Board Members

Since retiring from the U.S. EPA, I have enjoyed reawakening my love of music. I began cello lessons as a beginner and have “graduated” to the intermediate level at Cabrillo College. I also joined the Cabrillo Symphonic Chorus, directed by Cheryl Anderson who is also the music director at our church Peace United Congregational Church. The family loves to travel to see friends and often attend astronomy conferences. Recent trips have taken the family to Brazil, Zimbabwe, western China, and South Africa. I also enjoy reading (particularly meeting with two book groups I organized), gardening, learning to make sourdough bread, and doing jigsaw puzzles with the family.

As a child growing up in the mid-west, Mary Ann learned to play the piano and became a lifelong lover of classical music. She has been a supporter of the Santa Cruz Symphony and an active member of the Santa Cruz Symphony Association Board for over twenty years.

Mary Ann moved to the Santa Cruz area in the late 1980's when she and her husband, Peter, started a strawberry company, Pacific Gold Farms. She and her family also own and operate Margaritaville in Capitola, and most recently opened a second restaurant in Monterey, Stokes Adobe. Mary Ann has been a tireless community volunteer with numerous non-profit organizations including the Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History and the Homeless Service Center. She is honored to serve on the Santa Cruz League Board with such a wonderful community of volunteers dedicated to raising funds for our fabulous Symphony.

Cheryl is retired from careers in consumer and commercial credit, as sales manager and education counselor. Her passion is gardening and specializes in succulents. She is on the board of her condo HOA, does gardening detail work and plants succulents throughout the complex. She also volunteers at The Daisy, a non-profit women’s clothing store.

Cheryl played trumpet in marching band and French horn in orchestra, having picked up the brass instruments from her Minnesota grandfather who was a music teacher and had his own Polka band. She is a widow and has a 9-year old terrier mix named Colette. If she could have handled massive amounts of heat and sun, Cheryl would have liked to have been an archeologist. But now she’s still able to dig around in the earth!

Kathy has lived in Happy Valley for 50+ years; she graduated from San Jose State College with a BA in math and spent most of her working life in that field. How amazing is that? She was employed early on in the aerospace industry and, after having three children and getting them off to school, went on to work in IT for the County of Santa Cruz until retirement.

Since then her time is spent reading, traveling, volunteering and staying in contact with children and grandchildren scattered across three states. She played violin (badly) as a child, sang for several years with the Cabrillo Symphonic Chorus, and has a lifelong love of music.

Introduced to classical piano music while still in her mother’s womb, in time Susan went on to graduate from UC Santa Barbara, where she was a sociology major and a music minor. (She never did become too proficient from the piano bench!). Her professional career was as a social worker, and as Publicity and Public Relations Director for Stanford University’s music department.

She and her husband John live on the San Lorenzo River in the mountains near Boulder Creek, from where she carries out her duties as corresponding secretary (and delights in culinary creativity!). She considers it a joy and a privilege to represent the SC Symphony League in this way!

After a teaching career that expanded over thirty years, grades K-12, Kate decided to retire and enjoy family, friends, and travel. She also felt a need to give back to the community that was so supportive. Kate wanted to volunteer in a way that would include her interest in classical music, theater and dance. She began attending the Santa Cruz Symphony, Cabrillo Summer Festivals, and San Francisco Ballet. One summer Kate took her daughter and granddaughter to the world renown Jacob’s Pillow Dance Center in Becket, MA, taking in a Broadway performance of Hamilton on the way.

When asked to fill a place on the Symphony League Board she accepted, and served as Co-Chair of the Annual Home Tour for a few seasons and for Vice President - Education & Previews for the past four years.

Kate lives in Aptos, California close to her expanding family and church with her two devoted Labrador retrievers, Penny and Cubby.

Spomenka was born in the former Yugoslavia. She graduated from college there and came to America to fulfill her dreams some thirty years ago. She is married and has one son, and she owns her own Real Estate company “ Sunset Properties “ in the Monterey Bay Area. While growing up in Europe, she was fortunate to be exposed to fine music which she enjoys even more today.

Growing up she sang in a choir. The Symphony League affords her the opportunity of contributing in her own way and gives her great pleasure in supporting the Arts.

A native of Central Illinois, Dan graduated from Eastern Illinois University in 1965. After spending 4 years in the Air Force, he settled in Santa Cruz, working for the Credit Bureau for 25 years before moving on to GraniteRock in Watsonville.

When he married Vickie in 2001, he joined a family involved in the Symphony League. Music has always been a part of his life, including playing the saxophone and singing in his younger days. So, true to form, he joined the League, enjoying these many years of concerts, fundraising, socializing, and serving on your League Board of Directors. Dan has also served on the Board of Directors of the Family Service Agency of the Central Coast for 20 years.

