Board Of Directors & Administration

Board of Directors 2020-21

Susan Spoto, President, Philanthropist

Susan’s love for music started early, with the Spanish guitar, when she was a child in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Her father was a United States Naval Officer stationed there and their family listened to music of the region. Moving back to the States, Susan began studying guitar at age 5. At age 9, she heard another beautiful instrument, the flute, courtesy of the Honolulu Symphony and wanted to learn to play that as well. Susan has continued playing and performing on the flute. She enjoys supporting professional ensembles, helping to foster beautiful music for the community. Susan believes music can heal our souls, creating a better world. Susan and her husband, Gary, have been married for 33 years and live in Poway. They have one daughter, Alana, who will start her freshman year in college in a few weeks. Gary is a physician, a Neuroradiologist, and one of partners at Imaging Healthcare Specialists. Together, they have cheerfully catered The Spoto Dinner for Camarada for the last eight years. Susan has been a supporter of Camarada, since its inception over twenty years ago. A retired Clinical Laboratory Scientist, she continues to follow the latest medical discoveries and enjoys food, wine, travel, art, skiing, opera, theater and an occasional sports car.

Jeffrey Barnouw, Vice President, Professor

Jeffrey received his Ph.D. in Comparative Literature (English, French and German) at Yale. In effect, most of his publications and the slant of much of his teaching was intellectual history. Professor Barnouw taught at UCSD 1969-77 with two years off 1972-74 on a Post-Doctoral Fellowship from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, once more in Tuebingen. He has also held year-long fellowships from ACLS (American Council of Learned Societies), John Dewey Foundation, NEH (National Endowment for the Humanities), and the Getty Grant Program. He taught at Boston University, the University of Michigan, and finally 1985-2011 at the University of Texas at Austin, where he is an Emeritus Professor of English and Comparative Literature. Jeffrey was a guest professor at the University of Paris X – Nanterre, the University of Paris III – Nouvelle Sorbonne (twice), the University of Toulouse (twice), the Ludwig-Maxmilians University in Munich (twice) and finally the Ecole Normale Superieure in Lyon. He is on the editorial board of Hobbes Studies and still involved in scholarship as an evaluating reader and reviewer.

Kathy Dahl, Secretary, Marine Corps Education & Training Management

Kathy has worked for the Marine Corps University Office of Distance Education and Training at the Miramar Campus since 1998, providing student support for both the Command and Staff and the Expeditionary Warfare School. She also manages the College of Distance Education and Training office spaces and classrooms, coordinating for organizations and units aboard MCAS Miramar as well as visiting units such as the Blue Angels for the Miramar Air Show. Past professional experience includes serving as the business manager and sales representative for “SewWhat” in Tampa, Florida, doubling sales volume in a small specialty interior design firm; the office manager for Nurmil Pediatric Practice, providing operations oversight for a busy pediatric office. Earlier in her career, Kathryn worked for the Marine Officer’s Gift Shop in Okinawa Japan, a non-profit organization, supporting military and Japanese charities. Kathryn also served as shop decorator, managing incoming shipments from China, Mainland Japan, Thailand, the Philippines and local island artisans. She ended her service as the shop manager and buyer, working with vendors from the far east and an understanding of business practices in each country. She traveled to China, Korea, Thailand and Mainland Japan, along with the jewelry and stockroom managers to procure furniture, textiles, pottery, antiquates, jewelry and various gifts. The position also entailed sitting on a joint board of military and Japanese personnel who managed the disbursement of the shop’s profits to the charities.

