

As a child growing up in the Midwest, Mary Ann learned to play the piano and became a lifelong lover of classical music. She has been both a supporter of the Santa Cruz Symphony and a member of the Santa Cruz Symphony Board for over 20 years. She is honored to serve on the board of an organization that brings outstanding musical excellence to this community.

Dennis St. Peter

Dennis St. Peter joined the Santa Cruz Symphony Board in 2023. He first discovered the joys of symphonic music with his wife, Alice Kollman, when they lived in Santa Barbara in 1977. Four times a year, Zubin Mehta and the Los Angeles Symphony would visit the historic Mission Revival style Arlington Theater, where one could imagine being in a Spanish courtyard, complete with houses, staircases, balconies, and the stars above! It was truly magical. Later, when Dennis and Alice moved to Santa Cruz in 1980, they were delighted to become ardent fans of the Santa Cruz Symphony, first under the tutelage of Larry Granger and now blessedly under Daniel Stewart for the past 10 years. It has been amazing to see the extraordinary growth in talent and repertoire, thanks to the musicians and their maestro. 

Dennis grew up in the Northeast. His love of chemistry and mathematics led him to choose chemical engineering as a major in college, only to discover that he really wanted to work more with people. He chose medical school so that he could become a psychiatrist and attend to people’s emotional needs and hopefully make a difference in people’s lives. He spent seven years doing general/family practice, thinking that was a broader societal need, only to realize in the end that psychiatry was his true calling. 42 years later, he still enjoys working as an outpatient psychotherapist, adding in a little medication when needed. That time spent in general practice turned out to be most useful! 

Other than the symphony, Dennis’ primary passion is hiking. He has led hiking tours with Alice and their son Michael over the last 30 years to Switzerland, Norway, Argentina, and Morocco. He has also become an enthusiastic supporter of Music in May, Family Service Association, Survivors Healing Center, and the Santa Cruz AIDS Project. And to make sure he isn’t too sane, he closely follows national and world politics. 

Dennis agreed to join the Board because he regards the Symphony to be one of the finest treasures in Santa Cruz County. He serves on the Development Committee. He very much wants to help turn on those who are missing out, so the magic can continue to expand. He is, after all, still a child of the ’60s! 

Jill Stone

Jill Stone brings her long experience in marketing to the Santa Cruz Symphony Board, including communications strategy, social media marketing, public relations, media planning and event production and management.

She is the Media and Engagement Director at local marketing firm Miller Maxfield, where she creates and executes marketing and communications strategies for government, economic development, human services, arts, energy, and transportation clients. When Jill joined the Board in 2020, she brought a high level of marketing expertise backed by years of experience at West Marine and other companies.

Jill works to create communications and messaging strategies, social media marketing programs, public relations, and media planning for the Symphony. Her enthusiasm is infectious and creates an atmosphere of moving ahead with our programs and creating new and exciting ways to help us inspire, engage, and educate community members.

Besides being a Symphony Board member, Jill is an active member of the Rotary Club of Santa Cruz, joins into race events, loves exploring her favorite parks, and, of course, never misses a Symphony concert.

KIEFER TAYLOR

Kiefer Taylor is a native son of Santa Cruz, having gone through Santa Cruz City Schools and listening to Santa Cruz Symphony in his youth. Primarily a self-taught musician, Kiefer obtained his degree in Piano Performance at UC Santa Cruz and later a Masters in Musicology at San Jose State University.

Kiefer has rejoined the Santa Cruz music scene as a music educator and performer, and speaks of his deep honor to play piano in Santa Cruz Symphony concerts. He is also an active community music educator, working as a collaborative pianist at local middle and high schools within the Santa Cruz City School as the district accompanist, driving daily between schools to teach and play in music classrooms. He is also an Associate Piano Professor at Cabrillo College, offering the hugely popular piano courses. He has passion for not only teaching his students music, but also promoting entrepreneurship and how to make a living as a musician. He also maintains an active teaching studio located in Aptos.

