Naimeh Woodward
Naimeh Woodward is a dedicated advocate for the arts, serving as the President of Encinitas Friends of the Arts (EFA) in Encinitas, California.
Naimeh’s journey into the arts began early in her life, deeply influenced by her multicultural background. Born in Iran, she grew up surrounded by a rich tapestry of Persian culture, music, and art. This early exposure instilled in her a profound appreciation for the arts and a belief in their power to bring people together, transcending cultural and linguistic barriers. Her experiences as an immigrant also gave her a unique perspective on the importance of inclusivity and diversity in the arts.
After moving to the United States, Naimeh continued to pursue her passion for the arts while building a successful career in the healthcare industry. She earned a master degree in Business Administration, which provided her with the skills and knowledge to manage organizations effectively. Her business acumen, combined with her love for the arts, made her a natural fit for leadership roles in cultural organizations.
In addition to her work with Encinitas Friends of the Arts, Naimeh is actively involved in other community organizations and initiatives. She serves on several boards and committees, where she advocates for the integration of arts and culture into all aspects of community planning and development.
Naimeh is also deeply committed to supporting local artists and providing them with opportunities to showcase their work. She has spearheaded efforts to create more public art spaces in Encinitas, including murals and sculptures that reflect the city’s unique character and charm.
Deanne Sabeck
Deanne Sabeck is the owner of Deanne Sabeck Studios/Kuivato Glass Gallery. She has also served as an owner and director of Casa Candelitas, an art and yoga retreat located in Costa Rica. She is also part of the San Diego Visual Arts Network Greencinita.
Kathleen McMillen Lees
A second generation Angelino, Kathleen moved to Encinitas to escape the traffic and find a little space. She started her own art business as an art dealer and consultant in a convenient showroom space in downtown Encinitas. Retiring after 35 years of doing what she loved…she truly never worked a day.
For many years, Kathleen has served on the Board of the Leucadia-Encinitas Town Council and is currently completing a second term on the Encinitas Arts Commission. She is committed to the wellbeing of Encinitas and has participated in many committees and groups involved with community development such as open space preservation; both Downtown and Leucadia Streetscape projects; Pacific View School as an Arts Center; safe at-grade railroad crossings and quiet zones; General Plan Update; building Olympus Park; preservation and replacement of the Leucadia Tree Canopy; and street design. She loves being on the EFA Board and is looking forward to having more time to support its efforts.
James Gilliam
James Gilliam served as Arts Administrator for the City of Encinitas from 2005-2021. Previous positions include Arts Administrator for the City of Santa Ana, Executive Director of Imagination Celebration of Orange County, and Director of Development for Pacific Chorale. In 2022, he was appointed to the San Diego County Arts and Culture Commission. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the North County Arts Network and iPalpiti Artists, International. Gilliam received a bachelor’s degree in church music from Vanguard University and holds certificates in fundraising, choral conducting, and the Kodály method of music education. For many years he sang professionally with Opera Pacific and the Pacific Chorale and is currently a member of the La Jolla Symphony Chorus, Prescott Chorale, and San Luis Rey Chorale. For more than 25 years he held director of music and choirmaster positions for churches in Orange County, California.
Brenda Dizon
Brenda Dizon is a thirty-five year resident of Cardiff by the Sea and recently retired from more than a three decades career in real estate finance. Since 2019, she has been the sole proprietor of the Corner Frame Shop & Leucadia Art Gallery located on Coast Highway 101 in Leucadia. A long time staple in the community, The Corner Frame Shop & Leucadia Art Gallery was founded in 1978 by her late husband, Morgan Mallory.
Brenda is a current board member of Leucadia 101 Main Street and past President of the Cardiff 101 Main Street. In August 2023, the Corner Frame Shop & Leucadia Art Gallery sponsored and organized the Kids Art Walk in Leucadia’s largest annual event, Leucadia Art Walk. She also helped to resurrect the Leucadia Arts & Cultural Foundation and serves as President.
In her spare time, she loves to travel, hike, pickleball and spend time with her family who reside in Maui.
Hillel Katzeff
Hillel Katzeff has been a resident of Cardiff-by-the Sea since 2013. He retired in 2024 after a four-decade career as a practicing financial planner and investment advisor. He serves on the finance committee of Beyond Us and Them, a nonprofit that uses the council process to encourage social connection and wellbeing for system-impacted and other populations.
Hillel is a lover of all genres of music and the arts and has played guitar since he was 12 years old. He established the Cardiff-by-the-Sea Music and Arts Salon in 2024 to bring people together and build community around music and the arts.
In addition to playing music and supporting the arts, he is an avid year-round open water swimmer and regularly swims at north county beaches. He completed a solo swim from Swamis to La Jolla Cove in 2020. He hails from Cape Town, South Africa and travels to visit family and friends and is a curious adventurer. He has two adult children.
Advisory Board
Patricia Frischer
Patricia Frischer is a founder and the coordinator of the non-profit San Diego Visual Arts Network, which has an events calendar and a directory with lists approximately 2500 visual arts resources in San Diego County. She also writes editorials, art reports, social media entries. She has curated exhibitions in California and Europe. Patricia Frischer’s vision is to see the San Diego region recognized as a hub of excellence for the visual arts.
