Dream team.
Although our core organization runs lean–in order to reach as many children as possible–our staff is long on talent, experience, and enthusiasm. Culled from the fields of dance, art, drama, development, and education, we thrive in a warm and creative environment that fosters ongoing collaborations with some of the most outstanding visual and performing artists in the Bay Area.
Chad joined SFArtsED in 2010 as Director of Development and Communication, and assumed the position of Executive Director in 2015, having worked previously in development with the French American International School and in marketing for Berkeley Repertory Theatre.
A fifth-generation Nevadan and graduate of the University of Nevada, Reno, Chad was a long-time member of the American Theatre Critics Association and has served for more than a decade on the Glickman Committee, which awards a cash prize for the best play to debut in the Bay Area.
It is hard to find a musical or play with which Chad is not familiar (believe us, we’ve tried), as he spent more than a decade as a staff theater critic and features writer with the Bay Area News Group (a chain of daily newspapers) and has written regularly for such publications as the San Francisco Chronicle, Wired, American Theatre, Theatre Bay Area, Sacramento Bee, Palo Alto Weekly, the London-based Plays International, and at his own TheaterDogs.net, which he created in 2006.
Dancer, choreographer, educator, and advocate, Emily has been at the artistic helm of SFArtsED since 1985, a fact she finds both unfathomable and thrilling.
A veteran of some of the Bay Area’s most memorable dance companies—including the San Francisco Moving Company and the Joe Goode Performance Group—Emily has been a choreographer and movement consultant for such storied entities as the Oakland Ballet, American Conservatory Theater, Magic Theatre, George Coates Performance Works, Pickle Family Circus, Z Space, and many others. She has also been a resident artist and lecturer at DeAnza College, Mills College, San Francisco State, and at the Ruth Asawa San Francisco School of the Arts, and has been the recipient of four National Endowment for the Arts Choreographic Fellowships.
A former member of the San Francisco Arts Commission, Emily also holds an MFA in Creative Writing.
Kathleen has been an integral part of the SFArtsED support staff since 1994, bringing with her a BA in Physical Education with a Dance Emphasis from San Francisco State. A founding member of the Oblong Rhonda Dance Theater and TRANSIT Dance Company, Kathleen has years of experience in retail management and is also steeped in wardrobe and costume design. A former executive board member of Pearl Ubungen Dancers and Musicians and the Tenderloin Reflection and Education Center, Kathleen has also brought her expertise in dance and creative movement to senior citizens in the Tenderloin community.
Mia has had a long tenure with SFArtsED as a parent, volunteer and teacher in collaboration with SFArtsED artists.
Mia’s involvement with the arts began at a young age with a broad range of experiences, which eventually led to technical theater work. As a teenager and young adult she worked throughout Orange County, California as a set builder, stage crew, and stage manager. After graduating from San Francisco State University, she pursued a multiple subject teaching credential from UC Irvine and spent two decades teaching elementary school in the Bay Area. She is firmly committed to the value and importance arts education plays in the development of young people.
Mia additionally holds a M.A. in Records Management & Archival Administration from University College London and has served on the boards of Market Street Railway and various school district PTAs.
By trade, Pete is a visual artist, digital media engineer, and exhibitions producer. Born in Moscow, Russia, Pete has worked with numerous museums and nonprofit arts institutions in the San Francisco Bay Area and internationally and can often be found interviewing artists, producing public programs, or curating exhibitions. Previously, Pete worked with KADIST Art Foundation, Oakland Museum of California, and Berkeley Art Museum & Pacific Film. He holds an MFA from San Francisco Art Institute and a BFA from California College of the Arts. When not in the studio or editing video in front of the computer, he can be spotted going on hikes with his daughter or creating sculptural installations in the surrounding landscape. Pete’s joined the SFArtsEDstaff in 2020 as Growth Marketing Associate.
Laura has served as SFArtsED's business and accounting manager since 2009, having worked for, and consulted with, small businesses and start-ups in the Bay Area for more than two decades. Laura holds a BS from Purdue and an MBA in Finance from the University of West Florida.
Susan Tramontana has focused on after-school education since 2005, and joined SFArtsED in 2012, when she assumed the role of Glen Park Big Blue After-School Site Coordinator. Susan works tirelessly with both the Site Principal and Glen Park School Community to make sure that families in need of after-care are granted a place for their children. Under her supervision, the program has doubled in size and now enrolls more than 200 students. In 2017, Susan assumed the role of Program Manager, and she continues to provide an engaging, high-quality, and hands-on program for the youth of Glen Park Elementary.
Debbie joined SFArtsED in 2022 and brings over a decade of annual fundraising, donor relations, and institutional advancement experience coupled with a long tenure in the tech sector as a project manager.
Starting with her years as a dedicated member of the theater tech team in high school, her enthusiasm for the visual and performing arts was amplified as she supported her two sons in their creative pursuits in and out of San Francisco schools. Along with volunteer leadership roles at her church and children's schools, she also served as a docent at SFMOMA where she led tours for school groups. She is truly excited to help build the resources that fuel the creative energy behind SFArtsED and grow awareness of its outstanding programming.
Debbie holds a BA from Lawrence University and an MBA from Santa Clara University.