Lisa Hyatt, Treasurer, Investor & Professional Speaker

Lisa Hyatt is currently the Vice President of E.S. Lovell, Inc., which was founded in 1954 and represents four generations of family experience in real estate. The company’s lineage can be traced back to the early 20th century, when William Augustus Lovell settled in Seattle, Washington, and began building houses. Ellsworth Lovell joined the family business, and became one of the first large-scale tract home developers in the post-war era of the 40’s and 50’s. He expanded the business to include commercial real estate development, which included an award-winning HUD commissioned apartment building Skyline House. William Lovell continued the family tradition with his own award-winning projects including Ellsworth House on Mercer Island, Washington, which is still providing affordable housing for the elderly and is a testament to test of time of the Lovell way. As Ellsworth’s granddaughter, Lisa brings a divergent skill set to the partnership. From a young age, she was drawn to the family business, and earned a bachelor of fine arts in interior design with an eye towards bringing this capability to rehabbing investment projects. In addition, her unique experience in financial markets and tax planning informs her understanding of risk and allows her to deftly navigate complex projects that require an understanding of timeliness and secure financial footing. Her most recent project included the acquisition, redesign and sale of a mid-century modern home built by renowned architect Cleon Mills located in Tiburon, California.

David Alvarez, CEO & Chief Strategist

David started Causa Consulting after 15 years of successful government service including eight years as an elected official as San Diego City Councilmember. He has served as an appointed member of major San Diego public organizations including the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority, San Diego Association of Governments, Metropolitan Transit System. He has also served on the Board of the League of Cities’ Latino Caucus and on the national Board of Local Progress. David led the efforts to annually increase investment in the city’s arts and culture programming during his time on the City Council. Among David’s proudest achievements are the building of major infrastructure projects like Cesar Solis Park, a new library branch in San Ysidro, and updating of community plans in Southeast San Diego, Otay Mesa, and San Ysidro and the revitalization of Barrio Logan. Causa Consulting is a firm focused on clients, that is purpose driven, helping businesses and organizations that see the potential of our binational relationship with Mexico or see the opportunity to create economic development and prosperity in San Diego. As a strategist that has led many efforts, David believes that every project is a campaign and that the success of causas is accomplished in partnership with the community.

Renetta Gable, Philanthropist

Renetta Gable graduated from the University of Minnesota with a degree in Biology. She moved to San Diego from Minneapolis with her husband, Preston, who started his internship at the Navy Hospital in 1989. Renetta has been Director of Fellowship at Tierrasanta Lutheran Church for five years. This involved creating, planning, and coordinating large church events. Other volunteer positions have included Suzuki Music Association of California San Diego Branch Membership Director for five years and Treasurer for seven years, and the Scripps Ranch High School Swim Team Treasurer for two years. For 27 years she has been “CEO” of the Gable Household. This involved coordinating schedules, managing budgets, planning events, and overseeing day-to-day operations of her family, including three children. Mrs. Gable is a gourmet freelance chef who enjoys experimenting with all different styles of food. Other hobbies include interior decorating, kettlebell workouts, yoga, cheering for the San Diego Chargers, and spending time with friends and family.

Robert John Hughes, Marketing Strategist & Entrepreneur

Robert’s expertise includes marketing, advertising, social media, business consulting, leadership training, public relations, journalism, and broadcasting. Best known to San Diego radio listeners as the co-founder and show host of 102.1 KPRI, San Diego’s locally owned adult rock radio station, he is co-founder and Chief Strategy Officer at ChangeWell Training Academy in San Diego. Robert is co-author of Enhance Your Presence: The Path to Personal Power, Professional Influence, and Business Results. He speaks frequently at healthcare conferences around the US. Robert is also a former White House TV news correspondent and author of How to Write a One Page News Release – Make Your Own News and Get it Covered for Free. He subsequently turned his writing and producing skills to the field of advertising where he created marketing campaigns for thousands of clients. His commercial copywriting, directing, and producing talents have won him the coveted Mercury Award, a Clio Award, and several ADDY Awards from the American Advertising Federation. Throughout his career, Robert has lectured and taught subjects as diverse as media and politics, advertising and marketing, and self-expression and leadership. He graduated from Fordham University in New York with a degree in English and Mass Media.

