Symphony Leadership

Board of Directors

Rick Harris

President

Rick moved to Ketchikan Alaska in 1978 taking a position with the Southern Southeast Aquaculture Association; a wonderful opportunity to see SE Alaska’s remote places. In 1980 through 2014 he worked in Juneau for Sealaska Corporation starting as their Environmental Coordination Manager and finishing his career (retired in 2014) as Sealaska’s Executive Vice President. He grew up in Eastern Washington, graduated with a Fisheries Science degree from the University of Washington, spent two years in the Army stationed in Nuremburg, Germany; where he gained an appreciation for classical music. Working for Sealaska extended his exposure to Southeast Alaska’s Tlingit and Haida culture. He was given the Tlingit name Kaa Ka’x and adopted into the Tsaagweidi (Eagle/Killer) Clan.

After retirement he has dedicated his time to traveling with his wife, Pat Tynan, in their camper van to see the “fly-over-states.” While his two kids were younger, Rick spent his weekends as a Glacier Swim Club race official and served as the swim club’s President. He keeps busy serving as a Senior fellow with the Sealaska Heritage Institute and as a board member on the State of Alaska Board of Marine Pilots.

rick@juneausymphony.org

Stacy Sedgwick

Vice President

Stacy Grummett Sedgwick is a third-generation Alaskan, born and raised in Juneau. She has had a 30-year career in the insurance industry as a commercial insurance professional and business owner. Stacy worked for Shattuck & Grummett Insurance since 1994 and is now a Commercial Producer and Vice President for Hub International Northwest located in Juneau. She earned her BA with an emphasis in Business Management from the University of Alaska, Southeast.

Prior to starting her business career, Stacy was a serious dance student. That love of dance took her to summer dance camps around the US and led to her attending Interlochen Arts Academy High School at Interlochen, Michigan. Attending a fine arts high school was an incredible experience with like-minded artists and fueled her love of all the arts.

Stacy is an active member of her community and values giving back by volunteering. She has served on the boards of Alaska Independent Agents and Brokers Association 2007-2010 and Juneau Dance Theatre 2015-2019. She annually participates in the United Way Day of Caring and has been a member of the Downtown Business Association – Marketing Committee, Downtown Rotary Club, and United Way – Volunteer of the Year Award Committee.

Stacy loves Alaska and enjoys skiing, hiking, dancing, biking, boating, crocheting, gardening and outdoor adventuring with her family and friends. She is married to Cary Sedgwick, have three adult kids, one happy Lab, and continue to make Juneau home.

Charlene Steinman

Past President

Charlene grew up in Juneau, and is proud to call herself a lifelong Alaskan. She graduated from Colorado State University with a BS in Interior Design, and worked in the field of commercial design and architecture before becoming a Realtor®. She has served as president of the American Society of Interior Designers, Alaska Chapter; Secretary of the CBJ ADA Committee; Associate AIA member; and many school boards and committees over the years as she and her husband, Scott, raised their 3 children. She enjoys outdoor and water adventures of all sorts, and teaches group fitness classes in her free time. Her support for music and arts in Juneau started when her son was involved in music as a student in the Juneau school system that led to many opportunities for performing, mentoring, and hosting of various events to support music for youth in SE Alaska. We’re grateful for these opportunities he and other students had to experience music in Juneau, and the Symphony and its outreach programs are an important part of that mission.

charlene@juneausymphony.org

Jodie Weller

Treasurer

Jodie moved to Juneau in 2015 after living in Naknek, Alaska in the Bristol Bay Area for 17 years. She came to Alaska in 1996 working for a Seattle-based fishing company. She grew up in California’s Sacramento Valley and received a Bachelor of Arts degree in English at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo. She currently works as non-partisan staff to the House Finance Committee at the Alaska State Legislature. She enjoys music, swimming, biking, sewing, her birds, and her three granddaughters. She and her husband can be seen regularly walking their two dogs on Juneau’s various trails. She is honored to be serving as a Juneau Symphony board member.

