Music Academy of the West Board Chair, Auxiliary Chair, and New Board Members

 

 

Music Academy of the West announces the appointment of Board Chair Eileen Sheridan, plus new and returning Music Academy board members

Music Academy of the West also announces the appointments of Women's Auxiliary Chair and board member Meg DiNapoli, new board member Ellen Barger, and returning board members Margaret Cafarelli and Maurice Singer

                                                                                                  

Santa Barbara, CA — The Music Academy of the West is pleased to announce several appointments to the Music Academy's board of directors.

 

Eileen Sheridan, a partner at the local accounting firm Bartlett, Pringle & Wolf, has been named Board Chair of the Music Academy of the West. Ms. Sheridan has served on the board since 2011 and was vice chair under former board chair Warren Staley. Ms. Sheridan previously served as chair of the Music Academy's Planning Giving and Advancement committees. In 2020, she will chair the Executive Committee and serve on the Finance and Governance committees.

 

A native of Silver Spring, Maryland, Eileen Sheridan graduated cum laude from the University of Maryland with a bachelor’s degree in accounting before earning a master’s degree in taxation at Golden Gate University. She joined Bartlett, Pringle & Wolf in 1987, becoming a partner nine years later. A specialist in estate, trust, and charitable planning, she is a founding member of the firm’s estate planning group. Ms. Sheridan previously served as Chair of the Santa Barbara Foundation Board of Trustees. She is a longstanding member and past president of the Channel Counties Chapter of the California Society of Certified Public Accountants (CalCPA), serves on the CaCPA Statewide Committee on Taxation, and is the current Chair of the CalCPA Estate Planning Committee. She is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the Santa Barbara Estate Planning Council, as well as other planned giving groups.

 

“Eileen Sheridan brings an arsenal of financial and leadership skills to the Music Academy that are sought after on any board. I thoroughly enjoyed working with her during my time as chair and look forward to seeing her move the Academy's mission forward as it approaches its milestone 75th season.”

—Music Academy former Board Chair Warren Staley

 

“The Music Academy is incredibly fortunate to have great leadership in place as we move into 2020. Eileen Sheridan has the vision to take the Academy to the next level of growth and recognition in our community and internationally.” 

 — Music Academy of the West President and CEO Scott Reed

 

Meg DiNapoli, a manager of family investment properties in Goleta and Santa Barbara, has been named Women's Auxiliary chair, and joins the Academy's Board of Directors. She will also serve on the Academy's Advancement Committee. Ms. DiNapoli previously served as Auxiliary chair from 2009-2011 and was chair of the Auxiliary’s May Madness fundraising event. A Santa Barbara resident for 58 years, Ms. DiNapoli previously worked as an information processing systems administrator at Raytheon from 1982 to 1996, and as general manager of Pacific Coachworks from 1978 to 1980. Ms. DiNapoli has also served as chair of the Braille Auxiliary of Santa Barbara and chair of the Social Committee at La Cumbre Country Club. For over 35 years, she has volunteered as a “Fit for Life” instructor at the Santa Barbara YMCA.

 

Born in Sacramento, Meg DiNapoli earned a bachelor’s degree in English literature at Stanford University and a master’s degree in comparative literature at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Her studies also took her to Germany and the Center for Culture at the University of Florence. An accomplished pianist, Ms. DiNapoli has performed as a soloist and accompanist. She also plays the flute.

 

“Meg DiNapoli has years of experience as a leader within the Auxiliary as well as in the Santa Barbara community. I am delighted to pass onto her the role of chair, knowing she will continue elevating the Auxiliary's mission and values.”

—Women's Auxiliary former Chair Evie Vesper

 

“Ellen Barger is an outstanding representative for youth education in our community. Her strong leadership has helped us launch our Sing! Program. The choirs continue to grow, now including 200 students from 31 schools who all participate free of charge. Her depth of knowledge and skill never fail to inspire our work.”

—Music Academy Director of Innovation & Program Development Kevin Kwan Loucks

 

Ellen Barger, the Assistant Superintendent, Curriculum and Instruction, for the Santa Barbara County Education Office, where she provides service and leadership to the county’s 20 school districts, has joined the Music Academy's Board of Directors. Ms. Barger will also serve as chair of the Academy's Outreach and Innovation Committee and participate in both the Compeer and Alumni and Marketing committees.

 

An educator for more than 30 years, Ms. Barger’s experience includes elementary, secondary, and post-secondary teaching and administration. She earned a Bachelor of Science, cum laude, from The Ohio State University and Master of Science in Secondary Education and Mathematics Education from CSU Fullerton, where she was named the Edwin Carr Fellow.

