Commission for Arts and Culture

About Us

Commission Meetings

Commissioners

Fifteen volunteers appointed by the Mayor compose the City of San Diego Commission for Arts and Culture. Commissioners represent a diversity of backgrounds and are selected from individual arts and culture patrons, artists, educators, the business and professional community, those with professional qualifications and experience or knowledge of a particular arts and culture field, and the general public.

Vicki Reed
Chair

Vicki Reed is an author and critic who has been writing about the visual arts, with an emphasis on the continually changing nature of contemporary art, for over thirty years. Formerly a staff art critic for Arizona Living Magazine and Scottsdale Daily Progress, she has worked as a freelance art critic for various publications including The San Diego Tribune, Artweek and the Los Angeles Times. In 1999, Dr. Reed was appointed to the Commission's Public Art Committee and served on numerous artist selection panels, as well as participated in the development and publication of the Commission's Public Art Program Assessment Report (2001) and the Public Art Master Plan (2004). Appointed to the Commission in 2006, Dr. Reed currently serves as the Chair of the Commission and the Chair of the Public Art Committee. As a Commissioner, Dr. Reed helped guide the development of a collections management mission and scope for the City of San Diego. She is a member of the North Embarcadero Visionary Plan Public Art Committee, the Centre City Development Corporation's Lighting Advisory Committee, and was a member of the Port of San Diego's Signature Art Advisory Committee. Dr. Reed most recently served on the artist selection panels for San Diego's North Embarcadero Redevelopment Phase 1, the Serra Mesa-Kearny Mesa Branch Library Children's Educational Space and City Heights Square Park. Dr. Reed received a Ph.D. in Art History from UCLA where she focused on the critical reception of the work of artist Eva Hesse and a M.A. in Art History from Arizona State University. Married since 1986, she is the mother of three teenagers.
John Venekamp
Vice Chair

John Venekamp is a Senior Vice President/Managing Director for Brown Harris Stevens, a full service real estate firm in New York City. From 1987-1994, Mr. Venekamp was the Founder and President of New York-based Access Marketing, a marketing consulting company, and held various management positions for the J.C. Penney Company for more than 20 years. Mr. Venekamp has been a philanthropist, marketer, board member, fund-raiser, and strategist supporting numerous arts organizations. Mr. Venekamp chaired the Board of Directors for the Empire State Craft Alliance, successfully co-chaired annual galas and benefits in support of arts organizations, and led leadership seminars on "How to Support the Arts." He also served on the Board of Directors for Ziff Marketing, the largest arts marketing and advertising organizationw in New York City. Since living in San Diego, Mr. Venekamp has been very active in the arts community. Mr. Venekamp received a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from the University of South Dakota and has completed executive graduate courses in Business Administration at the University of Tennessee and Harvard University.
Larry Baza

Larry Baza is a professional arts administrator with more than 32 years of experience in advocating for the arts at the local, state and national level. He has served on the boards of various nonprofit arts organizations and provided his expertise as a panelist for arts commissions and foundations. In his professional career, Mr. Baza has directed and managed San Diego arts organizations and businesses including Centro Cultural De La Raza, Sushi Performance and Visual Arts, Fingerhut Gallery and Community Arts of San Diego. His wealth of knowledge and experience includes affiliations, consultancies, site visits and panel participation with various arts organizations including the National Endowment for the Arts, California Arts Council, California Association of Local Arts Organizations, Chicano Federation of San Diego County, National Association of Latino Arts and Culture and the San Diego Community Foundation. Currently, Mr. Baza is a partner in Noel-Baza Fine Art Gallery in Little Italy.
Colette Carson Royston

Colette Carson Royston has enjoyed a long career in cancer care. As an Oncology Clinical Nurse Specialist/cancer consultant her focus has been on research and education, demonstrated in numerous publications in the field of oncology and service on many healthcare-related boards. She has served as President of the National Oncology Nursing Foundation (grant administration) and served on the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center Foundation Board. She is actively involved with the San Diego Foundation as a past Chair and member of the San Diego Women's Foundation and currently serves on the Arts and Culture Working Group. She has served on the boards of the San Diego Opera and the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego. She has a master's degree from UCLA as an American Cancer Society Scholar. Ms. Royston is the immediate past Chair of the Commission for Arts and Culture.
Garet Clark

