David Brown - Founder and Director
David Brown is a Houston-based and the founding director of Spacetaker, an artist resource center, located in the historic sixth ward in Winter Street Studios. He studied at the University of Houston under Paul Kittleson and Luis Jimenez, and he received his BFA in 2001, graduating Magna Cum Laude. His works have been shown in numerous solo and group exhibitions at Darke Gallery, DiverseWorks, Fotofest, space125gallery and Deborah Colton Gallery. He has also been the focus of several articles in the Houston Chronicle, 002 magazine and ArtsHouston magazine. In 2007, the Houston Grand Opera recognized him for his community service. He is head-over-heels in love with his wife Christa and their two children Clara and Diego.
David currently serves on the board of Spacetaker, The Catastrophic Theater and the Advisory Board for River Oaks Chamber Orchestra. He also sits on the Greater Houston Partnerships Culture and Tourism committee, The Marketing Committee for the Avenue CDC and the Cultural Bridges committee for the Holocaust Museum Houston.
Chris Dunn - Editor in Chief
Chris Dunn has worn many hats in his day (and also shoes for that matter): road builder, gym rat, assistant horse trainer, college English instructor. Currently he calls the Montrose/Hyde Park area of Houston home (where he lives in a 1937 artist bungalow with his wife, Sarah Noel, and their dog, Roxy Peppers). Along with his position as Editor in Chief for Spacetaker.org, Chris holds a PhD in English, Creative Writing from the University of Houston. He holds a Master of Arts degree from Boston University. During his career as a student, Chris has been fortunate to have studied with some great writers, such as Susan Mitchell, Robert Pinsky, Derek Walcot, as well as the multifarious faculty at UH. His poetry has appeared in numerous magazines, including The Oklahoma Review, The Texas Review, Provincetown Arts, and The Paris Review.
Rebecca Ayres - Associate Editor
Rebecca is a native Houstonian who has traveled far and wide only to come back to where she started. From 1998-2002, she attended New York University where she studied Comparative Literature, Anthropology and Spanish/Latin American Culture. Following University, she returned to Houston and began working with Infernal Bridegroom Productions as a tech, stage manager and (really bad) actress. After a year back in the HIZO, Rebecca took off for Prague, Czech Republic where she taught English and edited for the Web and print arts and culture rag "Provokator" from 2004-2005. Once back in Houston, she returned to IBP and also performed with the Brazosport Li'l Players (as well as being an erstwhile tech and box office manager at DiverseWorks). Her behind the scenes photographs of IBP's Speeding Motorcycle were shown in the Axiom (but no one noticed). She still teaches ESL and tries to play music though her basslines will probably never be heard.
Carlos Go Boncan - Chief Technology Officer
Carlos Go Boncan attended Vanderbilt University and graduated with a B.E. in Biomedical Engineering. Along the way, he picked up an interest in graphic design and web development. After graduation, he worked as a freelance designer on various projects ranging from a website designed for the doctors in the TexasENT offices to the media kit for Houston's DJ group the Kracker Nuttz. His focus shifted when he began working as a Safety & Mission Assurance Engineer at Johnson Space Center but still continues to develop his design skills through projects like Spacetaker.org
Chet Farmer - Website Administration
Chet Farmer has been building Internet systems since 1991, when he managed a large, multi-user software port for the Department of Education-funded Project IDEALS at the University of Alabama. Since then, he's worked with software development projects both on- and offline in a variety of capacities, including five years managing projects and clients for the groundbreaking Houston-based firm Net Explorer. Since 2001, he's worked on a freelance basis creating technology solutions for growing concerns in a cross-section of capacities, from business/technology consulting and project management to coding and database administration. In 2003, he led a team of three delivering the music industry marketing site i-squad.com using exclusively Open Source tools; the site now supports in excess of 200,000 users and 3,000,000 hits per day. This experience made an Open Source believer of him, and it's these technologies and methods he brought to the Spacetaker effort. In addition to his technical pursuits, Mr. Farmer serves as President of the Board for Houston's Infernal Bridegroom Productions.
