Our Board

Michael Martin, Founder, President and Board Chair
Ms. Martin is a San Francisco native whose passion for representing emerging artists from the Third World prompted her to start a public gallery in San Francisco in 1994. Ms. Martin is currently on the board of Visual Understanding In Education, the national VTS organization. In addition, Ms. Martin helped start the first Ronald McDonald House in Hong Kong, is a former board member of the Vermont Studio Center, sponsored the first ever Nathan Olivera Fellowship and produced several fundraising events for the art education programs of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco and the California College of Arts and Crafts.

Adelina Aramburo
Ms. Aramburu is an educator and the Principal of Cesar Chavez Elementary School in the Mission District of San Francisco. Born in Mexico, Adelina's passion has been education and travel since she first immigrated to the United States as a young girl with her family. She has been an educator in the public school systems since 1977 in a variety of positions - teacher, principal and district support staff. Being bilingual has given her an appreciation for all languages; and travel has given her an appreciation of many cultures, their people, and their art.

Davide Celoria
Mr. Celoria is currently an Assistant Superintendent of Elementary schools in SFUSD. Mr. Celoria piloted VTS while he was principal of Marshall Elementary School in the San Francisco Mission District. He is completing his EdD from the University of California at Berkeley School of Education.

Doug Dahlin
Mr. Dahlin is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley, College of Environmental Design, in 1971. He has been an architect and urban designer for 30 years and is the president of Dahlin Group Architects and Planners. He is a member of the American Institute of Architects; council member of the Urban Land Institute; and a member of the American Planning Association. Mr. Dahlin is also active in the Boy Scouts of America.

Robert N. Dadurka
Mr. Dadurka is a partner and co-founder in San Francisco's Paragon Realty Group, with over 20 years of experience working in real estate in the Bay Area. Mr. Dadurka served for 4 years on the Board of the United Way of the Bay Area, and was Vice Chair of the Agency Relations Committee, which is responsible for all funding decisions. He also served on the United Way's Business Planning Committee. Since 1993 he has sat on the Board of the Pacific Union Trust, where he has assisted in the development of the Trust's Community Fund.

Holly Keller Farrell
Holly is a graduate of Loyola Marymount University and a former Director of National accounts of Hyatt Hotels. Now married and living in San Francisco with her husband and two young boys, Holly serves on the board of The First Tee of San Francisco, and is very active with several Bay Area nonprofits including The Trading Tree (a literacy program), Claw (an SPCA affiliate), and The San Francisco Zoo.

Robert Gamblin
Mr. Gamblin is founder of Gamblin Artists Colors Co. He is also an artist represented in Portland Oregon at the Froelick Gallery. Besides the MMG Foundation, he sits on the Board of the Sitka Center for Art and Ecology. He has served as a technical consultant to CAL Smithsonian, and the conservation department of the National Gallery of Art. He has lectured on painting and artists materials in art schools around the country and most recently as a guest of the National Gallery's educational program.

April Higashi
Ms. Higashi is an artist and has recently opened Shibumi Gallery in Berkeley, CA. She has experience curating exhibitions and exhibition design, previously working with Susan Cummis Gallery in Mill Valley, CA and also with The Jerry Garcia Estate, as Art Curator and Director founding his art program. April has a BFA in Fine Art from the University of San Francisco and has taught at the California College of the Arts in San Francisco. She is an accomplished Jeweler/Designer and founder of Shibumi Studio. She has exhibited nationally and internationally including shows at The Victorian and Albert Museum in London, the Oakland Museum in Oakland, CA, Velvet da Vinci in San Francisco, and Aaron Faber Gallery in New York. In 2005 she was Editor for a book entitled "Jerry Garcia; The Collected Artwork."

Henry Jackson
Mr. Jackson is a full-time artist and native San Franciscan. He received his BFA from San Francisco State University and California College of Arts and Crafts. In 1989, Mr. Jackson formed Noble Center for the Arts in San Francisco. An alternative Fine Arts workshop facility, bringing together art instructors from around the Bay Area, it offers unique, intensive art classes to the public. Mr. Jackson is a former Board member of Kaleidoscope West Theatre Company and Artspan, producers of San Francisco Open Studios and Art for Inner City Youth. He has served as co-chair of the Artists Advisory Council. Mr. Jackson is also co-chair of ArtPoint, a supporting organization for the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco.

Linda Luevano
Ms. Luevano is currently an Assistant Superintendent of Elementary K-8 schools in SFUSD. She was a principal for 13 years in two different elementary schools in San Francisco: Fairmount Elementary School and Buena Vista Elementary School. Ms. Luevano taught for 12 years in public schools before going into administration as a bilingual teacher. Bilingual education is one of her passions. She believes that all students have the right to an equitable education that includes rigorous access to the core as well rich opportunities to experience integrated visual and performing arts. She has three sons, who are all successful products of the San Francisco public school system. Board Member of Partners In School Innovations; Board Member of Mission Neighborhood, Inc.; Member of Bernal Heights Neighborhood Organization.

William L. (Lonnie) Martin III , Treasurer
Mr Martin has been an entrepreneur for 30+ years in the IT and Telecom equipment sectors.  He has been President/CEO of 3 venture capital-backed companies in Silicon Valley and Dallas (White Rock Networks, Broadband Telesystems, and Coastcom), and he has reported to the CEO of 2 large multinational companies (ADC and Ascom/Timeplex).  Mr. Martin has been a Board member of several other public and private companies as well as Chairman and/or Board member of several industry associations in Dallas and the State of Texas.  Mr. Martin received BS and MS degrees from Caltech and an MBA from Harvard.

Tanya McVeigh Peterson
Ms. Peterson is corporate counsel and manager of complex litigation for Hewlett-Packard Company.  Prior to joining HP, she practiced law at the international law firm of Gibson, Dunn and Crutcher LLP, specializing in antitrust and trial practice as well as serving on the firm’s  pro bono and diversity committees. Ms. Peterson resides in San Francisco with her husband and their young twin children.  In addition to sitting on the board of Visual Thinking Strategies, she is a board member of the San Francisco Zoological Society, the non-profit that raises funds for the San Francisco Zoo.  She has chaired three of its annual fundraising events and assists with its outreach to the Bay Area’s at-risk youth.

Advisory Board

John Ramsbacher
Mr. Ramsbacher received his law degree from Tulane University School of Law in New Orleans and his B.A. from the University of Montana. He is a partner in the firm of Ramsbacher Prokey LLP in San Jose. Mr. Ramsbacher is an Adjunct Faculty member at Golden Gate University Masters in Taxation program. He is a member of the Executive Committee of the Taxation Section of the State Bar of California and the Past Chair of the Estate and Gift Tax Committee of the Taxation of the State Bar of California. Mr. Ramsbacher is a Co-Founder and Director of Republic Bank, Inc., and is a Director of the Dynamic Foundation, Inc. and Chair of ArtPoint, a supporting organization of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. Mr. Ramsbacher is also a former member of the Planned Giving Committee at Sacred Heart Community Services.