Garet Clark, a native of San Diego, worked as a banker specializing in trust, investment management, and private banking services from 1962 until 2004, when he retired as Region President of Northern Trust. He is past president of the La Jolla Rotary Club and is currently a member of the Downtown San Diego Rotary Club. He served on the Boards of the Downtown San Diego YMCA and the La Jolla YMCA, and was a recipient of the YMCA Golden Triangle of Distinguished Service Award in 1996. For eight months in 2002, as a volunteer, Mr. Clark served as the Interim Managing Director of The Old Globe. During that time, he was named as an Honorary Associate Artist of the Globe. Currently, he serves on the Board of Mo'olelo Performing Arts Company.
Robert H. Gleason

Robert H. Gleason is the Chief Financial Officer and General Counsel for Evans Hotels, a San Diego-based hospitality company whose properties include The Lodge at Torrey Pines, the Bahia Resort Hotel, and the Catamaran Resort & Spa. He has been an active volunteer at The Old Globe, where he has served nine years on its board (three as Vice Chair for Development) and is currently the Chair of its Public Affairs Committee. Other current professional and community affiliations include serving as Chair of the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority, as a member of the U.S. Bank San Diego County Advisory Board, and as a Director of the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund. He formerly held appointed positions on the boards of the San Diego Convention Center Corporation and the City of San Diego Funds Commission, and served as Chair of the San Diego Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Community Center. In addition, he is on leave as an adjunct faculty member of the School of Hospitality and Tourism Management at San Diego State University. He has a degree in economics from Princeton University and a law degree from the University of San Diego School of Law.
Joanne Hayakawa

Joanne Hayakawa has been a Professor of Art at San Diego State University since 1982. Ms. Hayakawa has more than 33 years experience teaching, lecturing and exhibiting at galleries, universities, museums, art centers, and diverse art venues throughout the country and internationally. Her work has been featured in solo exhibitions at the William D. Cannon Art Gallery in Carlsbad, California; Quint Contemporary Art in La Jolla, California; Wita Gardner Gallery in San Diego, California; University of Southern California; University of California San Diego; University of Tennessee; and the University of Delaware. Her work has been featured in books, numerous local and national catalogs, and periodicals. Ms. Hayakawa's work has been collected privately and by public agencies including the City of San Diego. Ms. Hayakawa frequently lectures on her own work and public art in San Diego, the United States, and was recently a lecturer at the State Institute of Ceramics in Faenza, Italy. Ms. Hayakawa received a BA degree in art from the University of California Santa Barbara and a MFA degree from the University of Washington.
Dea Hurston

Dea Hurston is a former San Diego City Schools teacher and arts advocate. She has served on the boards of San Diego Black Ensemble Theatre, Eveoke Dance Theatre, Sledgehammer Theatre, Salvation Army Women's Auxiliary and Friends of Vista Hill. She also sits on the advisory boards for the San Diego Repertory Theatre, Common Ground Theatre, Mo'olelo Theatre and Mainly Mozart. She has worked tirelessly chairing many fundraisers to help support these organizations and many others. She is a San Diego Performing Arts League Business Volunteer for the Arts and a charter member of the La Jolla Playhouse Center Stage Club. Most recently, she has served on the Balboa Park Task Force.
Lewis Klein

Lewis Klein is Account Vice President for UBS. He is past Board President of Sledgehammer Theater and has been on the board of Eveoke Dance Theater. Mr. Klein was a member of Partners for Livable Places. He served on the Development Committee of the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego. He is a Director for the National Conflict Resolution Center and serves on the Investment Policy Committee for the Jewish Community Foundation. Mr. Klein is a member of the President's Club of the Salk Institute. He supports other local arts and cultural organizations.
Judy McDonald