Gopal Miglani, Business Owner

Gopal Miglani is a communicator and entrepreneur with interests in sustainability and history. He is married to Shabnam Miglani and they have one daughter, a senior in high school. The Miglanis have been San Diego residents since 1999 and Cabernet subscribers for the last several years. They all share a love for the theater, music and travel. Gopal Miglani is the Founder and President of BitRouter, a digital TV software company. BitRouter licenses and deploys its software with a diverse group of customers that include AT&T, Comcast, Cox, Dish, Intel, Panasonic, Sony, Technicolor, Texas Instruments and Time Warner. In 1997 Gopal founded SoftProse, another digital TV software company that was acquired by Motorola in 2000. Prior to 1997 Gopal was the Director of Engineering at Microware Systems a digital TV and real-time operating system company. He holds a master’s degree in computer science from Iowa State University and a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Delhi College of Engineering.

Zoraida Payne, Public Historian

Zoraida is originally from Argentina and in 1997 came to the United States with Gary — her American husband — and their first child, Sebastian. Later, they had two more girls, Michelle and Mercedes. While bilingually raising their three kids, she worked as a Spanish and Latino Culture Teacher at elementary and middle schools, as well as in private language institutes in San Diego.

Zoraida’s love for music was ignited in her home country, at a very young age when attending operas, zarzuelas, and flamenco events with her father. She felt so fortunate that she could share this musical passion with her husband of 26 years. Gary is a photographer and a musician —
mandolin and violin. Both are avid supporters of the art and musical scene in San Diego, and they have been hosting concerts at their home since 2004. Since 2017, they have been running the Kensington concert series.

Following her longtime passion for understanding the roots and expressions of her adopted country, she recently went back to school, and earned her Master’s in American History at San Diego State University. Since 2015, she has been working as a docent, researcher, and writer for the Coronado Historical Association. Lately, she started to collaborate with the Kensington Community Journal as a public historian.

Zoraida is a volunteer bilingual community educator for the Alzheimer’s Association. Her hobbies are traveling, improving her French, cooking and baking for family and friends, gardening, and kayaking in the bay. Zoraida thinks that there is so much to learn and joyfully concentrate in life, and she strongly believes that music is the ubiquitous way to lead the way.

Jeanne Simmons, Community Volunteer

Jeanne Simmons graduated with honors from San Diego State University with a degree in Journalism. Following a lifelong dream, Jeanne attended law school and, in 1982, graduated with honors from California Western School of Law. She then began her career in law at Higgs, Fletcher and Mack where she represented clients involved in civil litigation disputes. Jeanne is also an experienced mediator, arbitrator and lecturer. Since retiring from the Higgs firm Jeanne has enjoyed raising her daughter Nicole and supporting non-profit organizations including Camarada. Her current interests include helping to solve the homeless crisis in San Diego. Jeanne is actively volunteering at the Monarch School in San Diego. Monarch is a K-12 comprehensive school designed to educate approximately 450 homeless youth and provide additional support to their families. Jeanne and her husband Roger, a retired professor at San Diego State University, have been married for 31 years and enjoy all of the wonderful opportunities to experience local cultural and outdoor activites.

Desirée Wilson, Consultant & Business Owner

Désirée M. Wilson is a provider of financial estate planning. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in International Relations from Agnes Scott College, an all women’s liberal arts college in Atlanta. After completing her undergraduate degree, she pursued a law degree at which time she interned with Elder Law and Advocacy, a non-profit San Diego-based organization focusing on the estate planning, tax and health care needs of the senior community. She also worked with Luce Forward Hamilton & Scripps LLP in the Family Wealth and Exempt Organization practice group. This experience enlivened a desire to work with clients to protect their most valued assets, their family and business, while enabling them to keep the maximum amount of income and profits. This inspired her to obtain a Masters of Business Administration with an emphasis in Financial Planning and Taxation. In 2011, when a struggling construction company came to her asking for help before they had to close their doors, she was not afraid to take on the task to assess their financial and business affairs to determine the best road to recovery and success. After several months of work to turn it around she decided this is something she could see herself doing. Désirée went on to get her contractor’s license allowing her to start an Iron Works and Fencing Company, which she operates out of her financial services office in Old Town. In August 2014 she was featured in the San Diego Reader cover story entitled “Babes in Boyland” focusing on her role as a woman in a mostly male-dominated field.

