BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Phil Hettema, joined the Ryman Arts Board of Directors in 2014. In 2018 he was elected to serve as the President of the Board and has greatly contributed to Ryman Arts through his passion and dedication to the legacy of Marty Sklar, Herbert Ryman, and arts education.
Phil Hettema is the President and Creative Executive of The Hettema Group (THG). With a distinguished 30-year legacy in themed entertainment, Phil leads a world class team of experience designers, architects, and media producers known for creating uniquely compelling guest experiences with great emotional resonance. Notable projects include One World Observatory at One World Trade Center; the High Roller Observation Wheel at The LINQ, Las Vegas; and Beyond All Boundaries at the National World War II Museum, New Orleans.
Growing up in South California, Phil was enamored with Disneyland. He reminisced that “the annual pilgrimage to Disneyland was the highlight” of his life. While studying music at the California State University, Long Beach, Phil worked part time at the wardrobe department of Disneyland.
Prior to forming his own company, Phil Hettema was Senior Vice President, Attraction Development for Universal Studios Theme Parks Worldwide for 14 years. He was responsible for the creative development of all major attractions and shows, including Terminator 2: 3D, Jurassic Park, The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man, Backdraft and many more. He oversaw master planning for all five Universal parks, including domestic and international expansion for Universal Studios Hollywood, Universal Studios Florida, Universal’s PortAventura (Spain), and Universal Studios Japan, and, most notably, the conception and delivery of Universal’s Islands of Adventure in Florida.
Phil is an alumnus of ArtCenter College of Design, instructed courses at the institution and endowed a scholarship for Environmental Design. He has been a guest lecturer at Carnegie Mellon University, USITT, IAAPA, KIN, ICOM, SIGGRAPH, and at the TED Conference. Phil holds four patents for entertainment technology solutions and has been honored with numerous Thea awards from the Themed Entertainment Association (TEA) including Theas for One World Observatory (2016), Beyond All Boundaries (2010), FiestAventura (2000), The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man (2000), Universal’s Islands of Adventure (2000), and Terminator 2:3D (1997) and most recently, The Buzz Price Thea Award – Recognizing a Lifetime of Distinguished Achievements (2017).
David A. Price, has been serving on the Ryman Arts Board of Directors since 2012. Through his leadership at Ryman Arts, the program continues to be an open door for building future careers in the Creative Economy.
Founder of the Price Leisure Group and the son of attractions legend Harrison "Buzz" Price, David Price brings a lifetime of professional experience, relationships, and understanding in Themed Entertainment projects including family attractions, theme parks, resorts, hotels and restaurants, and mixed-use development. He is also the Past-President of the Theme Entertainment Association Western Division.
The Price Leisure Group assists in bringing together the talent, technology, chemistry, expertise and experience to support the unique needs of developers, designers, operators and owners in the hospitality/attractions industry. Their commitment and passion is to support our clients by building a diverse, cross-disciplinary team with backgrounds in economic analysis, facility design, creative design, planning, project management and operations to maximize a project's success.
Internationally recognized and awarded, David has been professionally engaged in research, strategic planning, urban design and architecture for over 30-years, earning his Master of Architecture from Harvard Graduate School of Design. Before establishing the Price Leisure Group, he presided over David A. Price Architects, Inc. which focused primarily on a broad range of attractions and hospitality oriented projects including resort hotels and conference centers, IMAX theaters, outdoor amphitheaters, visitor centers, theme parks, entertainment complexes, church campuses and a variety of community related facilities. Notable projects include Wild Bill’s Western Dinner Extravaganza in Buena Park, California; Camp Snoopy at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio; and Palace Family Entertainment Centers in Irvine, Fresno and Livermore, California; KMST Television Station in Monterey, California; Ride & Show Headquarters in San Dimas, California; Chandler Airport Business Center in Chandler, Arizona; resort in Long Point, Rancho Palos Verdes, California; and water-themed resort communities in Jakarta, Indonesia and Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan.
Robert Corbin joined Ryman Arts in 2019. Robert Corbin joined the Ryman Arts Board of Directors in 2019. He is currently a partner at Windes, Inc. in the Tax & Accounting Services department and has over 25 years of experience in public accounting. He also serves on the firm’s Board of Directors. Robert focuses on large and middle-tier business tax matters, including planning and compliance for their shareholders and families. Drawing from his experience at KPMG and local accounting firms, he offers a high level of technical expertise and an understanding of your business, including the key factors that drive your success.
