Our Team

Monique Anderson
  • Monique AndersonPresident

    Monique is the Director of Portfolio Solutions at VSP Vision Care where her team plans and executes 45 to 50 programs and projects annually encompassing a spectrum of VSP business initiatives. Monique holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California at Berkeley (GO BEARS!)  in both Political Science and Rhetoric.

    Monique’s interest in the arts and arts education is due to her children’s involvement in the arts in school.  Both of Monique’s children are graduates of the Elk Grove Unified School District where they were extremely dedicated band members.  Her daughter is planning to graduate from the Fashion Institute of Technology in Manhattan as a Fashion Design major in 2021.  Her son begins his freshman year at the Berklee College of Music in Boston this fall.  Both were AP and Honors students.  Band and music created an amazing learning and social environment for her children.  It also taught them that there are a plethora of career choices, including the Arts!  For seven years she as Secretary and President of the Pleasant Grove High Band Booster Board.

    Monique’s community involvement is always focused on youth development.  She has volunteered as an instructor for the Junior Achievement program, as a mentor for Rancho Cordova High School students, served as Chair of the T.R.Smedberg Middle School Site Council, as the Scholarship Committee Chair of the Folsom Lake College Foundation Board, and as a member of the Sacramento Unified School District Foundation Board. She is currently an instructor and Steering Committee Member for the Sacramento Black Chamber of Commerce Young Leadership Collaboration.

    Monique is grateful for the arts education her children experienced and, through her board involvement looks forward to helping future students experience the same

Robin Fisher
  • Robin FisherVice-President

    Robin has been on faculty with the School of Music at Sacramento State University since 2003,
    where she leads the Voice program that inspires young singers for careers in the performing
    arts. Robin’s passion for singing was fostered at a California high school and at San José State,
    where she was mentored to apply for scholarships and grants to study in Germany and Austria.
    After graduate work in Vienna, she led an active career in opera and concert throughout
    Europe. Robin returned to California to be a teacher and mentor to aspiring young singers.

    Robin’s two sons attended San Juan Unified schools, and she was an active parent-advocate for
    arts education. On behalf of teachers and students, she applied for grants to support music and
    art in their schools, and she served several years on the San Juan Education Foundation board.
    In 2018, Robin founded the Sac State Performing Arts Collective to link like-minded artistmentors
    from the university and community with Sacramento school children in performing
    arts activities during the summer. She has written and received grants from the California Arts
    Council, University Enterprises at Sac State, and the Sacramento Region Community
    Foundation. Her greatest passion is to connect professional artists with youth to develop their
    creative voice. As a product of the California public schools, Robin knows firsthand the impact
    arts education can have to change lives.

  • Katherine RomingerSecretary

    Katherine is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and currently works in research at UC Davis Medical Center. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Economy and a minor in Dance and Performance Studies from UC Berkeley and a Bachelor of Science degree in Dietetics from San Francisco State University.

    Katherine has always been involved in the creative arts. Growing up in Winters, CA, Katherine spent many hours taking dance lessons at local studios and being involved in theater, including the Winters Theater Company. Even today while working in healthcare, Katherine utilizes creativity gained through her arts education to better connect with patients and the community. Now as a parent of two young boys she is passionate about advocating for the same artistic opportunities and enrichment she enjoyed as a child.

A black and white professional portrait of Melanie Dahl
  • Melanie DahlTreasurer

    Melanie is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), and is a Manager at Gilbert CPAs in Sacramento specializing in financial statement audits of nonprofit organizations. Melanie also sits on the Board of the Washington Neighborhood Center, an arts and culture nonprofit in Midtown, Sacramento.

    Melanie holds a BA in Art History from the University of California, Los Angeles; an MA in Contemporary Art Theory from Goldsmiths College, University of London; and a Master of Professional Accountancy from the University of California, Davis.

    Melanie has benefitted from arts and music education her whole life and feels its value even when working in the accounting and finance industry. She enjoys travel, reading, painting, and supporting the arts community in Sacramento whether by sitting on a board, or simply being an attendee at events.

  • Ally Heatherly

    Ally Heatherly (She/Hers) is a multifaceted theater administration professional known for her expertise in social media writing and marketing. Having most recently served as the Director of Marketing and Development of Sacramento Theatre Company (STC), Ally is skilled at combining her passion for the arts and strategic communication prowess to maximize visibility of an organization.

