Fall 2010

A Cazadero Board Bonanza
Three New Caz Board Members

Our Board of Directors is excited to welcome three new members to the board.  Thanks to a renewed focus on board development, we have courted and elected three talented camper parents with the skills and enthusiasm to help Caz thrive now and in the future.

Julie Wilder-Sherman
Julie and Jeff Sherman of Petaluma have twin girls who have been coming to camp since 2005, first as campers and now as staff.  We first became aware of Julie when she and her twins volunteered at our first Holiday Reunion Party and then again a few months later at our Gala fundraiser.  Julie was clearly focused and knowledgeable about the challenges and rewards of working with volunteers and she feels any successful charitable organization needs a strong volunteer base.

Says Julie of her decision to join the Caz Board this year:
" I am not for lip service-I like to get things done. I have ideas, enthusiasm, and a passion for the camp, which spills over from my two daughters, Camille and Emily.  They look forward to their time at Caz more than anything else during the year, and their love for the camp is infectious.   I want to serve on the Caz board because I want to help it survive, succeed, and thrive.  The enthusiasm from my daughters is something that should be shared by every kid who goes to a music camp.  I want people to know that Caz is the best music camp in the world!"

Professionally, Julie serves as Worldwide Community Relations Manager for Autodesk during which time she has overseen projects as far away as China, India, and Biloxi, Mississippi.  She is a former board member of COTS, a homeless advocacy organization in Petaluma and she served nine years as host parent, board member and past-president of the Chernobyl Children’s Project, a volunteer, grassroots organization bringing children from Belarus to the United States for a six week respite as a result of the Chernobyl disaster in 1986. Currently Julie serves as a member of the Mountain Play Association Advisory Board and the Community Advisory Board through the Family Service Agency of Marin.

Julie is a “100%-er", committing in full to any project she takes on.  After wrapping up her work on other local boards in the last year she was able to make time for us. We are thrilled to have her.

Leslie Blackie
Leslie is a Cazadero alumna, Community College Educator, and current Caz parent. Leslie and her husband Jon have two children who are avid musicians, one or both of whom have been to Caz every summer since 2005. Leslie has supported and served as a board member with several local music boosters and the Viking Middle School Band.

For the last three years Leslie has been the coordinator of the CMEA Music Festival which has been hosted by her local Middle School.  Last year, she called the Caz office and helped us set up a promotional table during the three day event.  Leslie then proceeded to lead people to our table, tell them how wonderful Caz is and that they had to send their children to us.  It struck us that we should ask if she was interested in coming to work with us on the board and we were lucky enough to have her agree.

Professionally, Leslie is a Biology Professor at Laney College in Oakland where she coordinates the program in biomanufacturing.  She is also a quilter, scrapbooker, and assistant wine maker with her husband.

Laura Nachison
Laura brings a wealth of professional experience to our board.  She is a licensed attorney and practiced law for 12 years specializing in liability and insurance coverage litigation.  She has also taught legal ethics at both Loyola Law School and Santa Clara University Law School and has served on the Los Gatos planning commission for 6 years, 2 years as chair.

For the last 7 years Laura has been working in her “encore” career as a fundraiser and grant writer first as an independent contractor and recently for Aspiranet, a statewide foster care and adoption non-profit organization.  She says about her current work, “I enjoy using my writing and advocacy skills to help fund services for these children.”

Laura has sent two of her children to Caz over the years and is an avid fan.  “I have a deep commitment to Caz since the experiences there have been transformational for my daughter. Every summer she spends at Caz is another year of extraordinary growth.  Caz needs to be sustained to bring this experience to all kids who love music as my daughter does.”

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