Shelly James brings a strategic, community-centered perspective to her work, grounded in a lifelong belief in the power of arts and culture to strengthen local identity and civic life.

A Sacramento area native, Shelly attended San Juan Unified schools, where the arts played a formative role in her education. She played violin and viola in a string quartet, sang in choir for many years, and performed in school productions, experiences that shaped her belief that the arts build community, discipline, and new ways of thinking.

Shelly is a seasoned marketing and communications leader with more than three decades of experience across the public, nonprofit, and destination marketing sectors. She is the CEO of PorterCo, a full-service advertising agency where she leads strategy and brand for integrated campaigns that help organizations deepen connection, strengthen impact, and grow inclusive audiences.

Her commitment to community extends beyond her professional work. Shelly has served on several boards and advisory committees, including Social Venture Partners Sacramento and CalTravel, bringing collaborative leadership and strategic insight to governance, fundraising, and mission-driven growth.

She holds a Juris Doctor and a Bachelor of Arts in Communications from California State University, Sacramento. She knows first-hand the value of arts in public schools and believes early exposure to the arts helps students thrive both in and beyond the classroom.

Gerry’s involvement in leadership of Arts organizations began in 1990 as a Board member of the Sacramento Area Dance Alliance. Starting in 1992, he served 8 years as a Commissioner on the Sacramento Metropolitan Arts Commission with 4 years as its Chair. He co-founded and was Board President for 15 years of the Metropolitan Arts Partnership, a workplace giving non-profit and a prelude to Sacramento’s Big Day of Giving. He is currently Co-President of the Sacrament Ballet Association Board and was instrumental in the Ballet’s recent transition and re-organization. He has served on boards for other non-profit and faith organizations in leadership capacities. He is a former Trustee for a private K-8 school and past commodore of the Classic Yacht Association for Northern CA. He is a past recipient of the Arts and Business Council’s Arts Leadership Award, and has served on many conference panels and speaker on the Arts. Since 1990, Gerry is the president of Kamilos Companies, a community developer for both employment and livable master planned communities in Northern CA. Gerry graduated from Cal Poly Pomona-Mechanical and Petroleum Engineering and later earned a MBA from St. Mary’s College of California, Moraga.

Brenda Davis is a natural resources/environmental/highly regulated industries attorney with her own practice in Sacramento that serves clients statewide, in other states and in Washington, D.C. Mrs. Davis is an avid supporter of all art forms and divides her current entertainment selections among live theater, exhibits at museums, art galleries, parks, and expositions, live music, and art house films when home in Sacramento and when traveling anywhere. For several years, she was an enthusiastic Elly Judge for Sacramento regional theater venues. She is also a huge fan of the Crocker Art Museum installations, lectures, family events, and jazz on the patio. She is thrilled to have seen live at the Crocker her first Kara Walker and Kehinde Wiley art pieces.

Summer is the Development Director for Peach Tree Health, a nonprofit and Qualified Health Center that offers healthcare to the underinsured and uninsured in the Sacramento and Yuba-Sutter Regions. She is in charge of fundraising, building community partnerships, public relations, and donor relations.

Summer also serves on the Board of Directors for Welcome Home Housing, an organization that provides affordable housing to individuals with mental illness. She was previously a Board Member for Hiking with Keiki on Oahu, HI where she led hikes throughout the island to kids aged 0-12 and assisted with all fundraising efforts.

Summer’s passion for the arts comes from her enjoyment of painting murals and from children like her daughter, Riley, who wants to be an Artist when she grows up. Riley stays up late drawing every night and would flourish with additional services like the ones Friends of the Sacramento Arts are advocating for.

Alison MacLeod is a Principal at KP Public Affairs and runs a wide variety of local and statewide public relations programs for KP clients. She has extensive experience in strategic communications programs, media relations, content development, coalition building, project siting, grassroots outreach, stakeholder engagement and community education. Her clients include local governments, healthcare associations, transportation agencies, non-profits, businesses and trade groups. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Communication from the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Alison has a strong interest in improving the education and opportunities available for our youth in the Sacramento region. She has two sons in elementary school in the Folsom Cordova Unified School District. Growing up, Alison greatly enjoyed and benefitted from participation in drama classes and school theater, as well as community youth theater programs.  She believes that arts exposure helps build confidence and public speaking skills, and is a critical component of a well-rounded education. Alison is eager to help promote the importance of arts education, and work toward improved accessibility for students across the region. She wants arts, music and theater programs readily accessible in our K-12 public schools across Sacramento County – so that all students, regardless of their particular school, or community, or family background – have access to the many social and academic benefits that come from arts education.

Alison is an active member with the Sacramento Metro Chamber, and volunteers as a coach for her son’s basketball teams. She loves to travel, to read, and to walk and bike the trails through Folsom.

Dalia Velazquez is a Branch Manager at SchoolsFirst Federal Credit Union, which is focused on helping school employees and their immediate family members with their financial needs. With over 15 years of experience in the banking industry, Dalia has extensive knowledge in finance, service, leadership, management and talent development. Her passion for Member service and the credit union movement began in 2011, when she first joined SchoolsFirst FCU and since has dedicated herself to helping Members achieve their financial goals. Part of her role includes creating awareness about financial literacy through community partnerships and within local schools.

Dalia’s dedication to the creating financial literacy, supporting local schools and the credit union movement has led her to serve as the Chairperson of the Sacramento Valley Credit Union Network and as a Board Member of the Eureka Educational Foundation. The focus is to give back to communities by contributing to students’ financial literacy programs, STEM and various Art programs. Her son, who is a student at Eureka Unified School District, is also an art enthusiast himself who loves to create visual arts and enjoys playing the piano.

Dalia has a passion for culinary arts, which has led her to participate and win cooking competitions and has a social media following. She enjoys creating new and unique recipes and enjoying them with family. Dalia also shares a passion for industrial organizational psychology and currently attends Penn State University Pursuing her B.S in Psychology.  During her spare time, Dalia loves to travel with her family, build collectable Legos with her son, and write poetry.

Allison Cagley has served as a professional fundraiser for over 30 years in the Sacramento region, specializing in arts and culture, education and children’s organizations. Experienced with all areas of nonprofit management and fundraising. Allison is an Association of Fundraising Professionals Certified Fundraising Executive. Allison is involved with the Rotary Club of Sacramento, is a Metro Chamber Leadership Sacramento alum, past president and board member of the California Capitol Chapter of Association of Fundraising Professionals and past board member of CLARA. Allison is a frequent workshop presenter for California’s Lawyers for the Arts.

Allison’s personal passion for the arts is thanks to her parents and the arts education she experienced in the local public-school system. “I look forward to working with our local community, business and education leaders in restoring a robust arts education program in our schools.”

Assistant Executive Director

Social Media/Website Coordinator