He and Vickie enjoy a blended family of 4 children and 5 grandchildren. In his ‘spare’ time Dan enjoys spending time with family, travel, gardening, Symphony concerts, Jewel Theatre productions, reading, and helping care for seniors in his and Vickie’s lives.

Clyde has been involved in music since he was 7 years old. Practicing piano before school (at 6:30 a.m.) he later learned the organ and earned his way through college and seminary playing church organ. He was a music minor at the University of the Pacific. A (sort of) retired minister he still serves part time at the Boulder Creek United Methodist Church.

Married to Sheila, they share 5 children and 3 grandchildren.

Patricia has a strong background in employment services including positions at Computer Training Academy, Santa Cruz County Office of Education, and Santa Cruz City Schools. She also serves as President of Access 2 Employment, a non-profit that supports ex-offenders, people with disabilities, and seniors and youth in securing employment. She most recently developed an employment program for the Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Department to assist inmates with employment and re-entry.

Patricia is the mother of two daughters, Rose and Lillian. She enjoys all genres of music, and developed her love of opera and classical music while watching cartoons as a child. If she could turn back the hands of time, she would have trained for a Pilot's license after graduating high school.

Born in England. Degree in accounting. Always had a passion for promoting and fund raising for the arts. Coached high school drama and created a Drama Society in Malaysia. Past president of Symphony League.

I am retired and have time to devote to things I enjoy. The Symphony is one of the things I enjoy. I have served on the Board for many years and would like to continue. I started doing the previews for a few years, then went on to do the Musical Notes for several years and then became a rep-at-large.

Mary Ann has been an active supporter of the Symphony for many years. As a member of the Board she regularly takes on tasks that use her craft skills. She enjoys making the table center pieces for the tables, always a hit. She loves to have craft parties at her home to make baskets for the Home Tour Boutique. She has held a variety of offices on the Board and continues as a member at large.

My early years were spent growing up near Fargo, N.Dak. My family of 5 were very musical---we all played musical instruments and were often asked to sing at community events.

After receiving my BS degree, I happily left the harsh winters of N.Dak. and accepted a position as a Medical Technologist in balmy Honolulu. I spent two adventurous years there and also traveled to the Orient and Far East. Now, California was my next goal, and I accepted a position in the Hematology Department of Stanford Medical Center, and continued there for thirty years.

My husband Don and I lived in Los Altos for 38 years. We raised two wonderful sons there and were VERY involved in community volunteering and world travel.

In retirement, we lived in Palm Desert for eighteen seasons, again very involved in volunteering and world travel. I am recently widowed and live in the lovely community of Montevalle here in Scotts Valley. My parents at age 51 purchased this property and were the developers of this welcoming beautiful community,

Music has always brought me joy, nourishes my soul; and it continues to do so. I am honored to serve as Member-at-Large of the Symphony Board and look forward to new friendships and inspiring musical experiences.

Vickie graduated from San Jose State with a BA in Liberal Studies and went on to get her elementary teacher’s credential. Many years later, she earned her supplementary math credential and a masters. In her 27 years of teaching, she taught 2nd grade, middle school math, as well as middle school and high school algebra.

Vickie’s mother was at one time President of the League. Vickie didn’t join the board until retirement, but has been recording secretary since 2017; additionally, she helps with all the fundraisers and has really enjoyed the people she’s met and worked with. Vickie also volunteers for the Daisy Store, an upscale resale Women’s Clothing store which helps support Family Services. Vickie is the current president of her PEO chapter and past president of Delta Kappa Gamma, both women’s organizations.

Vickie loves to sing in church choir, garden, sew, spend time with her grandchildren, and travel with her husband, Dan.

Nancy Van Natta worked for twenty-five years as a Corporate Marketing Executive for technology companies. While doing that she also remodeled and redesigned homes. In 2001 she opened Nancy Van Natta Associates, an interior architecture and design practice, and she has been providing design services ever since. She has one husband, John Dickinson, two children, Owen and Brooke, four grandchildren, Bailey, Avery, Sofie and Braeden and one grand dog, Mini - all of whom she loves very much.

Sheila enjoyed a diverse career in the nonprofit world (Pacific Grove Unified School District, Meals on Wheels of the Monterey Peninsula, Easter Seals Society of Santa Cruz County, Santa Cruz Symphony, Doran Center for the Blind, and Cal State University Monterey Bay).

Music has always been an important part of her life, beginning with piano lessons, high school band, singing in her church choir, as well as in her high school and college choral groups. She was working for the Santa Cruz Symphony as Director of Development when the Symphony began performing at the Civic Center in 1989, and has had the same seat ever since (adding the seat next to her when she married Clyde). She is passionate about the Symphony League, and has been Treasurer for twelve years. Oh, and she loves to make jams and relishes which she donates to the Symphony League Home Tour Boutique and her church’s Holiday Boutique.