Music Academy Board Elects Officers
For Immediate Release December 21, 2006
Contact:
Tim Dougherty
805.695.7908
Santa Barbara, CA-Attorney James E. Davidson has been elected chairman of the Board of Directors for the Music Academy of the West. Sharon Westby (first vice chair), A. Stevens Halsted (second vice chair), Benjamin Jerry Cohen (treasurer) and Robert Toledo (secretary) also were elected to the board's executive committee.
A graduate of U.C. Santa Barbara and Harvard Law School, Mr. Davidson has been practicing law since 1968. He specializes in estate and tax planning at the firm Fell, Marking, Abkin, Montgomery, Granet & Raney LLP in Santa Barbara. Mr. Davidson also represents a number of nonprofit organizations, many of them private schools.
In addition to lengthy stints on the board of trustees for both Crane School in Montecito and the Santa Barbara Museum of Art, Mr. Davidson previously served as a board director for the Santa Barbara Symphony. He has served as first vice Chair, chair of the Planned Giving Committee and as a member of the Advancement, Governance and Executive committees since joining the Music Academy of the West Board of Directors in 2003.
Mr. Davidson, who will begin his term as chairman in January, succeeds John Burgee, who has held the position for the last two years. Music Academy Board officers serve terms of one year unless re-elected. Officers for 2007 were elected at a meeting on November 28.
"I am pleased to have been elected chair of the board at this exciting time. I look forward to the continued success of one of the top programs of its kind in the world," said Mr. Davidson.
Sharon Westby was a mathematics teacher in Warren, Michigan, for 13 years before joining General Motors Corp. She went on to hold a succession of analytical and management positions at the company, retiring as vice president of finance for GM Canada in 2002. A Santa Barbara resident since 2004, Ms. Westby previously served on the board of directors for the Michigan chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and volunteered with the Oakland County Literacy Council in Michigan. She joined the Music Academy of the West Board of Directors in 2005.
A. Stevens Halsted is retired following a 32-year career at Hughes Aircraft Co. in Los Angeles and at Santa Barbara Research Center, a Hughes subsidiary, where he worked on laser research, laser applications and electro-optical systems for commercial and military use. Dr. Halsted joined the Music Academy of the West Board of Directors in 2005. He also serves on the boards for the Scholarship Foundation of Santa Barbara and Heal the Ocean. His wife, Carole, served on the Music Academy Board from 1989 to 2004.
Benjamin J. Cohen is the Louis Lancaster Professor of International Political Economy at U.C. Santa Barbara, where he has been a member of the faculty since 1991. He teaches undergraduate and graduate courses on international political economy, having previously taught at Princeton University and at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University. His newest book, "The Future of Money," was published in 2004. He has been a member of the Music Academy of the West Board of Directors since 1999 and has served as treasurer since 2002.
Robert A. Toledo worked for Miller Brewing Co. in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, for 27 years before retiring as vice president of marketing to purchase Miller Brands Inc., a beverage distribution company based in Seattle, Washington. He sold the latter company in 1997 and retired. Mr. Toledo currently serves as president of the board of directors for Transition House and previously was a board director for the Santa Barbara Chamber Orchestra. He has been a member of the Music Academy of the West Board of Directors since 2005.
In related developments, the following individuals were re-elected to three-year terms on the Music Academy Board: Richard C. Blake, James E. Davidson, Seymour Lehrer, Robert Nourse, Robert Toledo and Robert W. Weinman.
Founded in 1947, the Music Academy of the West is among the nation's preeminent summer schools and festivals for gifted young classical musicians. The Academy provides these promising musicians with the opportunity for advanced study and performance under the guidance of internationally renowned faculty artists, as well as guest conductors and soloists. Admission to the Academy is strictly merit based, and students receive full scholarships. Academy alumni are members of major symphony orchestras, chamber orchestras, ensembles, opera companies and university and conservatory faculties throughout the world. Many have established themselves as prominent solo artists. Based in Santa Barbara, the Music Academy of the West presents more than 175 public events annually, including student recitals, masterclasses, orchestra and chamber music concerts, and fully staged opera. For more information, visit www.musicacademy.org.
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