Christa Forster - Grants Writer
Christa Forster is a writer, teacher and performing artist. Additional organizational affiliations include St. John's School, Inprint, Inc, Infernal Bridegroom Productions, Writers in the Schools, and MoveOn.org. She is married to David A. Brown and they have two wonderful children. Christa is the Grants Director for Spacetaker.
She received her B.A. from Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, CA, and her M.F.A. from the University of Houston.
Jennifer Brugh - Board President
Turning thoughts into action motivates Jennifer Brugh; and it's the common thread that runs through the colorful tapestry of her career. A 35-year old entrepreneur, Jennifer is an Idea Architect; skilled at identifying a need and designing a business around the solution.
Jennifer is the co-founder of Triad Resources; an information technology based recruiting firm and co-author of Recruiting and Retaining Employees for Dummies. She went on to open Mind Puddles Art Gallery in Houston, and invented the Wrapsher™ body cover.
Most recently, Jennifer founded dnarB, a branding firm, specializing in providing companies with insight into what their customers experience and how the experience impacts the bottom line.
A proud alumnus of University of North Texas in Denton, where she earned a BA in Marketing, Jennifer currently makes her home in Houston, Texas and travels extensively to meet the needs of her clients and to explore business opportunities in every corner of the globe.
Elaine Dillard - Board Vice President
Elaine is a native Houstonian with over twenty years experience in event production, catering, and the restaurant industry. Since starting her career at Armando's in Houston, she has worked for San Francisco's Aqua, Beaulieu Vineyard, Word of Mouth Catering in Austin, Tony's, Mind Puddles Art Gallery, Mia Bella, Saffron and is currently producing special events for bistro moderne at the Hotel Derek. She now is the special events director for Planned Parenthood Houston. Elaine's non-profit work has included galas for Infernal Bridegroom Productions, Planned Parenthood, UH Women's Studies, Walt Disney Children's Charity, School of the Woods Montessori, March of Dimes, Houston Food bank, Susan G. Komen Foundation and Collaborative for Children. Elaine loves the collaborative creative process of event production and is passionate about producing stellar events within the budgetary constraints in which all non-profits must adhere. Projects for 2006 included the IBP Gala, The Scavenger Hunt for Collaborative with Children and Paper City's staff Holiday Soiree.
Carol Liffman - Board Treasurer
Carol Liffman joined the Group Technology Projects Risk Management Team in January following five years on the GOM Atlantis Project where she held several lead roles in project services. Carol's experience in risk management is informed by her broad background in the energy industry. Immediately prior to joining Atlantis, she worked with oil majors as a senior manager in the Energy Consulting Practice at Arthur Andersen's Houston office.
Her entry into the industry was through geoscience. Carol's work in stratigraphy and structural geology includes on-the-ground studies in frontier areas of Columbia, Ecuador, Brazil, Argentina and Pakistan. Carol has an MBA from the University of Houston, an MS in Geology from the University of Cincinnati, and a BA in Geophysical Sciences from the University of Chicago; as well as two years of additional graduate work at the University of Texas at Austin.
Jenni Rebecca Stephenson - Board Secretary
Jenni Rebecca Stephenson has passionately pursued the performing arts in many of their manifestations. She has voice and piano training, a Bachelors of Music from the Moores School, a Master of Fine Arts in Theatre Directing and has been a director, choreographer and performer in numerous projects.
In early 2006, Jenni co-founded Nova Arts Project, a Houston-based nonprofit performing arts organization dedicated to recreating classics and inspiring new works in a fearlessly theatrical way. With Nova, she directed an adaptation of Antigone for Oedipus^3, as well as The Joy Luck Club, a collaboration with APAHA, Maggini String Orchestra, and Dance of Asian America. She has also appeared in the Nova productions Hamlet and tempOdyssey.
In addition to her duties with Nova Arts Project, Jenni Rebecca is currently Development Coordinator for Theatre Under The Stars and continues to direct and choreograph for several local and state organizations. Through Nova, she hopes to inspire interest in and consistently foster an all-encompassing theatrical experience that is both dynamic and visceral. She is looking forward to the growth and establishment of Nova Arts Project as a valuable, yet fresh and challenging cultural institution in the city of Houston.
