Meet Our board of directors

President 

Jamie Knight is a retired classroom teacher from the Huntington Beach Union High School District having served as a School Library Media Specialist and then Director of the MMET program, which is part of the HB Academy for the Performing Arts. Jamie is an Apple Distinguished Educator, Class of 2007, and on the Board of Directors for The Association for Popular Music Education and also the EEFA Foundation.In 2013, Knight was a Grammy Teacher of the Year Quarter Finalist. His former music program has won the prestigious California Golden Bell Award, was an Apple Distinguished Program and is currently an AME, Model CTE Program. 

Vice President

Gale Bull has been active in the Southern California arts community since 1995 and has been working with EEFA since its inception, serving as Vice President and Recording Secretary. In addition, she serves on The Spirit of the MACY Awards board of directors and acts as a judge for high school musicals throughout Orange County. A parent of two alumnae of Huntington Beach’s Academy for the Performing Arts, she served as the first president of the Academy’s Musical Theater Guild, and held various positions on the board from 2003 to 2009. Gale also was the box office manager for APA Theater for 12 years. She served on the board of directors for Musical Youth Artist Repertory Theater for 20 years. A retired employee of American President Lines in the Port of Los Angeles, Gale spends her free time traveling with her husband and performing in local community theater productions. 

Chief Financial Officer

Danielle Chatt has been deeply involved in a variety of volunteer work for more than 20 years, focusing on organizations that help local youth. Her experience includes serving the Girl Scouts of Orange County for 18 years consecutively as Service Unit Manager, Treasurer (current), Trainer and Level Consultant. Danielle has spent the last ten years in a variety of positions within The Academy for the Performing Arts at HBHS and is currently the APA Volunteer Coordinator working with all APA parents and their Guilds. She is also an APA Alumni parent. In addition, Danielle has volunteered as a member at large with EEFA for five years, and as the EEFA Chief Financial Officer for the last two years. Danielle and her husband have owned and operated Vintage Productions in Huntington Beach for the last 23 years, specializing in rare, authentic vintage militaria collectibles, military show promotions and high-end vintage clothing and work daily with clothing designers, historians, museums, movie costumers, as well as avid collectors. 

Secretary

Lizzie Ochoa is an alumni of the Academy of the Performing Arts (APA) where she majored in musical theater.  She is also an alumni parent of APA, where she served as president of two different guilds in the APA program (dance and theatre). Lizzie is an avid volunteer who has been active with APA, Ballet Etudes, Make-a-Wish and has also put on several fundraising events for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Lizzie has a passion for the arts, having been involved in acting and bands for most of her life. She can often be found doing aerial arts in her spare time.  Lizzie currently lives in Huntington Beach with her three daughters and her pet gecko. She currently works as a government employee for the State of California. 

Parliamentarian

Jan Heistermann Jan’s career as an accomplished flight attendant with United Airlines spanned 40 years and included a position as Chief Purser. Jan was also a dedicated union worker at LAX and trained in alternate dispute resolution, earning her the BJ Stewart Award in 2003. She is also an Aero Consulting expert witness for infight service and safety. Jan is a founding member and President of the LAX Retired Association of Flight Attendants and currently serves as President of the Orange County Chapter of Clipped Wings. In addition, Jan continually strives to serve her local community and the city of Fountain Valley, CA. From 2017-2021 she served on the Fountain Valley Community Foundation Board of Directors and was a Board Member with the Fountain Valley Women’s Club. Jan has been an active Board Member with EEFA, The Educational Enrichment Foundation for the Arts since 2023. Jan has dedicated much of her life to helping others, volunteering for many causes and supporting local theater and performing arts education.

Board Member 

Elaine Bauer Keeley is a retired educator of 40 years in Orange County and Merced County. She spent 25 years as a school administrator promoting STEAM Education. Her background in Theater and Dance ensured a capital “A” for Arts in STEAM. Today, she serves on the EEFA Board and the Akomi Dance Company Board. As a member of the Former Huntington Beach Human Relation Committee, she is an advocate for all people in Huntington Beach and personally volunteers to lift voices for the underrepresented, the libraries, parks, and the quality of life in Huntington Beach. Volunteering to make Huntington Beach a great place for all, has been a family legacy for 60 years. 