ADVISORY BOARD

Ann Craig

Jennifer Eve

Don Young

Our Dedicated Staff

Beth Ross Buckley, Artistic Director

Beth is the Executive Director of Camarada. Ms. Ross-Buckley is an advocate of chamber music and has produced groundbreaking chamber music events throughout San Diego combining great music, cuisine and art. An original founder of Camarada, for 25 years Beth has been the driving force behind this ensemble and has added many new venues, compositions and musicians to its celebrated history. Ms. Ross-Buckley received her Bachelor of Music in Flute Performance from St. Olaf College and her Masters of Music from the University of Minnesota. Her teachers include Kay Sahlin, Julia Bogorad, Elaine Eagle, Damian Bursill-Hall, Frances Blaisdell and Timothy Day. Ms. Ross-Buckley has been a featured artist at the National Flute Association Convention and Music Teacher’s Association of California. Beth was Principal flute of the former San Diego Chamber Orchestra/Orchestra Nova for 25 years and performed with many Musical Theatre productions in Southern California. Ms. Ross-Buckley also has a portrait photography business, Beth Ross Buckley Photography.

Dana Burnett, Associate Artistic Director

Dana, has been Co-Artistic Director of Camarada for over a decade. She has been on the faculties of the University of North Carolina, University of Wisconsin and Vanderbilt University. Ms. Burnett was awarded the Alban Berg Fellowship at the Schubert Institute-Austria, and received an Artist Diploma and accompanying prize from that institution. A soloist and chamber musician, Ms. Burnett has performed at Carnegie Hall; the Frick Collection, Pittsburgh, Dame Myra Hess Series, Chicago; Academy of Music, Philadelphia and the Kennedy Center, Washington D. C. Dana has premiered many chamber works including those by Jean-Michel Damase, Richard Wernick, Judith Zaimont, Gunther Shuller and the last chamber work of Stephen Albert. She has recorded for the Naxos and Arabesque labels and been featured on WHYY, Philadelphia “Fresh Air” and NPR. Ms. Burnett is currently a member of the MTAC state convention collaborative staff and music faculty at Cal State San Marcos.

Lisa Barnhouse, Executive Director

Lisa Barnhouse’s career spans strategic marketing, non-profit leadership, and entrepreneurship. She currently serves as a consultant offering fund development and growth strategy planning for non-profit organizations. After 18 years in leadership positions on volunteer boards, Lisa saw the benefits of fund development expertise on staff. Most of the foundations and non-profits she worked with could not afford a full-time development officer or executive director, but needed help with fundraising and strategic growth planning. Lisa combined her passion for helping under-served communities with her business, marketing and fundraising experience to offer development and strategy consulting. Prior to her volunteer work, Lisa began her marketing career as one of the early team members at Suissa Miller Advertising, Inc. (acquired by Dailey & Associates) in Santa Monica, California. Lisa led innovative marketing campaigns and business development projects for publicly traded clients including Hollywood Video and Jenny Craig. At San Francisco’s Wells Marketing (acquired by Interpublic Group), Lisa managed the Visa U.S.A. account, continuing her representation of Fortune 500 companies. Lisa continued exploring business and leveraging her marketing background with her entrepreneurial endeavor, uberfood, a pilot project launched in San Diego, California. Lisa co-founded the start-up food-tech company with the goal of creating the most convenient way possible for customers to enjoy freshly-prepared local, organic meals. Lisa Barnhouse received her B.A. in Communications from the University of California at Santa Barbara and works from home in La Jolla, California.

Thank you to our dedicated and FUN Board of Directors!

“It takes a village…and dedication to keep our vision for Camarada going!”

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