Our Team
MEET OUR LEADERSHIP
The Clackamas County Arts Alliance is the definition of “small but mighty.” Our staff look for the most efficient and effective ways to reach a wider community and integrate the arts into the cultural fabric of Clackamas County.
OUR STAFF
DIANNE ALVES
Executive Director (she/her)
As the Arts Alliance’s fearless leader, Dianne oversees all facets of the organization’s operations and manages fundraising.
SUE ALLEN
Artist Exhibit Program Manager
(she/her)
Sue manages our Artist Exhibit Program, and oversees all our gallery installations.
ARIELLA-SOPHIE STERNBERG
Community Outreach & Engagement Manager
(she/her)
Ariella-Sophie builds connections between individuals and organizations, and empowers them to get involved with the arts.
SARAH LAKEN
Communications Contractor
(she/her)
Sarah oversees communications and marketing for the Arts Alliance.
JULIA FITZGERALD
Bookkeeper
(she/her)
Julia handles all things financial and makes sure the Arts Alliance books are in tip top shape.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
JOHN SERRA
Chair
John is currently the Senior Government Affairs Coordinator at TriMet. He graduated from Oregon State University with a degree in Political Science. He later worked for Congressman Kurt Schader and spent five and a half years working as the coastal field representative and then Field Director for the district office. While not a practicing artist himself, (though once upon a time he was pretty good on a potter’s wheel) John has been a lifelong supporter of the arts and sees his role on the board as his opportunity to give back to his local arts community. He spends his off time gardening and camping with his wife, Mercedes, and dog, Charlie and resides in Clackamas County.
TED ANDERSON
Treasurer
Ted is a lifelong resident of Clackamas County. Professionally he is a Licensed Tax Consultant working with his wife Shari in her tax and accounting practice. Ted started his working career in the nursery industry and still owns a small wholesale nursery selling plants locally in the Portland/Vancouver area. Together Ted and Shari have raised two daughters supporting various artistic endeavors through music, dance and theater. In his spare time Ted enjoys woodworking, hiking, fishing and exploring his own artistic expression on the guitar. Ted is a member of the Oregon City Rotary club and a long time believer that art and culture is central to a vibrant community. Ted is honored to work with Arts Alliance as a board member.
SUSAN SCHENK
Secretary
Susan Schenk is a Wilsonville based mixed media artist. Since retiring from her school administrator position with Portland Public Schools, she has honed her own art skills, creating and exhibiting art, teaching classes and writing how-to articles for national crafter magazines. Her most recent art adventures involve teaching art on a luxury cruise line. She is a member of Elysium Artists and an active member of the Three Rivers Artists Guild in Oregon City. As a volunteer, she is a docent at the Portland Art Museum and a board member for the Creative Arts Community which organizes an annual adult residential art experience in the Columbia Gorge. As a member of the CCAA Advisory Board, she hopes to be a catalyst for creating a more visible art community as Wilsonville enjoys phenomenal population growth.
CYNDY SMITH-ENGLISH
Director
Cyndy has been the managing director of Clackamas Repertory Theatre – a professional theatre company in Oregon City – since it was founded in 2005. Prior to that she worked at the Portland Art Museum in development. She is also an actress and singer, and has performed in plays, musicals, operettas and in film for over 40 years. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in theatre from Lewis and Clark College and a Master of Arts degree in liberal studies from Reed College.
ITHACA JANZEN
Director
Ithaca attended Lewis & Clark College where she minored in Art and had a work study job in the ceramics studio. These days, she keeps her love of pottery alive as a hobby in her garage. Ithaca has a Master’s Degree in Anthropology of Tourism & Travel and works for Clackamas County Tourism. She has a passion for art and travel, and collects locally made pottery wherever she goes. As a board member, Ithaca hopes to enhance art experiences in Clackamas County to benefit residents and visitors alike.
ELLEN SPITALERI
Director
Ellen Spitaleri has deep ties to Clackamas County. She taught English, Speech and Drama at Estacada High School for 10 years, although one of those years was spent in England on a Fulbright Teacher Exchange. She then taught English, Speech and Journalism at Lake Oswego High School for 18 years, retiring in 2003. In 2004, she began working as a newspaper reporter for The Clackamas Review and Oregon City News, writing feature stories about artists and arts and theater organizations. She retired in October of 2023. She is a board member of New Century Players, a Milwaukie-based community theater group. Ellen is thrilled to be on the Clackamas Arts Alliance Board, as this will enable her to use her writing skills and retain her connection to the arts in Clackamas County.
ADVISORY COUNCIL
WILLIAM FRANK
Advisory Council Chair
William is a long-term resident of Welches, living in and caring for an historic 1920s fishing lodge along the Salmon River. He is retired as a consultant and member of the faculty at Clackamas Community College, where he assisted business and industry in organization development, leadership, training and facilitation. William was also the owner and operator of The Store Natural Foods & Café for 10 years in Welches. William is a guitar player and active globe trotter with his wife and proud father of two grown boys. Now he is interested in supporting the arts & cultural heritage of the Mt. Hood corridor and reconnecting with those far and wide who share his love of the mountain.
INTERESTED IN JOINING US?
We seek diverse representation from all areas of the county to join the Clackamas County Arts Alliance Board, or one of our five committees, including:
Public Arts Committee
Performing Arts Committee
Literary Arts Committee
Arts Organizations/Councils Committee
Arts and Culture Advocacy Committee
We also encourage you to consider serving as a Clackamas Cultural Coalition Member.
Visit Clackamas County Cultural Coalition’s website to learn more.
Honoring Native Peoples and Places
We honor this land and its original inhabitants from time immemorial, the Clackamas and Clowwewalla bands of Chinookan people, the Northern Molalla, and the Pudding River Band of Kalapuya. Signers of the Willamette Valley Treaty of 1855, they were removed from their homelands to the Grand Ronde Indian Reservation. Their descendants live on as Grand Ronde Tribal members today, carrying on the traditions and cultures of their ancestors.
Dedicated to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Clackamas County Arts Alliance exists within an area comprised of urban and rural communities with unique identities, values, and cultural interests. Visual arts, performing arts, and literary arts intersect with people from all cultural and racial backgrounds, ages, gender identities, sexual orientations, abilities, and socio-economic circumstances. We are committed to ensuring space for diverse voices and points of view, equitable access to opportunities for creatives of all kinds, and inclusive experiences that represent all members of our community.
Clackamas County Arts Alliance works with artists, performers, and writers from all walks of life and types of creative expression. We acknowledge the arts have a long history of serving privileged populations and representing white experiences. As we further evolve as a centralized point of contact for all communities, we are working to define our role in prioritizing and centering populations historically underrepresented in Clackamas County arts and culture experiences. This starts with listening and learning from the people who carry forward rich cultural traditions, and engaging them in planning, decision making, and implementation of arts activities throughout the county.