Monterey, Calif.; February 11, 2014; Monterey Jazz Festival is pleased to announce that it has elected three new members to its board of directors: Howard Fisher, Scott Scheid, and Laura Zehm. All are leaders in Monterey County and have deep ties to the local community.
“I am extremely happy to welcome Howard Fisher, Scott Scheid, and Laura Zehm to the Monterey Jazz Festival board of directors,” said Managing Director Chris Doss. “The Festival is fortunate to have a talented and committed group of leaders among our board to guide the organization’s future success, and Howard, Scott, and Laura bring a strategic skill set to the board that strengthens this leadership.”
“I am very excited to have two long-time friends of the Festival and MJF Ambassadors Howard and Scott join the board,” said Terry O’Connor, president of the board. “Laura Zehm has a wealth of financial experience with both for profit and nonprofit organizations which are sorely needed in the challenging environment facing arts organizations today. I believe these new board members will bring new energy and perspective that will help support our mission to promote jazz as an art form through the Festival and our jazz education programs.”
Howard Fisher is a life-long lover of jazz and has been a key supporter of the Monterey Jazz Festival for many years His father was a San Francisco bandleader, and Howard learned to play trumpet as a teenager. Earning his MBA in Finance from Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley, Howard served as Director of Financial Analysis and Planning at SRI International (Stanford Research Institute). He was also active with the Stanford Jazz Workshop, and is a past chair of the Performing Arts Task Force for the World Theater at CSU Monterey Bay. Howard is a current board member of the Carmel Bach Festival. Additionally, he plays trumpet in the Monterey Peninsula College big band.
Scott Scheid is president and chief executive officer of Scheid Vineyards in Salinas. Before he returned to work at his family’s vineyard in 1986, Scott earned a degree in Economics from Claremont McKenna College, worked at E.F. Hutton & Co. in New York City, and was a real estate developer. He also served as the director of the California Association of Winegrape Growers for nearly a decade, and was president of the Monterey County Vintners and Growers Association as well as president of the National Steinbeck Center. Scott and his wife Nancy are life-long jazz fans and have been supporting MJF’s Jazz Education programs for over a decade.
Laura Zehm, MBA, FHFMA, is vice president and chief financial officer of Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula (CHOMP). She joined CHOMP in 1982 and has over 30 years of healthcare and financial experience. She is a member of Financial Executives International and American College of Healthcare Executives, is a Fellow in the Healthcare Financial Management Association. She has served on the HFMA board of directors, the board of the California Hospital Association; and the board of Natividad Medical Center. She has also served on nonprofit community boards and committees, including the Monterey Institute for Research in Astronomy, Monterey County AIDS Project, Monterey Federal Credit Union, and Carmel Mayor’s Task Force. Laura grew up outside of Chicago, earned her BS from Western Illinois University, and her MBA from Golden Gate University.
About Monterey Jazz Festival
Monterey Jazz Festival celebrates the legacy of jazz and expands the boundaries of and opportunities to experience jazz through the creative production of performances and educational programs.
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For more information, high-resolution pictures and interview opportunities, please contact:
Timothy Orr, Marketing Associate
Monterey Jazz Festival
Direct Line: 510.652.1122
Monterey Office: 831.373.3366
timorr@montereyjazzfestival.org
www.montereyjazzfestival.org