Mitch Cohen - Advisory Board Member
Mitch Cohen is an unremitting behind the scenes guy in the Heights. First a volunteer placing artists in retail shops for the Heights 1st Saturday events (over 400 at last count) then starting and running the First Saturday Arts Market, Houston's only and longest running monthly outdoor fine arts event - now five years old. Mitch helped form the White Linen Night in the Heights event and remains on the steering committee. Always in the arts, Mitch earned a living as a professional artist from 1987 through 2007 as a professional sign painter and for fourteen years as a decorative artist and muralist. Mitch now spends his spare time coordinating outdoor events, writing and making a general nuisance of himself.
Elaine Dillard - Board Vice President
A native Houstonian committed to promoting and supporting Houston’s amazing art scene, Elaine combines her experience in event production, catering and the restaurant industry, with a flair for creative design. Elaine has produced such stellar events as: “A Kinky Valentine”, a fundraiser for Kinky Friedman for governor; the “Houston Are You Board?” fundraiser with P.U.S.H. and Aerosol Warfare, for the Lee and Joe Jamail Skate Park (which featured over 150 local and international artists); and the “Bandana” art show with Bomit (again featuring local and national artists). Her numerous non-profit events have included: the “Walt Disney Children’s Charity Event”; “The Super Hero Gala” and “The Wedding” for Infernal Bridegroom Productions; The University of Houston’s “Women’s Studies Annual Gala”; and galas for The Houston Food Bank, the School of the Woods Montessori, The March of Dimes, and the Susan G. Komen Foundation. In the past, she has worked with Armando's, of Houston; San Francisco's Aqua; Beaulieu Vineyard; Word of Mouth Catering, in Austin; Houston's Tony’s; the Bella Restaurants Group; and with Chef Philippe Schmit at bistro moderne. She is also on the Board of Directors of Catastrophic Theater, on the Advisory Board for the Lee and Joe Jamail’s Skate Park, and has co-chaired Lawndale’s “Day of the Dead Gala” (2007). Elaine is currently the special events director for Planned Parenthood of Houston and the Southeast Texas (most notably coordinating their young leaders "Party Like A Rock Star" and the annual Roe vs. Wade Luncheon) and received The Houston Grand Opera’s 2008 Ovation Award, which honors Houston’s next generation of dynamic young leaders who pave the way for young professionals in the realm of philanthropic, charitable, and civic endeavors. Elaine never sleeps.
Adam Gibson - Advisory 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.
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.
Peter Glynn - Advisory 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.
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.
Claudia Solis - Advisory 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 - Advisory 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.
