Our Board of Directors

Jon Blinder | President

With 20 years of Board experience, Jon was President of the Board of Directors for The Center for the Arts in Grass Valley for almost 9 years out of his 13 in service. He has deep experience working in Public Benefit Corporations, including organizational, fund development and public outreach. He is also a member of the Advisory Board of Hospice of the Foothills, and of the Board of Directors at Nevada County Economic Resource Council – representing the arts community through his role with NCArts. Originally from New York, Jon has lived in Nevada County for almost 30 years and currently lives in Nevada City. He is the only remaining founding member of Nevada County Arts Council (NCArts) in its current form. Jon chairs our Executive, Fund Development and Board Development Committees.

Donn K Harris

Donn is Nevada County Arts Council’s newest member of its board of directors. His most recent position, prior to moving to Nevada County, was as Director of Creativity at San Francisco Unified School District, and before this, from 2007, was Executive and Artistic Director of the Oakland School for the Arts. Earlier, Mr. Harris served as the Principal of the San Francisco School of the Arts, where he created a sister school, The Academy of Arts and Sciences, offering the arts to students without prior experience. Mr. Harris received his BA and MA in Theatre Arts from CSULA, and holds teaching credentials in English and Special Education. Governor Jerry Brown appointed Mr, Harris to the California Arts Council in January 2014, and served three successive terms as its Chair. Mr. Harris also serves as the Vice President of the National Arts Schools Network and is on the board of the Engineers Alliance for the Arts. He is a writer and thought leader, and also serves the board of directors for Color Me Human.

Shelly Covert

Shelly is Secretary and Spokesperson for the Nevada City Rancheria Tribal Council; Nisenan Coordinator at the Nevada County Firehouse No. 1 Museum; and Executive Director, California Heritage: Indigenous Research Project (CHIRP). In these roles, respectively, she nourishes the cultivation of Nisenan culture, ensures the documentation of Tribal histories and genealogies; and oversees research, documentation, preservation and protection of California Indigenous culture more broadly. She is a musician – performing regularly across the county.  Shelly is a key consultant for us on a number of our programs, ensuring respectful engagement with our Tribal peoples and key teamwork within our OF/BY/ALL initiative within our California Cultural Districts and across the county.

Abdul Leblanc

Abdul currently works with Telestream as a Support Specialist, but he has a diverse background, in verbal and non-verbal expression, surrounded by artist and with a strong background in music, having been Tour Manager for Manphibian Inc. in Los Angeles. Abdul serves on our internally focused Committee for Cultural Equity, and on our public facing Community of Practice for Equity in the Arts for Creative Sector Leadership, and is an NU Alum.

Michelle Amador

Michelle is an artist and experienced arts leader, currently serving as Director of Development for the Mark Morris Dance Group in New York, commuting from Nevada County. Prior to this, she provided interim leadership for Issue Project Room as it grew from an experimental arts organization into an influential cultural hub. She has worked for award-winning string quartet ETHEL and San Jose and San Francisco jazz organizations on the West Coast. As a published singer-songwriter and performer, she has been featured at BAM Cafe, Pete's Candy Store,and LA's Hotel Café, among others. Her music has been featured on NPR, Swiss Television, and radio stations worldwide as well as through collaborative art works at the Laumeiere Sculpture Garden and the Pasadena Museum of California Art. Of Peruvian descent, she is a member of Women of Color in the Arts. Her role on the governing body of the Nevada County Arts Council as a member of the Fund Development Committee and the OF/BY/ALL Committee. 

Jeannie Wood

Jeannie is Executive Director at Community Asian Theatre of The Sierra and founded its Cultural Enrichment programs. Born to immigrant parents in San Francisco’s Chinatown, she was active in many nonprofits in the Bay Area prior to moving to Nevada County.  Jeannie has worked as an English as a Second Language instructor and job developer for Asian adult immigrants, and is a torchbearer for Asian-American youth across the Northern California.

Jesse Locks

Jesse is a communications specialist with fifteen years of experience in publishing, film, radio, and multimedia. Currently, Jesse is the Festival Director of the award-winning Nevada City Film Festival, founder of Folk Trails Hiking Club, and owner of Locks Media Group, a creative marketing, communications and multimedia firm that works with non-profits, arts organizations and social good businesses. Her writing has been featured in publications such as Thrasher, Heckler, Alternative Press, Tape Op, Seattle Weekly, Arthur Magazine and ESPN. She was named one of the top 25 “New Creatives” in Northern California by Sacramento News & Review, one of 50 “Emerging Sages” by the Center for Non-Profit Leadership, and is an alumni of the National Alliance for Media Arts & Culture Leadership Institute. Jesse graduated from UC Santa Cruz with a BA in Literature and Journalism. Jesse co-Chairs our Fund Development Committee and assists us with market strategy and social media implementation.

Erik Christensen

Erik is ounder and principal shareholder of Gold Summit Legal, working on business, employment, and appellate matters throughout California and D.C. He is a litigation attorney and operations professional with experience within the California Supreme Court, the First District Court of Appeal. He has been named a Rising Star in Labor and Employment by Super Lawyers this year.

Catharine Bramkamp

Catharine Bramkamp is Chief Storytelling Officer for various organizations across California, including - closer to home - Nevada County Economic Resource Council. She is also a writing coach, author of 15 books, a poetry anthology editor, and conference organizer. She and her husband Andrew Hutchins, raised two boys in Sonoma County where she worked for United Way of the Wine Country, Sonoma State University, the wine industry and taught at three universities. A world traveler, her favorite countries invariably include a thriving wine and beer culture.