jodie@juneausymphony.org

Susan Cox

Secretary

Other than a one-year absence, Susan has called Juneau home since 1982. An attorney, Susan initially
moved here for a short-term job with the superior court, and later spent over three decades working in
the Alaska Attorney General’s Office. Now retired from full-time employment, she gets to indulge in
more time gardening, traveling, cooking and recreating with her husband, two children and their
spouses. Susan completed the Master Gardener course in 2018, has been a docent for the Jensen-Olson
Arboretum, and is the current president of the Juneau Garden Club. She has served on the Alaska Bar
Association Board of Governors, including one year as president, as well as race secretary for the Juneau
Ski Club and in many board and committee positions with Girl Scouts.

Susan is a lifelong lover of all kinds of music and an enthusiastic audience member for musical and
theatrical performances. She has sung in many choirs and choruses over the years, including Holiday
Pops and the Gospel workshop in Juneau. Serving on the Juneau Symphony Board has given her an even
greater appreciation for the wonderful talent in this community and the tremendous effort that goes
into making the symphony such an enduring success.

susanc@juneausymphony.org

Susan Bell

A lifelong Alaskan, Susan moved to Juneau in 1987. She is a Senior Policy Advisor for the University of Alaska and is a former president of McKinley Research Group (formerly McDowell Group), providing research and consulting services to clients in all sectors of Alaska’s economy. Susan previously served as Commissioner of the Alaska Department of Commerce, as Vice President for Goldbelt, and in several tourism marketing and operation roles. She appreciates Juneau’s rich cultural heritage, outdoor recreation, and vibrant arts community.

susan@juneausymphony.org

Sharon Denton

Sharon has been deeply rooted in the Juneau community since 1971, actively engaging in various facets of civic and cultural life. Her involvement with the Juneau Symphony spans decades, beginning with her attendance at concerts in the high school gym and continuing as a regular supporter. She furthered her commitment by serving on the Symphony’s board for six years from 1998 – 2003, contributing to its growth and development.

Sharon’s career in education within the Juneau School District, along with her current role as a reading interventionist at Montessori Borealis, underscores her dedication to nurturing young minds. Her educational background includes a Master of Education from Purdue University, which has informed her teaching and advocacy efforts.

Sharon has served on several boards, including NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness), Perseverance Theatre, and various reading associations. Her participation in community organizations such as PEO Chapter D, the Juneau Chamber of Commerce, and the Juneau Gastineau Rotary reflects her commitment to community welfare and development.

Sharon’s passion for music is evident through her involvement with the Juneau Symphony and her participation in numerous choirs and choruses over the years. Her desire to expose youth and young adults to music led her to contribute her leadership and expertise to the Juneau Symphony board.

sharon@juneausymphony.org

Lisa Dumas

Lisa grew up in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada and eventually made her way across that country in several roles as a radio broadcaster: a reporter and copywriter at a small station in Saskatchewan, a morning news anchor at a larger one, a midday host in Alberta and then a host on a music-based station in Toronto. In Canada’s largest city, Lisa met her on-air colleague, Cliff Dumas and began a partnership in life and work; the two collaborated on writing and hosting a nationally syndicated countdown show, wrote for televised award shows and accepted an opportunity to host a morning show together in New Mexico beginning their journey of American citizenship.

Their industry continued to provide opportunity for adventure and in 2004, they landed in San Diego with their 2-year-old daughter. In California Lisa discovered the power of therapeutic movement for mental and physical health and launched a continued two-decade passion and process of formal education. Lisa is now a Certified Yoga Therapist and Somatic Coach specializing in anxiety relief and has taken that work to Behavioral Health Centers, schools, workplaces, studios and retreats.