Joann Johnson
Joann Johnson is a certified Kaizen Muse Creativity Coach who has been facilitating Creativity Workshops since 2003. Joann has a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Colorado State University and has over ten years of grant writing experience working with non-profit organizations in both Colorado and California. Joann previously worked with a variety of organizations including the Boulder County Latina Women’s League, League of Women Voters NCSD, North County Photographic Society. She is currently the Treasurer for the Encinitas Friends of the Arts.
Teresa Barth
Teresa Barth is a third-generation resident of the North Coast area. She served on the Encinitas City Council from 2006 -2014 and was an advocate for the arts. Barth is the founding president of Engage Encinitas, a nonprofit that aims to enrich the lives of city residents by encouraging collaboration and strengthening civic engagement.
Sayat Asatryan
Sayat Asatryan was born in Yerevan, Armenia and trained in Russia at the Voronezh Ballet school and St. Peterburg Ballet Academy. He received a comprehensive arts and humanities education at the St. Petersburg Ballet Academy and Voronezh Ballet Academy with the Master Degree in Dance and Arts. Additionally, he completed Certified Performing Arts Executive program from University of New Orleans focused on the management aspects of performing arts tour booking and presenting. He has been dancing professionally in the United States and throughout the world over the past 23 years, and teaching ballet technique and choreographing for the past 20 years.
Dr. Beatriz Villarreal
Dr. Beatriz Villarreal has worked to assist the Latino community for more than 27 years, providing community resources for the prevention of juvenile delinquency, gangs, drug abuse, and violence. From her over 8 years of service as a director of a counseling program at San Diego’s Juvenile Hall, to founding the Mano a Mano Foundation–a non-profit organization that works to support at-risk youth– Dr. Villarreal’s actions demonstrate her work in students achieving the American dream.
Gabriela "Gaby" Beas
Gabriela "Gaby" Beas is a first generation Mexican-American, the daughter of migrant farm workers, with roots in both Solana Beach and Encinitas. As the first in her family to pursue higher education, Gaby received an A.A. degree from Mira Costa College and was awarded the Latino HealthCare Professional Project (LHPP) fellowship at California State University Long Beach. During her time at CSU Long Beach, Gaby gained extensive experience in community advocacy while working to eliminate healthcare disparities. After completing a bachelor’s degree in healthcare administration, she shifted her focus from healthcare to education and has since continued the long and passionate work of eliminating educational disparities, championing equality, and empowering communities. For the last several years she has also played a significant role in some of the key cultural programs such as Dia de los Muertos celebration in the Encinitas and Solana Beach communities.
Angela Jackson
Angela Jackson is an award-winning, mixed media artist and art educator who has exhibited in many group and solo shows throughout the United States and abroad. Her artworks are held in private collections both nationally and internationally. She is inspired by the beauty and therapeutic aspects of the ocean, which are expressed in her paintings.
Angela creates art out of her studio in Cardiff, CA, teaches Visual Art at San Dieguito Academy in Encinitas, CA, is an Advisory Board Member of the Encinitas Friends of the Arts and is the former Gallery Director at the North Coast Repertory Theatre, Solana Beach, CA.
Sadie Weinberg
Sadie Weinberg is a dancer, dance maker and educator. She has been teaching in higher education in North County for almost 2 decades at MiraCosta, Palomar and UC San Diego. She also directs the non profit dance company, LITVAKdance based in Encinitas CA. Although the company is currently on hiatus, she is still committed to cultivating the arts, especially dance in NW San Diego County.
Anne Howard, Legal Council
Anne Howard has lived overseas for much of her life experiencing and enjoying many different cultures. Anne is an attorney specializing in the area of family law. Anne is a long time North County resident who just returned from two years in Ecuador. In Ecuador, Anne helped North American ex pats with their estate planning while she managed her family law office. Now settled back in North County, Anne looks forward to working with EFA to help promote art awareness and enjoyment in North County. She believes everyone will benefit by EFA helping to incorporate art into the environment and making cultural and art events more accessible.
Creative Director- Ballet Folklorico de San Dieguito – Encinitas
Nadia Arambula
Nadia Arambula was born in Mexico where she studied business in tourism. She began dancing Mexican folkloric dances at the age of five and came to the U.S. fifteen years later to follow her dream of creating her own ballet folklórico program. After six years as an instructor in San Diego and Oakland, she established Ballet Folklórico de San Dieguito & El Tapatío at the Bayside Community Center in Linda Vista and the Encinitas Community Center. She has also supported the Folklórico and Mariachi Association (FAMA) at the University of San Diego since 2012.
City of Encinitas Liaison
Collette Murphy
Collette Murphy is the Arts Administrator for the City of Encinitas. Collette is an entrepreneur and philanthropist with over 25 years of graphic design, marketing, publishing, and event management experience with multiple awards to her credit. She holds a bachelor’s degree in graphic design from the Art Institute of California.
After selling Ranch & Coast magazine, Collette focused her attention in the arts working for local nonprofits including Lux Art Institute and most recently as director of marketing for Oceanside Museum of Art. As a long-time Encinitas resident, she has served two terms on the Commission for the Arts and was a founding board member of Encinitas Friends of the Arts.
Social Media Coordinator
Sean Hnedak
Sean Hnedak is a web designer, UX designer and visual artist with an interest in community engagement and the environment. Outside of updating the EFA social media, Sean is an active oil painter, capturing the natural beauty of San Diego in a style know as “plein air” or the art of painting outdoors. After graduating from USC with a Bachelors of Fine Arts in Design/Painting in 2016, he returned to his hometown to pursue his passions.