Adam Gibson - Board Member
Adam Gibson is vice president of International Business and heads the Greater Houston Partnership's World Trade Department. Comprised of the historic Houston Chamber of Commerce, Houston World Trade Association and Houston Economic Development Council, the Partnership is the primary advocate of Houston's business community, dedicated to building regional economic prosperity. The Partnership develops and implements integrated programs to enhance the business climate, business activity, job creation, economic development and quality of life throughout the Houston region.
Adam serves on the Texas Medical Center International Affairs Advisory Committee and the Greater Houston Coffee Association. He is active in the University of St. Thomas International Studies Alumni Association and serves on the Houston Grand Opera's Opening Night Advisory Committee.
Adam holds a bachelor's degree in international studies from the University of St. Thomas, as well as a juris doctorate degree from South Texas College of Law, and is a member of the State Bar of Texas.
Peter Glynn - Board Member
Mr. Glynn joined Agennix, Inc., a Houston biotechnology company in November of 2001 as Director of Business Development. Before joining Agennix, Mr. Glynn was a Senior Associate with McKinsey & Company in Houston, Texas. His principal areas of focus at McKinsey involved work in business building, energy and chemicals practices and included projects as diverse as the creation of a new e-commerce start-up in petroleum shipping and an assessment of the 2001 electric power crisis for the government of California. Prior to joining McKinsey, Mr. Glynn served as a commercial developer in London with Amoco Oil Corporation where he worked principally on the negotiation and commercial development of major gas transportation projects in Egypt, Turkey and the Caspian region. In 1995 Mr. Glynn received his Masters of International Business Studies (MIBS) from the University of South Carolina. He also holds a B.S. in Geology from Duke University.
Nicole Haagenson - Board Member
Nicole Haagenson provides a full range of marketing and public relations solutions to energy, technology, retail, financial services, real estate, professional services and legal industries, as well as to non-profits. Nicole has more than nine years experience in managing and executing multi-faceted communication efforts that include media relations, community relations, issues management, crisis communications and employee communications. Nicole has held marketing and PR management positions for U.S. and international-based companies, including: New Times Inc., newspaper publisher; eCitySuites, technology incubator; 10X Labs, technology consulting firm; Clear Pay Financial Services, online financial processor to the gaming industry; The Padgett Group, strategic marketing public relations agency; and Vinson & Elkins LLP, international corporate law firm.
Nicole has been critical to growing companies, establishing branding, expanding internal and external messages, and positioning executives as leaders in the community. She has conducted media and analyst interviews, media relations campaigns, executive training; developed communications plans, media kits, presentations, articles, case studies, brochures, websites; and provided trade show display and planning support for businesses around the world.
Nicole currently serves on the Board of Directors for Spacetaker.org, International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) and the Women's Resource Center at University of Houston. Nicole graduated from University of Houston with a BA in Public Relations and a minor in Women's Studies. In 2002 she received her yoga teacher certification through Barsana Dam Ashram in Austin, TX. She currently teaches yoga at the Royalton at River Oaks. She can be reached by phone: 281.660.9478.
Selven O'Keefe Jarmon - Board Member
Selven has been designing under his own label, "Selven O'Keefe Jarmon-a high end ready-to-wear collection," for the past eight years. Before designing on his own, he worked for garment manufacturer W.T.Genes as their house designer producing mass-market apparel. For several years he was the ghost designer for Tootsies stores, producing their private label for their Houston, Dallas, San Antonio and Atlanta stores. Selven's academic background includes Houston Community College and Texas Southern University. His accolades include the notable fashion award from the Museum of Fine Arts-Houston and Two Sickle Cell Anemia Fashion Awards. His Collections have been shown on runways in Houston, as well as, Fashion Week New York and Fashion Week Paris, France. Selven has crossed the fashion boundaries by collaborating with other celebrated artists, such as The Art Guys with Todd Oldham and David Wayne McGee. His work as a fashion Designer has been documented both locally and nationally in several publications and has been the subject of film media. Currently, Selven is working on producing a second label "SOKJ (Blue)," a moderately priced line for mass-market production.
Alton LaDay - Board Member
Native Texan Alton LaDay is the Principal of The LaDay Group a public relations firm specializing in the promotion of luxury goods, brands and services. Prior to founding The LaDay Group in 2004 Alton was the Marketing Director of Decorative Center Houston where he refined his media savvy and expertise in special events.