Having arrived in Juneau in summer of 2024 as part of an ownership group that acquired the Juneau Media Center, Lisa is appreciating the beauty and welcoming nature of her new home and grateful to facilitate therapeutic movement and private sessions at Auke Bay Yoga along with spending time in service with the Glacier Valley Rotary and contributing as a voice-over artist and writer at the Juneau Media Center. She also hosts weekend shifts on KINY and schedules the weekly community program, Capital Chat. She is honored to be invited to be a part of the Juneau Symphony organization and looks forward to creating more new connections and community.

lisa@juneausymphony.org

Connie McKenzie

Connie decided to make Juneau her winter home in 1988 after working several summers in Skagway in the tourism industry. She split time between the two communities until making Juneau her year-round residence in 1993. After a 15 year career in tourism, Connie worked for Alaska’s Congressional Delegation staffing the Juneau office doing constituent relations and community outreach throughout Southeast Alaska until she retired at the end of 2018. She loves the outdoors and all of the activities available in Juneau for herself, her husband and her dog and looks forward to serving her community on the Symphony Board.

connie@juneausymphony.org

Jackie Schulz

Jackie Schulz has lived in Juneau for 20 years. From her very first visit from Cozumel in 2003, she knew she’d live here. Growing up in Kansas City, Missouri, she graduated MU in 2000, fluent in Spanish with a BA in Communication. A newly established tourism management career in the Mayan Riviera brought her here in 2004 to work in whale watching, but one more season in Mexico made her escape the tropics and make this mild climate her home for good. After 15 years each in Restaurants and Tourism in all types of adventures, she ended up a private Jeep guide in 2010 with side work in a brewery. She has made another career with the Alaska House of Representatives in the Chief Clerk’s Office since 2006.

With a music- and theatre-loving background from KC, Jackie thrives on the plentiful arts available to us all in Juneau. She tries to never miss a show, and attends as many First Fridays, fundraisers, and live music venues as she can. She loves writing, reading, and cultural learning. She sings and occasionally dances, but possesses no other musical skills. Thus, she truly marvels at the astounding talent surrounding us and all the support around them! What an honor to join that support. A member of St. Brendan’s Episcopal, she serves as a Vestry member, JYC volunteer, and Lay Leader there, even through stage fright. She delights in our forest, wildlife, ocean, and enjoys time with visitors, family & friends, beaches & decks, tasty treats, fomo streaming, and her two crazy felines. She is a Midwestern gal at heart and forever a Parrothead.

jackie@juneausymphony.org

Chuck Smythe

Chuck Smythe was introduced to classical music in his youth by his grandmother, who gave him record albums and tickets to the Philadelphia Orchestra. He also sang major choral works throughout high school. His singing continued later in life with choral groups in Anchorage, Alexandria (Virginia) and Juneau.

After getting a BA in English, Chuck pursued a Ph.D. in cultural anthropology and eventually landed a job in Anchorage. He worked for federal and state agencies from 1979-1994 either as a sociocultural research administrator or a research consultant, on projects extending from Barrow to Petersburg. He joined the Smithsonian Institution as an anthropologist from 1994-2000, then went to the National Park Service in Boston as the Northeast Region’s Anthropologist. Chuck retired from the NPS in 2013 and returned to Juneau, where he has been working as Senior Ethnologist at Sealaska Heritage Institute.

chuck@juneausymphony.org

Dr. Bob Urata

Bob was born and raised in Wrangell, Alaska and after college and training returned to Juneau and practiced Family Medicine at Valley Medical Care. He retired from in 2020 after a forty year career.

He has served on Boards for Bartlett Regional Hospital (17 years) and Perseverance Theater (6 years). He served as Medical Director of Hospice and Homecare of Juneau for about 33 years. Looking forward to serve on a new Board with its challenges.

He currently enjoys retirement with his family, reading, the rare odd job (like substitute teaching), occasionally golfing here and there (better without rain) and skiing Eaglecrest.

bob@juneausymphony.org

Symphony Foundation

The Juneau Symphony Foundation was established as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization since 1999 under Federal Tax ID number 92-0177037. An independent board of directors sets policies for investing and managing contributed funds.

