 PLEASE NOTE: You're viewing an archive of our OLD website through December 2017, please visit our new website at TheFreight.org The Box Office window is open 12:30pm-7pm and during all performances.
Board of Director Bios
Board of Director Bios LISA CAPLAN Professional: Head of Marcom Worldwide at Snapfish, LLC. Personal: Lives in Berkeley with husband, Michael Caplan, assorted cats and chickens. Freight Connection: Long time audience member. Board member since 2014. Serves on the Outreach and 50th Anniversary Committees. Music Connection: Fan of traditional and roots music. Currently studying ukulele and loves to sing. KATHLEEN M CRANDALL Professional: Real estate investor, consultant, teacher and top producing realtor for 30 years. City of Berkeley Housing and Loan Administration Commissioner. Personal: Long time resident of Berkeley. Lives with her wife, Lori and son, Berkeley High School student Andrei. Freight Connection: Has performed on stage for student concerts. Board member since 2013. Serves on the Lobby, 50th Anniversary, and Nominating Committees. Music Connection: Irish Fiddle student of fellow board member, Robin Flower. Great granddaughter of Chicago Symphony concertmaster, Delos Crandall whose Italian violin she plays today. On the Berkeley Symphony Advisory Board 2016-present. SHELLEY DOTY Professional: Lead guitarist, singer, and songwriter in many styles including rock, acoustic, soul, jazz and funk. Performs live and a recording artist, as a band leader and side musician. Co-creator, screenwriter and musical director of a feature film. Occasional guitar teacher. Personal: Grew up in Berkeley and lives with her wife and 9-year-old son. Freight Connection: Has performed at the Freight many times with the Shelley Doty X-tet, Skip the Needle, Sistas in the Pit, Cris Williamson, and in a duo with Vicki Randle. Board member since 2015. Serves on the Outreach Committee and as an At-Large Executive Committee member. Music Connection: See above. RUSS ELLIS Professional: Professor Emeritus of Architecture and retired vice chancellor at the University of California, Berkeley. Taught, researched and innovated at the intersection of sociology and architecture. Sculptor, photographer and painter. Personal: Lives in Berkeley with wife Julie Gordon Shearer. Freight Connection: Board member since 2014. Serves on the Lobby and Human Resource Committees. Music Connection: Avid listener, likes gutbucket blues, jazz ROBIN FLOWER Professional: Guitar, fiddle, mandolin player, singer, songwriter, composer and recording artist performing music inspired by Irish, old-time, rock, and folk musics for the past 53 years. Private and group teacher. Leader of an adult student SwingSingString band for 20 years. Personal: Lives in Oakland with her wife and long-time music collaborator, Libby McLaren Freight Connection: Has performed at the Freight with various bands for 38 years. Board member since 2008. Chair of the Board Nominating Committee. Music Connection: See above PETER GLAZER Professional: Associate Professor of Theater Dance and Performance Studies at the University of California, Berkeley. Professional director and playwright. Personal: Lives in Emeryville. Freight Connection: Board member since 2010. Member of the Board Development and Nominating Committee. Chair of the 50th Anniversary Committee. Creator of Woody Guthrie’s American Song which was presented in concert at the Freight in 2012 and 2014. Co-author and director of Heart of Spain: A Musical of the the Spanish Civil War which was performed at the Freight in 2015. Music Connection:
Writer and director of other dramatic and musical works, including Freedom Beat: Songs of Nation, Songs of
Dissent, which premiered at the Freight in 2014, and collaborations
with Celtic harpist and Freight regular Patrick Ball, and Chicago singer-songwriter
Michael Smith. Peter's father was folksinger and composer Tom Glazer. BILL HAGGERTY Professional: Retired. Former COO/CFO in the hedge fund industry in the San Francisco area. Spent 13 years with an international public accounting firm in their San Francisco and New York City offices. Personal: Has lived in the Bay Area for the last 36 years with wife Carol. Has two adult married children and one grandson. Freight Connection: Performed at the last open mic at the previous Freight with his wife Carol and his music teacher at the time. Prior Freight board member and Treasurer from 2001 to 2012. Rejoined the board in 2016. Serves on the Finance Committee. Music connection: Has been trying to learn guitar since 2001. Professional: Composer, pianist, fiddler, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Has performed on more than 100 albums. Was the first female instrumentalist to compose and record for Windham Hill Records. Tours nationally and internationally. Grammy nominated and a Bammy Award winner. Personal: Lives in Albany. Married with a high school-aged daughter. Freight Connection: Long-time and frequent performer on the Freight stage. Was a board member from 2005 to 2014. Rejoined the board in 2016. Member of the Development Committee. Music Connection: See above.