He has also been an active member of the civil rights organization The Human Rights Campaign serving on the National Board of Governors; the Houston Steering Committee and HRC Houston Gala Chair in 2005 and 2006. Alton also chaired DIFFA Houston's "Take A Seat" fundraiser in 2006 and DIFFA Houston's Sweetheart Soiree fundraiser in 2007.
In 2007 Alton was named to Houston's 25 Most Beautiful list. He serves on the Board of Directors of AIDS Foundation Houston and is active with the MFAH's African American Art Advisory Association (Five A,) American Society of Interior Designers Industry Partners (ASID-IP), Fashion Group International, HRC Federal Club, National Association of Black Journalist and the Public Relations Society of America.
Nicole Laurent - Board Member
Nicole Laurent is extremely active in the Houston arts world and has a profound understanding of the workings of the arts community. She served as the Civic Art + Design project manager for the Houston Arts Alliance from June 2004 until May 2007. She is currently the Director of the Architecture Center for AIA Houston/Houston Architecture Foundation where, among other duties, she is responsible for ArCH programs and exhibitions. She is also a contributing writer for INTOWN Magazine where she writes articles on various projects, people, openings, or events in the Houston arts scene.
Nicole holds a Bachelor of Arts from Colby College and a Master of Public Art Studies from the University of Southern California.
Toby Lister - Board Member
Bio coming soon.
David Mackie - Board Member
David Mackie has been practicing law in Houston for over eight years. He works in the real estate practice group of King & Spalding LLP. He and his wife, Carlotta, are proud native Houstonians and proud parents of Ava and Shepherd. David received his undergraduate degree from The University of Virginia (1994), and his law degree from The University of Houston (1999).
Lester Marks - Board Member
Lester Marks is President and mover and shaker of International Art Advisory Services, Ltd. He is art collector extraordinaire and unsurpassed patron/supporter of the arts in Houston. He has been listed by ART NEWS Magazine as one of the Top 200 Collectors in the World, and by ART & ANTIQUES Magazine as one of the Top 100 Collectors in the United States. He contributes monthly to ArtsHouston Magazine where he offers the art enthusiast and general reader alike his expertise on collecting art.
Claudia Solis - Board Member
Claudia is the Promotions Manager for the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. Claudia has recently coordinated the highly successful Starbucks Music Series, a monthly dj series, featuring the Beats of Basquiat. This record breaking event has attracted thousands of new audience members to the museum. A native Houstonian boasting Texan roots going back 10 generations, Ms. Solis departed Art League Houston, the city's oldest alternative visual art space, in 2004 after occupying literally every position-from staff assistant to executive director. Ms. Solis holds a BFA in Anthropology, with a focus on cultural comodification, from the University of Vermont.
Adam Walker - Board Member
ExxonMobil brought Adam to Houston in 2000. He is a Controller who specializes in the former Soviet Union/Caspian region. Adam has just finished a three year assignment in Angola/Chad/Cameroon. He started his career as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Togo (West Africa) where he taught villagers French based accounting systems. After three years in Peace Corps he continued to work for humanitarian organizations for a year in Haiti then to Sarajevo (Bosnia-Herzegovina) for two more years. Before moving to Houston he was working for Viacom in Casablanca on an assignment to bring Arabic MTV and VH1 to North Africa. He has a BBA from the Wichita State University and a MBA in Global Finance and French from the University of South Carolina. Adam is currently on assignment for ExxonMobil and resides in Atyrau, Kazakhstan.
Santosh Varughese - Board Member
A serial entrepreneur, Santosh Varughese is co-founder and Managing Director of FortisTCS, an advisory and consulting firm headquartered in Houston, Texas. After receiving his Bachelors in Electrical Engineering from the University of Houston, Mr. Varughese developed artificial intelligence data collection software for Royal Dutch Shell Company in the Hague, Netherlands and, after completing his MBA in Marketing & Finance from the University of St. Thomas, he gained experience as an International Brand Manager for Procter & Gamble based in Geneva, Switzerland. He knows more about Pampers, Luvs and Always than he is willing to admit.
