Toby Keeler (Chair) -- toby@SpotlightTheArts.org A documentary filmmaker since attending CalArts in 1974, Keeler is fond of saying he has made a career surviving on the fringe of the entertainment industry, with scores of marketing and training videos, including several documentaries which have been shown here and abroad. His community service began with the incorporation of the City of Calabasas in 1991, when he served on the first Planning Commission and have been active in the community ever since. For many years Toby's work for Young Audiences, an arts-in-education organization base in New York City, has documented how the arts can be a profoundly positive force in any community that actively encourages and supports arts programming.` John Peters (Vice-chair) -- jhpeters@charter.net A lawyer by training, John presently has a business consulting practice confined to clients in the motion picture industry. After graduating from Yale Law School he practiced civil litigation at Morrison and Foerster before becoming general counsel and subsequently CEO of Zoetrope Studios. Later John was CEO of Epic Productions. Presently, in addition to his entertainment business consulting practice he is COO of Epsylon Video Enterprises, a startup internet video-on-demand technology company. As a recently arrived resident (2000) of Calabasas it is clear to him that this community both needs and will support a community theatre. Dr. Bradley Bobbs -- dr_bobbs@hotmail.com Bradley's support for an arts venue in Calabasas is motivated not only by his commitment to the community, but also largely by his hope to see his artistically and musically accomplished children and girlfriend perform and exhibit there someday. Since coming to Calabasas in 2003, he has become active in many local community organizations and events. Bradley holds a PhD in Physics from UCLA, and currently heads a research team in Calabasas working on a new kind of laser. Debbie Gambardella -- Dlagdlag@aol.com After receiving a B.A. in English (Education Emphasis) from Pepperdine University in 1982 and a secondary teaching credential from CSUN in 1986, I taught at Birmingham High School, Taft High School and for the Upward Bound program at CSUN. For eight years I served in various leadership roles in Girl Scouts, having held regional positions including Program Director, Special Events Coordinator and Trainer for the Rancho Calabasas Service Unit of the Girl Scout Council of the San Fernando Valley. I have been recognized by the Girl Scouts with several awards for outstanding service and creative leadership. Having myself been a musical and vocal performer from a young age, the arts continue to play a significant part in our family life. I believe that a theater in Calabasas would be a tremendous asset, invigorating our community through the arts and culture. Stephanie Cooper (Membership Co-Chair) -- Busystephanie@aol.com Stephanie is a graduate of Mt. St. Mary’s College in Brentwood, California, and taught elementary school for several years. She later graduated from UCLA Law School, and is now a mother, a grandmother and a part-time attorney. Stephanie feels strongly that Calabasas deserves a beautiful and permanent place, a cultural center, where all the arts can flourish. Josie Cyffka (treasurer) -- josiec@charter.net Josie has a degree in accounting as well as an MBA from Univ. of Southern California. She worked at a Big 5 accounting firm until retiring to raise a family. All three of her children play musical instruments, as do Josie and her husband. The whole family feels that live performances of music and theater are incomparable experiences, and longs for a local venue for local and regional groups to perform. Josie has served as Treasurer of various nonprofit organization (as a paid employee and as a volunteer) and currently serves Spotlight the Arts in this capacity. Mark Levinson -- marklevinsonmail@aol.com Mark Levinson is a partner in Greenberg Traurig LLP. He has significant experience in the municipal financing industry. Mark’s corporate counseling covers a wide range of issues challenging public companies and entrepreneurs, from public offerings to Sarbanes-Oxley compliance. Mark’s securities and finance practice includes advising broker-dealers, financial institutions, underwriters, and others in a broad range of projects, from tenant-in-common offerings, equity and debt offerings, and bond offerings to restructurings and structured financings. Mark prepares offering memoranda and counsels clients on securities compliance and corporate governance issues, and represents financial institutions in commercial and real estate lending and specialized financings. In the derivative financial products area, Mark advises clients involved in forward purchase agreements, interest rate swap agreements, and other financial derivative products. He has particular experience in assisting financial institutions, borrowers, and other parties in developing effective strategies in securities default and loan default matters. Mark’s municipal finance industry experience includes acting as bond and underwriter’s counsel, credit and liquidity provider’s counsel, and indenture trustee’s counsel. Mark typically is engaged by financial institutions, municipalities, redevelopment agencies, and other governmental authorities and educational institutions to assist in a range of infrastructure, affordable housing, and Mello-Roos and Marks Roos financings utilizing bond or certificate of participation structures, aggregating billions of dollars in securities. In real estate, Mark has particular experience representing syndication companies, lenders and others in a range of acquisitions, dispositions and private offerings, debt and equity financings, and sale-leaseback arrangements. Mark received his B.A. from Brandeis University in 1978. He received his J.D. from Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law at Yeshiva University in 1981, where he was Notes Editor for Cardozo Arts & Entertainment Law Journal. Mark is a member of the Tenant In Common Association; the National Association of Bond Lawyers; the Business Law, Real Property, and Probate & Trust Law Sections and Franchising Forum of the American Bar Association; the Los Angeles Business Counsel; the Los Angeles Business Forum; the Association for Corporate Growth; and the Los Angeles Venture Association. Gary Maxwell -- actmax@aol.com Gary Maxwell began his professional experience in Theater and Film while majoring in Mass Communications at Wayne University in Detroit Mich. After several years working in the Detroit theater community he continued his career in New York where he appeared in many off-broadway productions as well as appearances in Europe, Canada and many U.S. regional theaters. Moving to Los Angeles in 1969 he began working in all phases of film production, including art direction, shooting, sound mixing, writing, editing, directing, producing and consulting on some 400 projects to date. He has been a resident of Calabasas for 13 years and counts himself among the lucky few to call it his home. He joined STA 3 years ago and wholeheartedly supports the effort to build a Performing Arts Center that the Calabasas community can enjoy for years to come.