JEFF HO Professional: Art
Director at Pandora Media Inc. overseeing Brand and Creative Services. Bringing
a holistic experiential design approach to the visual brand through office
environmental design, event and concert experience, brand campaigns, internal
and external messaging and marketing, and social media strategy. Personal: Over
16 years in the Bay Area. Lives in Oakland, surfs all along the California
coast. Freight
Connection: Designed the Freight & Salvage logo, website, and
capital campaign materials in a former position as Creative Director/Designer
with Joey’s Corner. Music Connection:
Pandora and former owner/dance instructor at the 9:20 Special (the longest running
swing dance venue in San Francisco). GLENN JACKSON Professional: Retired. Former president of Advantage Performance Group. Spent 40 years in Corporate Training & Development as a consultant to Fortune 500 companies. Personal: Hobbies include owning race horses, hiking, following professional sports, and attending music concerts. Lives with wife, grandson and an au pair in Orinda. Freight Connection: Has attended concerts for many years at the Freight. Board member since 2015. Serves on the Development Committee. Music Connection: Loves all genres of music including roots, jazz and classical. SUSAN KRAUSS Professional: Corporate Research Librarian at private equity firm Hellman & Friedman. Personal: Lives in Alameda with wife Linda Benson Freight Connection: Has attended concerts at Freight for 20+ years and is a Life Member. Board member since 2015. Serves on the Outreach & 50th Anniversary Committee. Music Connection: Avid listener and festival attendee. Former folk music deejay. CLYDE LELAND Professional: Communications consultant, training lawyers and other professionals in writing and public speaking. Legal Ethics professor. Personal:
Native San Franciscan. Lives in Berkeley with wife, Lorraine
Lerman. They have six children and two grandchildren between them. Freight Connection: Regular at the Freight open mic. Board member since 2010. Serves on the Human Resource and Board Development Committees. Music Connection: Singer-songwriter. Children’s entertainer, singing folk songs for pre- and elementary-school kids. Member of John Prine cover band, Peace Monkeys. NATE LEVINE Professional: Founder
of BuildingBlox Consulting which provides strategy, governance and fundraising
advice to many of the SF Bay Area’s leading nonprofits. Has served as
Executive Director, Chief Operating Officer, and Director of Development for a
variety of nonprofits. Personal: Lives in San Francisco with his
wife Charlene Akers. Has one son and a grandson (with another on the way!). Freight Connection:
Board member since 2013. Serves on the Development Committee. Music Connection: Member of the Wronglers whose motto is “Simple tunes played by complicated people”. Has performed at the Freight, Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, Prairie Home Companion, Old Town School of Music, the Station Inn and other venues. Professional: Facilities Director at San Francisco Unitarian Community Center, vocal solo & fiddle performance, private fiddle and mandolin instruction. Personal: Lives
in Noe Valley with husband, Barry Parker,
with whom she has two adult children. Freight Connection: Has been in the audience since 1975 and on stage at the second and third Freights. Board member since 2010. Board Secretary. Serves on Human Resource, 50th Anniversary, and Executive Committee. Music Connection: Appreciator of many genres of music. Has played old-time banjo, bluegrass mandolin, Celtic fiddle. As a vocalist, has performed classical choir solos, 30’s and 40’s era swing tunes, and Hawaiian language choral repertoire.
