Staff/Board
Meet the fearless leaders of the SFCO - our administrative and artistic staff, and an amazing and generous Board of Directors.
Ben Simon
Music Director
Appointed by Maestro Braun in 2002 as Music Director of the SFCO, Ben has brought a fresh approach and a dynamic new energy to the organization.
Colleen Marlow Executive Director
Named Executive Director in 2009, Colleen is a career nonprofit administrator with a background in the performing arts. Her favorite composer of all-time is Ned Rorem, and she loves free concerts!
Sherri Richards
Chair
Sherri Richards is a broadcast journalist, who began her career with ABC News, NY. As investigative reporter and producer for Granada TV and the BBC, she contributed to 75 television programs. She also produced and hosted women's current affairs radio programs. In the Bay Area, she served as the Magnes Museum’s Director of Traveling Exhibitions, and later became Assistant Director of the American Society for Technion.
Music and dance have moved her since childhood, when she played violin by 5, tap-danced at 7, studied ballet by 9, and struggled with piano scales so she could attempt her favorite Chopin. A member of the Temple Sinai choir, Sherri believes that singing, playing or hearing music has the transformative ability to foster peace and harmony in the world. She loves the SFCO’s mission: to offer great music for everyone, that is fun, fresh first rate and free!
Fred Isaac
Secretary
Fred Isaac is a writer and librarian living in Berkeley. He worked in academic libraries for over 20 years. Since the mid-1990's, he has been a Judaica library consultant, and has also pursued his interests as a writer. His first book, "A Road of our own Choosing: Reform Judaism in America," is under consideration by a publisher. A second book, with the working title: "The Jews of Oakland and Berkeley," is in process for Arcadia Publishing, and may be published next year.
Naomi Braun
Board Member
As the daughter of the founding director of the SFCO, Naomi Braun grew up attending almost all of the orchestra's concerts. She has performed numerous tasks with the orchestra including stage manager, librarian, usher, cellist and percussionist. When she was invited to join the board in 2005, she accepted in order to preserve the vision of her father, Edgar Braun. Naomi earned her B.A. in music from U.C. Davis where she was the Assistant Director of the University Chorus and conducted a 14-voice mixed ensemble. She has taught music in elementary schools in SF and Berkeley and conducts with the Piedmont Children's Choirs. Naomi currently is the alto section leader at St Luke's Episcopal Church in SF and sings with Volti (formerly the SF Chamber Singers). She has also sung with Philharmonia Baroque Chorale, George Coates Performance Works, SF Children's Opera, Berkeley Opera, the San Francisco Chamber Orchestra, Pocket Opera, American Bach Soloists and the SF Opera Chorus.
Cary Chin
Board Member
Cary Chin is Director of R&D at Synopsys, Inc., a world leader in electronic design automation (EDA) software for semiconductor design. He is currently involved with Power Analysis tools, and has previously worked at many computer software and hardware design companies in Silicon Valley. He holds undergraduate and graduate degrees in Electrical Engineering and Computer Architecture from Stanford University.
Cary is a self-professed "hobbyist and hacker" on the violin and viola, and has been active muscially in the Bay Area for over 40 years. His greatest musical achievement came as a response to his dwindling supply of fellow chamber musicians as friends went off to college...he has managed to raise his own string quartet! Son Carson (viola), and daughters Delenn (cello) and Tessera (violin), are all members of the Palo Alto Chamber Orchestra, where Cary serves as President of the Board of Directors
Tom Flynn
Board Member
Tom Flynn was born and raised in Manchester, N.H., and graduated and is a trustee emeritus of St. Anselm College. He was a stock broker with Goldman Sachs in New York and Montgomery Securities in San Francisco until retirement.
Tom began acting in community theatres about 30 years ago and has enjoyed performing in musicals and dramas throughout the bay area, most recently in "Guys and Dolls" at the Lesher Center in Walnut Creek. He also sings with two local choirs. Tom serves as Board President of StAGEbridge, the nation's oldest senior theatre company, based in Oakland.
A character in a Kurt Vonnegut novel said, "The only way I know God exists is because of music." Tom agrees with that theory and that is why he so highly values the SFCO and its mission.
Sujeeva Hapugalle
Board Member
Pianist Sujeeva Hapugalle has recently relocated to the San Francisco Bay Area from London, England. Born in Sri Lanka, Sujeeva studied as a scholar at the Royal College of Music in London where she received numerous accolades at National and International competitions. She has broadcast on Classic FM (UK) and BBC Television. Sujeeva has performed around the world in four continents and during her time in the UK ,was a frequent solo concert artist for many prestigious Concert platforms and festivals, including St. Martin in the Fields and St John's Smith Square in London. Sujeeva has been listed in the International roster of Steinway Concert Artists since 2001.She is an active music educator and serves as a competition/festival adjudicator and examiner in the US and UK.