Judy McDonald is an experienced community volunteer serving the San Diego community for over 35 years. Over the years, she has worked on issues involving the well being of children, domestic violence, arts education, philanthropy, and many others. She currently is the President of the Parker Foundation, board member of the National Conflict Resolution Center, member of Neighborhood Funders in the Diamond, Vice-chair of the NTC Foundation, and the advisory board of Second Chance. Ms. McDonald is a member of the Downtown San Diego Rotary Club.
Laurie Mitchell

Laurie Mitchell is a general pediatrician who has practiced in East County community clinics for the past ten years, most recently working at Southern Indian Health Council. Committed to the well being of children and the arts, she has served as a community volunteer for many local groups including the Wellness Council of the Mountain Empire School District, the San Diego Childhood Obesity Initiative, and the San Diego Chapter of Reach Out and Read. She and her husband, Brent Woods, have been active supporters of Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, San Diego Museum of Art, The Old Globe, and Mingei International Museum. In addition, she currently serves on the Board of Directors of The New Children’s Museum, acting as board chair from 2007-2009, and serves on the Board of City Ballet of San Diego. She was also a member of the Board of Directors of the Museum of Man. Dr. Mitchell received a BA degree in English Literature from Wellesley College and an MD from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School and completed her pediatrics residency training at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
Sharletta Richardson

Sharletta Richardson has more than 36 years experience in the fields of music, education, and artistic performance. Her career in teaching music began in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1972. Ms. Richardson has taught courses at Gompers School at the secondary, middle, and high school levels from 1978 - 2007. She currently teaches choir and piano at The Center for the Arts at Lincoln High School. Ms. Richardson is an acclaimed master class flute soloist and has performed in and directed numerous instrumental and choir performances. Ms. Richardson received the U.S. President's Volunteers of America Award, Japan Fulbright Memorial Teachers Award, Job Corp Performing Arts Volunteer Award, San Diego Urban League Educator's Award, UCSD Educator's Award, and San Diego City Schools' Instrumental Teacher and Secondary Teacher of the Year Awards. In 2008, KPBS and Union Bank of California honored Ms. Richardson with the Black History Month Local Hero Award in Education. Ms. Richardson has also been very active with various professional and industry associations including the American Choral Directors Association, California Teachers Association, National Education Association, San Diego Teachers Association, and the Southern California Band and Orchestra Association. Ms. Richardson received a Master of Music degree in music education from the University of Cincinnati Conservatory of Music and a BS degree in public school music from Virginia State University.
Rebecca Smith

Rebecca Smith is Director of Community Engagement at The Eastridge Group. Previously, she was a Vice President at the San Diego Workforce Partnership and a Career Coach at QUALCOMM, also holding related positions over the past twenty years with the University of San Diego, the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce and High Tech High. Her experience includes hosting the Public Broadcasting Service series, “Career Advantage.” She earned a Master of Education in Counseling from University of San Diego and a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from University of California, San Diego. Ms. Smith serves on the Board of Directors of the United Way of San Diego County. She and her husband, Jimmy, an environmental scientist, live with their son, Ezra, in Mission Hills.
Sheryl White

Sheryl White, a native San Diegan, has enjoyed a banking career in San Diego spanning 28 years - 23 years at First Interstate Bank and five at California Bank and Trust. Ms. White has been on the Board of Directors of Torrey Pines Bank for the past eight years where she continues to be active in her banking career. She and her husband, Harvey, have been active with The Old Globe Theatre for decades along with many other arts organizations in town including the San Diego Opera and the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, to name a few. She has served as Chair of the Board of Directors at The Old Globe Theatre and currently sits on the boards of the San Diego Opera and the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego. Ms. White earned her Masters of Science in Executive Leadership at the University of San Diego in May of this year. She lives in Del Mar with her husband and her son, Greg, who is currently attending Santa Clara University. Her interests include travel, oil painting, attending theatre and working out at the gym. Ms. White was appointed to the Commission in 2010 and currently sits on the Commission's Advocacy Advisory Committee.