Robert's practice includes consulting on transactional matters, mergers and acquisitions, exit planning, start-ups, structuring, state and local tax and wealth transfers among other needs for mid to large businesses and their shareholders.
Robert serves a wide variety of clients in various industries, including technology, energy, healthcare, manufacturing, professional services, retail, food service, real estate, construction, and private equity.
MIchelle A. Lund joined the Board of Directors in 1996. Michelle is president of the Sharon D. Lund Foundation.
Adrianna Arambula (Ryman ’04) currently serves as the Alumni Representative on the Board of Directors and has been the Creative Director of Justice Design Group since 2013.
After receiving an education in architecture from Cal Poly Pomona, Adrianna has found success as a designer of buildings, spaces, lighting, furniture, graphics and brands. It was during her weekend trips to Ryman Arts classes in high school where she fell in love with design and the built environment of Los Angeles. She knew that one day she wanted to do her part to make the world beautiful and interesting while contributing to the creative economy and design community. Whether she is designing a structural detail, a custom light fixture, signage for a new retail space or fine tuning a logo establishing a brand identity, Adrianna takes pride in her work and has carried the core values and skills she learned in Ryman Arts throughout her career.
As a former student, intern, employee and frequent volunteer of Ryman Arts, Adrianna brings a unique viewpoint to the Board of Directors. She has seen just how multi-faceted the program is and understands how crucial it has been in her life and the lives of many other alumni. In her new position on the Board, Adrianna seeks to increase alumni interaction, fundraising, and create a larger network of contacts between alumni, working artists, and the creative community.
Kamille was born and raised in Los Angeles, CA and has a demonstrated commitment to access and exposure for underserved youth. Professionally, Kamille has over 10 years’ experience as a management consultant, advising large multi-national companies on strategy development, implementation, and business transformation. Personally, Kamille continues to supports the arts, serving as an independent consultant to the California African American Museum (CAAM) and as a private art collector. She has also served on the board of Los-Angeles based non-profit, Change the Tune. Kamille currently lives in Phoenix, AZ with her husband and son, Josiah.
Scot Drake joined Ryman Arts in 2020.
Fri Forjindam joined the Ryman Arts Board of Directors in 2018. Bringing passion and enthusiasm to the art of creative placemaking for a wide variety of industries, Fri has created distinctive guest experiences in film, theatre, publishing, and special events. Voted one of the "Top 50 Theme Park Influencers" by Blooloop, Fri currently serves as the Chief Development Officer of Mycotoo, Inc., the leading experience design agency and entertainment development company that specialize in immersive experiences, location based, and live entertainment. As a 2018 Cannes Gold Lion Winner for HBO's SXSWestworld, Mycotoo's collaborative process fosters an uncommonly strong level of commitment, culture, fun and trust that is essential to building vibrant creative teams. Mycotoo offers a variety of indoor/outdoor entertainment franchise opportunities targeted to helping activate repeat visitation for regional shopping destinations and mixed-use developments.
An MFA graduate of Columbia University, Fri has worked as a creative lead for Bollywood Parks in Dubai, Creative Director for the upcoming Indoor Snow Park, Family Entertainment Center and Nighttime Spectacular for a luxury Retail Developer in Qatar, as project manager and show writer on the 2011 Grammy's After Party, Los Angeles Downtown Latin Museum Gala Opening, and T-Mobile HTC’s corporate tours. Fri brings her background in content development and experiential marketing to facilitate tourism development strategies and to niche branding that attracts regional, national, and international tourism. As a featured consultant expert on national networks including KTLA, FOX, and Huffington Post, Fri is also the Founder and Editorial Director of Nouveau Media Group, LLC, a premier online and print global lifestyle publication. Notable collaborations include: Sony, Thor Equities, Nickelodeon, Meraas, United Developers, and Morehead Planetarium & Science Center.
Don Morin founded, produces and hosts the Pacific Northwest Mouse Meet™ events for Disney fans which include travel excursions, cruises, in-park meetups, author presentations and a summer extravaganza which hosts over 500 guests and sells out annually. He created the Pacific Northwest Mouse Meet™ in 2009 which is widely known as the best Disney fan event in the country. He produces and hosts the events and often interviews guests and celebrity guest speakers and has captured an extensive social media following. Don also works as an actor and voice talent with a variety of YouTube videos and voice work related to Pacific Northwest Mouse Meet™ events including a new Disney fan vid-cast focused on Disneyland history, Walt Disney and the Walt Disney Company which will premiere on YouTube in January 2020. He continues to expand his voiceover talents and event hosting to mainstream media and other events. His business background includes extensive leadership, business and personnel management. Don resides in Mukilteo, Washington and has two beautiful daughters. His passions include travel, food, family and philanthropy. He currently supports Cocoon House and Seattle Children’s Hospital and Ryman Arts in Los Angeles, California.