 

Ms. Barger is currently on the executive council of the statewide CCSESA Curriculum and Instruction Steering Committee, is the chair of the mathematics subcommittee, and serves on multiple work groups for policy, instruction, and accountability. She offers a social justice lens to her service as a board member of TODOS and as a faculty member for the Institute for Equity in Education. Additionally, she serves on the board of Fairview Gardens Center for Urban Agriculture and is an active volunteer with Transition House and other Santa Barbara non-profits. She lives in Santa Barbara with her husband Tony Helf.

 

“It is a great pleasure to have Marge Cafarelli re-elected to the Music Academy’s Board. As our past chair, she brings strong leadership and institutional knowledge to the organization. Her personal and professional contributions as a stakeholder in our success are highly valued.”

—Music Academy Board Vice Chair Phil Bernstein

 

Margaret Cafarelli has returned to the board for a three-year term and will re-join the Finance and Buildings & Grounds committees. Born in Phoenix, Ms. Cafarelli studied marketing and finance at Arizona State University before embarking on a career in real estate development. After working for a succession of small, family owned firms, she founded Urban Developments in 1999. The San Francisco-based company specializes in sustainable urban mixed-use projects. Ms. Cafarelli served on the Sustainable Development Council of the Urban Land Institute, a public policy organization based in Washington, D.C.; In 2007 she completed the Executive Program in Business Strategies for Environmental Sustainability at Stanford University Graduate School of Business and the Woods Institute for the Environment in Palo Alto, California. Her recent projects include the Santa Barbara Public Market and the broader Alma del Pueblo residential and commercial development, both on Victoria Street in Santa Barbara.

 

Ms. Cafarelli, who has residences in Santa Barbara and San Francisco, joined the Music Academy Board in 2009, and has served on the Finance, Marketing, Buildings & Grounds, Executive, Campus Renovation, and Education Policy committees. She became the Board’s first vice chair in 2013. Ms. Cafarelli also has chaired the Santa Barbara Golf Invitational, an annual Music Academy benefit, and has participated in the Compeer Program, which pairs Academy fellows with Academy donors and other Santa Barbara community members for informal socializing throughout the summer season.

 

“It’s great news that Maurice Singer will be re-joining the Music Academy’s Board of Directors. His financial and business acumen is coupled with his passion for music. We’re grateful for his participation.” 

—Music Academy Board Member Thomas Orlando

 

Maurice Singer served on Music Academy Board of Directors from January 2010 through December 2018 and has also returned to the board for a three-year term. Mr. Singer has also served as chair of the Academy's Marketing Committee and will participate this year in the Audit, Marketing, and Investment committees.

 

Born in New York City, Mr. Singer studied English and economics at the University of Vermont and went on to hold a succession of senior management positions in the film and television industry, including president of HBO Films and senior vice president at Home Box Office, Columbia Pictures Corp., and Westinghouse Broadcasting Co. Shortly after becoming a licensed financial advisor, he founded Los Angeles-based Riviera Capital Management in 1993, an independent firm specializing in wealth management, venture capital, and initial public offering consultation. Mr. Singer is currently a founding principal at The Evergreen Advantage, a private mortgage fund based in Santa Monica with offices in Montecito. The firm has a loan portfolio of real estate throughout California. In addition to being a member of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences and the National Association of Television Broadcasters, Mr. Singer has served as a board director for Tempra Technology and Qnext Corp, and is currently a member of the Board of Directors of the Ojai Music Festival, as well as The Industry, a Los Angeles-based opera company.

 

About Music Academy of the West

 

Music Academy of the West advances the development of 21st century classically trained musicians and cultivates discerning, appreciative, and adventurous audiences. Founded in 1947, the Academy operates on a 10-acre, ocean-side campus in Santa Barbara, California. Music Academy of the West’s world-renowned eight-week Summer Festival offers nearly 200 public events. Programs comprise voice, vocal piano, collaborative piano, instrumental, and solo piano. The Academy began a four-year partnership with the London Symphony Orchestra in 2018 focused on education and performance on both continents. An Innovation Institute supports alumni entrepreneurship with the Alumni Enterprise Awards and an annual residential. In the local community 200 young people participate in the Academy’s expanding choral program, Sing!. For more information, visit musicacademy.org.

 

Released: January 23, 2020

 

Kate Oberjat

Director of Marketing and Communications Music Academy of the West

805-695-7908

koberjat@musicacademy.org