Ellen Breitman is a longtime arts and education advocate living in Irvine.  For 11 years, she served as Director of Education at Newport Harbor Art Museum (now Orange County Museum of Art).  Prior to that, she was an instructor in the Education Department at the Cleveland Museum of Art, and a National Endowment for the Humanities Intern at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis.  As a guest instructor, she taught courses on the history of museums and on museum education at California State University, Fullerton. And she served as Executive Assistant to Irvine City Council Member Beth Krom for three years.  She holds a masters degree in museology/museum studies from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities and a bachelors degree in English from Cornell University.

Jerry Mandel served on the Arts Orange County Board from 1998 to 2001. He is currently President of the Irvine Barclay Theatre.  He served for nine years as President and CEO of the Orange County Performing Arts Center.  This followed a long career in higher education in which he held positions as Vice Chancellor for University of Advancement at University of California, Irvine; Vice President for University Relations and Development at California State University, Long Beach; Executive Director, President's Round Table, Director of Corporate Relations, College of Business at San Diego State University; Executive Vice President at University of Nevada, Las Vegas; Dean of the College of Professional Studies and Fine Arts at San Diego State University; and Dean of Academic Planning, Graduate Studies and Research, at California State University, Dominguez Hills.  Jerry is also an accomplished jazz artist who performs regularly in Orange County, and appeared on stage in New York in April with former ArtsOC Board member Pamela Winslow Kashani at Feinstein's 54 Below, in their act "Love and Sax."