He returned to Houston in 1995 and launched RSVP Publications, a direct mail advertising firm, which also published the Annual Guide for The Arts with editions in Houston, Austin and Dallas. He is an active Board Member of the Houston chapter of the Young Entrepreneurs Organization. Entrepreneurship may be his calling, but art and design is Mr. Varughese's passion. His work has been shown at Richard Eastman Gallery, Mind Puddles Gallery & Art Crawl and OPUS Downtown.
Tina Zulu - Board Member
Tina has over 11 years of sales and marketing experience, most recently focused on interactive brand marketing for Continental Airlines. At Continental, Tina provided strategic marketing leadership in the areas of marketing communications, online advertising, email marketing, promotion, product development, site analytics and market research. Tina's unique combination of creative and technical were an invaluable asset in facilitating the complete re-launch of Continental's OnePass Online Auction site, including a improved user interface, navigation and feature set.
Tina's entrepreneurial spirit led her to establish Urban Sugar Productions, an event production and promotion company, catering to clients in the lifestyle, entertainment, and fashion industries and was instrumental in attracting and maintaining a loyal audience during the revitalization of Houston's downtown nightlife community.
Tina holds a B.B.A. in Marketing and Entrepreneurship from the University of Houston with Honors and is a graduate of the Center of Entrepreneurship, Class of 2000. She was also the Lifestyle Editor for Yellow Magazine, a Houston-based fashion, lifestyle and arts publication.
Shannon Bishop - Education Advisory Board Member
Shannon Bishop is the founding Director of CASE (the Cooperative for After-School Enrichment) at Harris County Department of Education. CASE funds over 90 school-based after-school programs serving more than 15,000 children each day. In order to fulfill the vision that every child in Harris County will have access to an after-school program, CASE invests $12.5 million annually in after-school programs, and has raised over $35 million since it began in 1999.
Shannon received her Bachelor of Arts Degree from the University of Houston in 1994, and her Masters of Social Work Degree from the University of Houston in 1998. She has been in the after-school field since 1994 and is personally committed to improving the lives of children, women and families.
Christina Giannelli - Houston Dance Coalition Advisory Board
Christina Gianelli is the resident lighting designer for the Houston Ballet and has designed numerous dance performances for the ballet in Houston, New York City, the United States and the touring productions of the Houston Ballet in Asia.
She has also been a vital member of the Houston dance community for a number of years and established her reputation as the producing director of the much respected annual Weekend of Texas Contemporary Dance at Miller Outdoor Theatre, which traditionally opens the dance season in Houston each October. As director of the Dance Initiative, she just created the tenth annual event at Miller outdoor Theatre.
Gardner Landry - Agitator-at-Large
Gardner Landry is a freelance writer, editor and corporate branding consultant who has been working with clients in U.S. and international markets since 1989. Landry is a native Houstonian and graduated from Vanderbilt University in 1985 with a B.A. in English, magna cum laude. He created a print campaign for Easterly and Company that garnered a gold medal at the Houston Addies in February of 2004. In March of 2004, his play, SpottedHyena.com, was named as a finalist for the Tennessee Williams One-Act Play Competition at the New Orleans Literary Festival. Landry also serves as a member of the board of directors of Aurora Picture Show - Houston's world-class micro-cinema. Landry has recently been spotted trout fishing, attempting yoga, and cooking with reckless abandon in other people's kitchens.
Barry Mandel - Advisory Board Member
Bio coming soon.
Rene Saldivar - Education Advisory Board Member
Chicano educator Rene Saldivar is a veteran teacher with the Houston Independent School District and has been teaching English as a Second Language to recent immigrants in east Houston for the last 13 years. Originally from Brownsville, Texas, Rene is a seasoned traveler and has visited many countries including Thailand, Brazil, Australia, Sri Lanka and Pakistan (where his wife is from). Rene is committed to giving voice to the Latino community and has also taught Adult ESL classes in Austin through Austin Community College. Rene believes that the Arts can be a powerful vehicle for the education and empowerment of Houstonians, as well as a force for unifying communities in our diverse city. Rene has a BA in English from the University of Texas and recently graduated with an MA in Second Language Education from the University of Houston.