She has been a keen supporter and performing artist for several charities and was a select artist for Sir Yehudi Menuhin's "Live Music Now" series in the UK. Sujeeva has served on the board committee of the Beethoven Piano Society of Europe and now here in the Bay-area, looks forward to contributing to the wonderful philosophy of the SFCO.
Ken Hoffman
Board Member
Ken Hoffman, founder and CEO of Wallpapers To Go, grew the enterprise to a chain of 98 stores, becoming the largest wallpaper retailer in the US. Ken then had a successful 22-year career in commercial real estate, specializing in retail consulting, site selection and leasing. He maintains a limited consulting practice in that field.
Ken is a passionate music lover, an affinity shared with his wife, Jan, with whom he can be seen often in Bay Area concert halls. Being a big fan of the SFCO, Ken especially enjoys the adventurous programs of Maestro Simon. A published poet and an avid photographer, he is currently refining his photography skills at SFSU. Ken volunteers at SCORE, counseling entrepreneurs of new businesses.
Rey Maninang
Board Member
Rey was born in the Phillipines, moving to the United States when he was one year old. He grew up in the South Bay, learning to play the piano as a child. Rey served in the Air Force in both active and reserve duty for nearly 14 years, and has been in the financial services industry for 20 years, managing various regions of the US with Transamerica, CitiGroup, Fremont Investment and Loan, and Lehman Brothers. Rey currently serves as Vice President, overseeing the Western United States, of Matsco, the healthcare specialty finance division of Wells Fargo. He has earned an American Financial Services Association management certification from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and has a B.A. degree in Organizational Leadership from Chapman University. Rey currently lives in Walnut Creek, enjoys staying active as a volunteer for the American Heart Association and the United Way, and is an avid world traveler.
Robin Sharp
Board Member
Violinist Robin Sharp is the concertmaster of the San Francisco Chamber Orchestra. She is in demand as a solo performer, chamber musician, concertmaster, and teacher. In addition to maintaining private teaching studios in San Francisco and Palo Alto, Ms. Sharp teaches violin at Stanford and UC Berkeley and is on the faculty of California Summer Music. Ms. Sharp has appeared in recital at many prestigious venues including Carnegie Hall in New York, the Musikverein in Vienna, the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, the National Music Hall in Taipei, and the Palace of the Legion of Honor in San Francisco, where she performed on Jascha Heifetz's Del Gesu violin.
Kathie Sollers
Board Member
Kathie was raised outside of Philadelphia, PA and has a BA in American Studies from the University of Pennsylvania. She has lived in San Francisco since 1975 and worked in the accounting department at Stone & Youngberg, an investment banking firm, until the early 80's when she left to raise the first of her two daughters.
She has been an active volunteer at The Hamlin School in San Francisco, both as a parent and as a board member, and has served in several leadership positions. Kathie was President of the Parents Association and was on the Board of Directors for eight years, during which she was Chair of both the Committee on Trustees and the Personnel Committee.
Music has been a part of Kathie's life since she took piano lessons as a child and sang in the church junior choir. About ten years ago, she began lessons in classical piano again, encouraged by her children's teacher. She is currently part of a group of adults who gather twice a year to play for each other. Apart from listening to all types of music, Kathie also loves to ski, play tennis and read.
Lekha Srinivasan
Board Member
Lekha brings 16+ years business and technology management experience in Fortune 500 corporations such as Hewlett-Packard, Symantec and NVIDIA, where she led several technology and business functions. Her most recent corporate role was as Senior Director, IT. Two and half years ago, she decided to take a leap of faith into on-line entrepreneurship and launched a successful internet retail business. Her non-profit experience most recently includes serving as a pro-bono Account Director for Taproot foundation, helping non-profits with web and information technology strategy and implementation. She is also on the Board of the non-profit CORA, San Mateo county, which is focused on domestic violence prevention. Her only musical connection is her keen listening interest and appreciation for a variety of musical genres.
Marilyne Tron
Board Member
Victor Hugo, the French romantic poet and novelist once said, “Music expresses that which cannot be put into words and cannot remain silent.”
Marilyne’s love for music began as a child, having studied piano for 18 years. This evolved into a passion for classical chamber music and jazz…especially Latin. Her career as an investment manager brought her to San Francisco 12 years ago where she has worked as a Private Banker and Private Wealth Manager creating a niche for herself with foundations and nonprofit organizations; she has also served as Managing Director of an investment advisory boutique in San Francisco. When she is not involved with music or consumed by the vagaries of the market, she dedicates herself to education and other civic activities. She is very involved with victims of domestic violence and committed to the prevention of human trafficking. She has served for many years on the board of her alma mater, Colgate University. As a native French citizen, she enjoys a dual nationality with France and the U.S.