When not promoting music in all of these ways, Kiefer may be found doing outreach to local schools as part of the Kuumbwa Jazz Center's Education Board where he collaborates with local jazz musicians in bringing small ensembles into the schools to introduce music at all age levels. Oftentimes, students have their first experience in hearing and seeing a live pianist with him at the keyboard, and he laughingly relates that more than a few students are moved to believe that the job of a keyboardist is referred to as “a Kiefer”!

Kiefer is excited to use his connections to the community as a music educator in many schools to bring more students into the Symphony experience, and to bring more Symphony experiences into local classrooms.

ALISON VOORHEES

Alison Voorhees is native Floridian who made Santa Cruz her home in late 2024 when she joined West Coast Community Bank as Director of Marketing. While she has been a banker for nearly 20 years, her first love is the arts. Alison previously worked in fundraising and special events for Orlando Ballet and Opening Nights Performing Arts at Florida State University (FSU).

A lifelong vocalist, Alison has sung in churches and choirs since the age of three. She also has a musical past with the piano and alto saxophone. She is passionate about increasing arts awareness and participation and is excited to help grow the Santa Cruz Symphony’s audience and impact along the Central Coast.

Alison served in leadership and other community roles in numerous civic and professional organizations in her home state of Florida: American Advertising Federation, Big Bend Habitat for Humanity, Field Day Music Fest, FSU College of Music, Goodwood Museum & Gardens, Junior League of Tallahassee, Knight Creative Communities Institute, Leon County Schools, Meals on Wheels, Safe Families for Children, Tallahassee Tennis Challenger, The Tallahassee Ballet, United States Tennis Association and United Way of the Big Bend.

She holds dual master’s degrees in Global Media and Communications from the London School of Economics and the University of Southern California, along with a Graduate Certificate in Publishing & Editing and a bachelor’s degree in Communications and English from FSU. When not working or volunteering, Alison enjoys spending time with her family (especially her four nieces and nephews), attending live performances and fine arts exhibitions, reading, playing tennis and pickleball, hiking, biking and kayaking, following FSU sports, travelling and learning to be a better cook and gardener.

PRISCILLA WHITCOMB

Priscilla‘s affiliation with the Santa Cruz Symphony began in 1981 when she was hired to play violin in the orchestra. Her interest in music started early. A Musician Spotlight feature in High Notes outlined her journey:

“I wanted to take violin lessons when I was four years old. Mrs. Low (a Suzuki violin teacher) and her children moved in two houses down from me. My father had recently passed away, and I was so fortunate that they included me in their activities. I went everywhere with them: lessons, recitals, concerts, even Hebrew School. I started asking for lessons immediately, but my mom did not see the point. I was the youngest of seven children, and since my dad had been a jazz pianist, my older siblings were made to take music lessons. Most didn’t stick with it. I asked repeatedly and continued to hear no as the answer. When I had to transfer to a public school, the music teacher invited me to look at the shelves in her closet and said ‘Which instrument would you like?’ That was the best question I had ever heard.”

“My sister Kathy gave me the two dollars to rent a 3/4 size violin for the semester. Mrs. Low’s daughter Dafna started me on the basics so that I could sit my mother down when she got home from work — first bowing out of respect, demonstrating rest position, then playing the best version of ‘Twinkle Twinkle Little Star’ my eight-year-old self could muster. I talked through every objection she had, and when we were able to get a discount on weekly lessons, I was finally able to study violin.”

In addition to teaching violin and viola, Priscilla can be found playing with various groups such as the White Album Ensemble, i Cantori Di Carmel, Cabrillo Stage, and Twin Lakes Church, to name a few. She has worked for a local orthodontist, an animal hospital, and currently, for Santa Cruz Chiropractic Center. She has joyfully made the Seacliff area of Aptos her home since the early 1980s. She has one daughter who lives in New Jersey. Priscilla considers music to be a lifelong passion and has a goal to continue playing and learning as long as possible.

Visiting elementary schools and playing for youth and family concerts alongside the musicians from the Youth Symphony are highlights each season. As one of our newest board members, she looks forward to participating with the Education Committee and hopes to represent musicians and teachers here in this fantastic community!