Edward J. Nowak joined the Ryman Arts Board of Directors in 2008. He is currently Deputy General Counsel of The Walt Disney Company where he has been in charge of litigation and employment law worldwide since 1985. He manages several of the company’s legal groups: litigation and employment, employee benefits, environmental affairs, product safety, immigration, and minors’ employment. He is involved as both a lawyer and an executive in dispute prevention and the resolution of complex business issues throughout the company, across the range of commercial, human resources, and entertainment matters. Before joining Disney, Mr. Nowak was associated with the law firm of Simpson Thacher & Bartlett in New York City where he specialized in litigation and trial work for many nationally-known companies and a prominent family services agency in New York.
Ed is a native of New Brunswick, New Jersey. He graduated Columbia College of Columbia University in 1970, where he majored in music, and then went to Columbia Law School, where he was a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar, graduating in 1974. In addition to his legal career and work at Disney, he is President of the Board of the Los Angeles Children’s Chorus, Chairman Emeritus of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, a member of the Board of Directors of the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary Foundation, and formerly a member of the Board of the Infirmary, which in 2006 honored him with its Margaret Loeb Kempner Humanitarian Award for that year. He also has been a lifelong musician, for many years professionally, and has supported a variety of artistic and charitable activities.
Monica, Founder and Creative Director of Monica Leigh Atelier, is a resilient veteran and trusted visionary of the fashion industry. She has designed and produced for celebrities and executives and has worked with some of the most well-known and powerful leaders and labels in the fashion industry. Utilizing her core competencies and talents developed over almost two decades, Monica has captured development and refined proprietary workflows, costing methods, pattern artistry, draping instincts and translation abilities. She has worked with companies including FJ Benhamin, Halston, A.L.C., BCBGMAXAZRIA, before founding California New Work and Monica Leigh Atelier.
Morgan joined the Ryman Arts Board of Directors in 2021. An art lover since childhood, Morgan Sacco is passionate about supporting young artists in their careers. Morgan is looking forward to developing creative partnerships between Ryman Arts and the Los Angeles tech community.
FOUNDERS
Lucille Ryman Carroll (1906-2002)
Sharon Disney Lund (1936-1993)
Anne Shaw Price (1923-2012)
Harrison A. Price (1921-2010)
Leah R. Sklar
Martin A. Sklar (1934-2017)
STAFF
Diane Brigham joined Ryman Arts in 2002. She has led the expansion of the program, raised its profile as the leading pre-professional artistic training program for talented teen artists in Southern California, strengthened its fundraising capacity, and built awareness of the value of quality artistic education for youth. Committed to public engagement in art, Diane and her team at Ryman Arts recently launched The Big Draw LA, a collaborative regional initiative to celebrate the value of drawing with more than 60 public drawing activities during the month of October. The Big Draw is an international project now in 22 countries.
Prior to Ryman Arts, Diane was Head of Education at the J. Paul Getty Museum, where she was part of the planning group for the building of the Getty Center and led the team responsible for the Museum’s interpretive programs for the public. She has more than thirty years of experience in art and museum education, beginning as a public school art teacher. She holds a B.S. and M.Ed. in art education from Kutztown University in Pennsylvania. Diane was Assistant Curator of Education at the Philadelphia Museum of Art prior to moving to California in 1987.
Diane has served on the board of directors of the National Art Education Association, the education committee of the American Alliance of Museums, and Museum Educators of Southern California. Diane has been a grant reviewer for the National Endowment for the Humanities, Los Angeles City Cultural Affairs, and Los Angeles County Arts Commission.
Diane completed the Stanford Graduate School of Business Executive Program for Leaders in the Arts. She was selected as a 2011 Fellow in Leadership LA, in which leaders in business, government and non-profit sectors study critical civic issues together. Diane completed the Annenberg Foundation Leadership Seminar, Alchemy+ and now served as a community champion for Annenberg Alchemy, advising the foundation and training other non-profit leaders in effective board governance, leadership, and fundraising strategies to strengthen organizational impact.
TEACHING ARTISTS
TEACHING ASSISTANTS