Margaret MacKinnon, President
Myrna Elgee, Past President
Bob Mitchell, Vice President
Ryan Beason, Secretary-Treasurer

Mary Borthwick
Beth Pendleton
Sam Trivette
Jodie Weller

Lifetime Members

The Juneau Symphony thanks the Juneau community for its steadfast support which has allowed it to thrive since 1962. The following patrons have gone above and beyond in years of service and advocation and have been awarded Lifetime Memberships.

Sharon Barton
Alison Browne
Susan Burke
Elizabeth Evans
Gordon Evans
Kathy Maas
Lucy Merrell
Beverly Smith

Sharon Barton

Sharon loves the Juneau Symphony as demonstrated by more than a decade of service as a Board Director and someone who always brought her creativity and enthusiasm to the organization.

As a long-time resident of Juneau, Sharon has attended and supported Symphony events for more than 40 years, in fact since Maestro Mel Flood conducted the Symphony. Always a fierce and loyal advocate of music in
Juneau, Sharon has given thousands of hours of service not only as a Board member but as an events coordinator and volunteer.

From the Juneau Symphony, Sharon, we thank you for your steadfast and generous support. CONGRATULATIONS, SHARON!

Alison Browne

Alison Eastaugh Browne, the Juneau Symphony’s latest Lifetime Member, loves two things beyond measure: her hometown of Juneau and music. These twin passions have inspired her unwavering support of the Juneau Symphony as well as a variety of other local arts organizations.

Alison comes by her love of music and community naturally, as both were fundamental to her family. Alison’s grandfather was a delegate to the Alaska Constitutional Convention, and her mother, Carol Eastaugh, also born and raised in Juneau, was an accomplished pianist and composer. Alison’s father and brother, Frederick Eastaugh and Robert Eastaugh, served Alaska as highly regarded attorneys.

A pianist herself, Alison hosts small recitals and allows visiting musicians to practice on her beautiful baby grand piano. But Alison’s greatest contribution to the symphony is housing conductors at her beautiful art-filled home. From Kyle Pickett to Troy Quinn to a gamut of visiting and candidate conductors – all have stayed at Alison’s place. According to former Music Director Troy Quinn, “Alison was one of the first people to welcome me to Juneau. She is a fierce champion of the music community, but it is her graciousness and generosity as a human
being that endear her to so many.”

Alison’s community reach extends beyond the Symphony. In 2019, she was awarded the Meritorious Service Award by the University of Alaska Southeast. UAS cited Alison’s service on the University of Alaska Foundation Board of Trustees, the UAS College of Fellows, and the UAS Development Council. Alison is also active in both Juneau’s Rotary and P.E.O. Sisterhood. Even her long career was always about public service; Alison worked for both the Permanent Fund Corporation and the Legislature for many years.

Alison has been honored by the Juneau Community Foundation (JCF), which named her a Community Champion for its Arts Vibrancy Endowment. Alison’s motivation is clear. “I want to see the arts survive and thrive,” she said.
Alison loves to travel. She flies to family weddings and graduations, jumps on ferries to explore rural Alaska, and regularly ventures to other countries. When Alison can combine love of music, friends, and travel, she is in her element. To that end, she eagerly joins European cruises led by former Juneau Symphony Music Director Kyle Wylie Pickett. These trips involve traveling Europe by boat, from Vienna to Paris to Prague, attending concerts and lectures and visiting musical landmarks.

Alison’s lifelong friend, Sharon Kelly, offered the following explanation for all that Alison does for the arts in Juneau. “Music really touches her soul. I’ve sat next to her [at a symphony concert] and looked over to see that she is crying.” We are grateful for the opportunity to nurture Alison’s deep emotional connection to music – and in return, she inspires us all. Thank you for your support of the Juneau Symphony, Alison!