ArtSpan Board of Directors

Michael Yochum, Chairman, is a First Vice President in Investments at UBS Financial Services.  He is an art collector with an academic background in art history. His wife is an SF Open Studios Artist and was one of the earliest Art for City Youth Artists-in-Residence. He joined the Board in 2006 and finds serving to be an ideal fit with his vocation and avocation.
 
Paula Marcheschi, Vice-chairman, has served on ArtSpan's Board since 2006.
 
Dan Teree, Treasurer, is the Founder and CEO of Ticketfly, a leading social marketing & online ticketing service based in San Francisco.  He became a Board of Director in 2008 and is an avid art collector. He focuses on helping ArtSpan on its social marketing, event promotion, and Art For City Youth initiatives.
 
Vicki Shipkowitz, Secretary, transitioned from the museum to the technology world in 1993 and since has worked to bring media and collaboration-enabling technology to market at companies including Sun, Adobe, and currently SAP, where she is an executive in their Community Network organization. She is an avid collector of work by mid-career west coast artists, and joined ArtSpan's board in 2001. Vicki envisions an ArtSpan that offers artists the opportunity to communicate, collaborate and create community beyond their studio walls--as such, in 2007 she launched and chaired the Technology Advisory and Strategic Planning Committees.
 
John F. Melvin, Emeritus Chairman, is a San Francisco artist and a former public finance banker with a major investment bank. He has been a SF Open Studios artist since 2001, is a member of the Oakdale Studios Group, and began service on the Board of Directors in 2002.
 
John J. Davis Jr. is a lawyer at Davis, Cowell & Bowe in San Francisco. He represents construction-industry labor unions, labor-management committees, apprenticeship programs and artists. In addition to cases in various areas of labor law, Jack successfully defended the California Artists Resale Royalty Law against multiple constitutional challenges. Morseburg v. Balyon, 621 F.2d 972 (9th Cir. 1980). Jack serves on the board of California Lawyers for the Arts; he joined the ArtSpan Board in 1995.
 
Andrea Georgiana began her Board service in 2008.
 
Leslie Lowinger is a printmaker and member of Graphic Arts Workshop, a printmaking cooperative.  Per Ms. Lowinger: "Why am I so devoted to ArtSpan? Because artists may languish unseen in other cities, but here we provide a way for artists, art viewers, and collectors to meet." She has been an SF Open Studios Artist and Board Member since 1998. She serves as chairman of the Nominating Committee and served on the Youth Program Steering Committee during ArtSpan’s five-year AmeriCorps VISTA grant.
 
Alan Mazzetti has been a professional visual artist for 35 years with successful freelance careers in graphic design, illustration, and fine art He first participated in SF Open Studios in 1998, currently exhibits his abstract painting in galleries nationally, and is Gallery Director for the San Francisco gallery ArtPeople. As a Board Member since 2008 and SF Open Studios Committee Member since 2006, he expands his involvement in the local art community and assists fellow artists in connecting to the public.
 
Carrie Nardello is a professional visual artist at Project Artaud. She joined the ArtSpan Board in 2010.
 
Risley Sams is an Independent Financial Advisor to executives and business owners. He has always been fascinated with art development and history. In 2002, he started his own gallery and while no longer an owner in the gallery, his position on the board keeps him in touch with the art community. Per Mr. Sams:  “The development of art is one of mankind's highest order pursuits and I can think of very little I would rather support.”  He has served on the Board since 2005 and been an Auction Committee Co-chairman since 2004.

 
David Steele is a Managing Director at Bear Stearns and partner in Flour + Water.  He is the son of an orchestral musician and a sculptor.  He is passionate about art, music, and food. He joined ArtSpan's Board of Directors in 2006, served as the Chairman of the 2007 Selections Committee, holds a Masters in English Literature, and is working on a Court of Master Advanced Sommelier certificate.
 
Neal Strickberger is a VP of Management Information Systems at ebrary. He was a featured collector in the 2005 SF Open Studios Guide and is a long time supporter of the local arts community. His collecting interest ranges from figurative to neon to confrontational. His own art project is an attempt to provoke thought by merging advertising ideas and political instigation. He started active participation in ArtSpan in 2007 as a founding member of the Technology Advisory Council, focused on defining and creating a new ArtSpan Web site portal for artists and collectors. He became an ArtSpan Board Member in 2009.
 
Kay Weber has been an SF Open Studios Artist since 1996 and Board Member since 1998.