    Beyond her role in the theater world, Ally is also a creativity and writing coach, guiding individuals and teams towards achieving their personal and professional goals. Her passion for coaching and arts education are combined in helping others realize their goals and potential through spoken word performance, poetry, and creative writing.

    Outside of her professional pursuits, Ally is an avid reader and writer of fiction. Her love for storytelling fuels her creativity and enriches her approach to communication in both her personal and professional life.

  • Josiah Kitonga

    Managing Director, California PTA

Mollie Morrison Bio Photo
  • Mollie Morrison

    Mollie Morrison is a mixed media artist and educator. Fabric, texture, pattern and vivid colors are what drive her watercolor collage artwork. She has been teaching art for nineteen years at various schools and programs including Brookfield School, Leonardo Da Vinci, Crocker Art Museum and I Can Do That. She studied Fashion and Art at Meredith College in Raleigh, NC and worked with DKNY Jeans in both Atlanta, Georgia and San Francisco, CA. She completed her Visual Art teaching credential in 2013. She currently works at CK McClatchy High school as the Visual and Performing Arts (VAPA) Coordinator. The CKM VAPA Program she worked to establish gives students a four-year art opportunity at the high school level. By providing this platform for students, the CKM VAPA program is establishing college and career readiness for young artists in every art form. Mollie’s focus day-to-day is in the sculpture studio, as the 3-D Art teacher for beginning, advanced and AP 3D artists. Mollie finds joy in the many discoveries students make as they explore art history. Teaching young people about the accomplishments of well-known artists, art movements and art happenings gives them permission to take risks in their own artwork. Mollie is excited to join the Friends of Sacramento Arts Board to increase students access to the arts and to amplify the need of arts education.

Brian Vargas
  • Brian Vargas

    Brian is the Program Manager for the Youth and Family Collective, an initiative by PRO Youth and Families, Inc in which he oversees the implementation of various programs focused on workforce development (#SacYouthWorks), mental wellness (MindOneSix), and youth marijuana use awareness and prevention (#SacYouthWorks Futures).
    Brian holds a deep passion for music since he can remember.

    He became passionate about writing songs and poetry after an elementary school assignment. Many classmates and peers at school began purchasing his poems, which encouraged him to continue writing. Throughout his schooling years, Brian signed up for every play, dance group, and choir opportunity he was able to. He learned to play Ukulele and Guitar so he could teach his two children (currently 6 and 4 years of age.) Brian has a creative room in his home where his kids are exposed to various musical instruments, and different mediums to create visual arts (Crafting materials, paint, canvases, photography/video cameras, etc.)

    Brian’s decision to join the board came from his desire to increase access to arts programs for youth in Sacramento. Aside from the arts, Brian loves to travel and learn different languages and about different cultures.

Debra Waltman
  • Debra Waltman

    Debra’s career in government has spanned over 20 years, where she has gained valuable experience managing and delivering business solutions, with a specific emphasis in finance, accounting, human resources, and grant making. She holds a Master of Business from Capella University and has a deep passion for helping organizations build a strong foundation from which to grow.

    Debra currently serves as the President of the Board of Directors of Girls Rock Sacramento (GRS), a social justice non-profit. She is also the program lead for the organization’s Youth Advisory Board that advises staff and board members on program development and community outreach. GRS empowers female-identifying and gender-expansive youth to build self-esteem through music education and performance, a supportive community of peers and mentors, and through the development of leadership skills.

    Debra has one daughter who is an artist, musician, and her greatest teacher. She makes jewelry under the brand Arcana and her hobbies include hiking, reading, crochet work, and playing guitar.

  • Susan Wheeler

    Susan Wheeler recently retired from SMUD where she was the Regional Workforce
    Development Program Manager. In her role, Susan set the company’s direction for workforce
    development efforts in the Sacramento Region, and helped residents in our community gain the
    skills and confidence to obtain rewarding careers to provide economic mobility.

    Susan worked in large multinational corporations (AT&T, Chevron and General Electric) as well
    as start-up and public sector companies. She is currently an adjunct faculty member at
    American River College where she teaches entrepreneurship courses.

    Susan is passionate about the arts and has an eclectic collection in her home from her many
    travels. She is currently on the Board of Juma, an organization that provides workplace skills for
    former foster youth. Susan is also an Advisory Board member for the College of Engineering
    and Computer Science at Sac State University.