RUSS POLLOCK Professional: Partner in San Francisco law firm Greene Radovsky with an emphasis on commercial finance and general business transactions. Personal: Lives in Berkeley with wife Laurie Campbell Freight Connection: Board member since 2009. Chair of the Board. Serves on the Executive, Finance and Board Development Committees. Music Connection: Been singing and playing acoustic guitarist since childhood, picked up mandolin at Freight jams. Sang in touring boys choir as a kid, and majored in ethnomusicology at Brown University. CELIA RAMSAY Professional: Winery owner, professional dance teacher (caller), voice teacher, singer, and songwriter. Volunteer for Writer-Coach Connection at MLK Middle School, Berkeley High, and Kennedy High in Richmond. Personal: Lives with husband, Kent Rasmussen with whom she has two adult children. Freight Connection: Has performed at the Freight for two of her own CD releases, as a guest performer with Shay Black, Flower & McLaren, Holdstock & MacLeod, and the Chris Caswell Memorial Concert. Board member since 2015. Serves on Development and Marketing Committees. Music Connection: See above; piano student, Lark Camp instructor. SARAH ROBERTSON Professional: Employment law partner at the law firm Donahue Fitzgerald in Oakland. Personal: Lives in Concord with husband Michael Cunningham and his mandolins. Freight Connection: Board member since 2010. Chair of Human Resources Committee. Serves on the Executive Committee. Music Connection: Longtime close-harmony singer and fledgling bass ukulele student. Majored in music theory at Wellesley. BETH SAWI Professional: Retired. Former executive with Charles Schwab
& Co., Inc. Personal: Lives in Berkeley with husband David Sawi with whom she has two adult children. Freight Connection: Board member since 2014. Vice Chair of the Board. Chair of Development Committee. Serves on the Marketing, 50th Anniversary, Executive, and the Board Development and Nominating Committees. Life member. Music Connection: Avid listener. ELIZABETH SEJA MIN Professional: Executive coach, consultant, facilitator, strategist with nonprofits, social enterprises, and foundations working on social change issues—work with leaders and teams on raising resources, developing people, communications and leadership. Personal: Came to Oakland to direct Oakland Youth Chorus in 1985 and never left, lived in Mexico for two years prior to that, newly out of a 24-year relationship and trying out being on her own, with all its gifts and lessons. Freight Connection: Board member since 2014. Serve on Board Nominating Committee, formerly on Finance Committee. Have always loved and appreciated the Freight. Music Connection: Long career in music in Bay Area as Founding Conductor of The Women’s Philharmonic and later Artistic Director of Redwood Records, worked with many musicians involved with the Freight over time.
KHALIL SULLIVAN Professional: Teacher at Head Royce School. PhD candidate in English at UC Berkeley. Musician & Composer. Personal: Grew up in New Carrollton, MD. Bachelors in English (cum laude) from Princeton University. Certificate in Theater & Dance (cum laude) and honors in History and African-American studies. Went on tour in West Africa in December 2015 with MAD NOISE as a part of the US State Department's American Music Abroad program (formerly the Jazz Ambassadors). Freight Connection: Played the Freight stage with his band, MAD NOISE, and performed in musical workshops directed by Peter Glazer. Music Connection: Founding member of Oakland, CA-based jazz-pop group, MAD NOISE. Plays guitars in SF-based punk-rock group, the Truants. Lead composer on At Buffalo, a historical musical about Black representation at the 1901 Pan-American Exposition.
Professional: Finance professional and Budget Officer of the Arts & Humanities Division at UC Berkeley. Personal: Has lived in Berkeley since attending Cal. Married to actor/clarinetist Charles Shaw Robinson. They have one son, Walker, a student and cellist attending Berkeley High School. Freight Connection: Long-time audience member and brand new Board member (2017). Serves on the Finance Committee. Music Connection: An avid listener who is blessed to be surrounded by musicians at home and at work and among her friends. JOHN WILLIAMSON Professional: CPA; Partner in Charge of Western Region, EisnerAmper LLP Personal: Lives
in Piedmont. Married to Donna for 25 years. Freight Connection: Board member since 2009. Chair of the Audit Committee. Music Connection: Avid
listener. ELI WIRTSCHAFTER Professional: Public radio reporter/producer. Performing artist. Teacher. Director of Communications and Development for Awesöme Orchestra. Personal: Has lived in Berkeley since age 7. Attended Berkeley High and UC Berkeley. Freight Connection: Grew up going to concerts and attending fiddlekids at the Freight. Youngest board member in the Freight's history, probably. Board member since 2014. Chair of Outreach Committee. At-Large Executive Committee member. Music Connection: Has played violin "as long as he can remember" as well as (more recently) guitar, mandolin, harmonica, bass, and piano. Known to sing. Known to bring music into theatrical events and vice versa. |
|||||
|
|||||