Board Member

Kim Kaston has been with Disney for over 40 years as a performer, choreographer and currently as the Entertainment Show Quality Manager for Disney Live Entertainment at the Disneyland Resort. She was also a senior manager in communications, supporting enterprise supply chain for The Boeing Company, with extensive experience in supply chain processes, communications, project management, event design and production. While at Boeing, Kim created and produced small and large-scale strategic corporate events domestically and internationally. Kim is a Board Director, Vice President, for the Orange County Children’s Therapeutic Arts Center (OCCTAC) and is involved in other nonprofit organizations. She has traveled to over 60 countries across six continents. Kim has a BA in Sociology from UCLA; a Master in Communication Management along with a certificate in Public Diplomacy from USC, and an executive certificate in Nonprofit Fund Development from the University of Notre Dame.

Diane Makas (Emeritus) holds a Bachelor of Science in Dance, Biology, and Chemistry and a Masters in Educational Leadership and Management from Western Michigan University as well as an Administrative Service Credential from California State University Long Beach. She is now in her 25th year as the Artistic Director of Huntington Beach Union High School District's Academy for the Performing Arts (APA) at Huntington Beach High School. Diane also serves on the following boards, Executive Board of the Arts Schools Network, Advisory Board for Orange Coast College, and Friends of the Rose Center Theater Foundation. 

Susan West (Ex-officio Board Member) has been an active member of the EEFA foundation since 2011. Susan serves as Supervisor of APA. Her favorite roll is Advisor to the APA Student Council which keeps her busy with activities like community outreach such as working alongside Council members at food banks, organizing APA’s float in the yearly Seal Beach Christmas parade and the gigantic end-of-year Academy Awards event. In the last 16 years, Susan has made a positive and lasting impact with students and parents alike. No stranger to the ways of the performing arts, she studied theatre, music and vocals (ok, and accounting too) at both GWC and OCC, worked as National Alternative Marketing Manager for Capitol Records, and earned a certificate in Comedy and Improv at UCLA. She says she uses the comedy/improv skills EVERY DAY in the APA office. Susan is one of the lead singers and plays guitar for the Power Pop Band sparkle*jets u.k. along with APA people Jamie Knight and Mike Simmons. 

Andrea Taylor (Ex-officio Board Member) is the

Artistic Director at The Academy for the Performing Arts at Huntington Beach High School. Andrea holds a BFA in dance performance/choreography from California Institute for the Arts and an MFA in dance from UCLA. Andrea established APA’s Commercial Dance Ensemble, has taught at several colleges and universities and represents the HBUHSD at VSA, Arts Advantage and Arts Schools Network. She was named Outstanding Arts Educator in 2014 by the Orange County Department of Education.

Dr. Bonnie Castrey (Ex-officio Board Member)   

Vice President HBUSHD 

Bonnie Castrey is an internationally recognized dispute resolver. She holds a Juris Doctorate degree from Western State University and B.S. and P.H.N in nursing from California State University, Long Beach.
 

Ms. Castrey maintains a private dispute resolution practice. She has mediated, arbitrated and chaired fact-finding matters in over 2,000 cases since 1975 in the public, federal and private sectors. As a Presidential Appointee from 1995 to 2000, she was a member of the Federal Service Impasses Panel and when reappointed, she chaired the Panel from 2000 to 2002. She has received numerous honors and recognition awards, including a Life Time Service Award from the Labor Employment Relations Association for service to both her community and professions. She also received the coveted Marian Bergeson Award for education leadership.
 

As a strong advocate for Public Education, Ms. Castrey believes it is one of the essential pillars of our democracy. Ms. Castrey advocates for co-curricular programs to help students build confidence, leadership skills and interest in life long education. She serves on many statewide committees and coalitions to support our schools, including the visual and performing arts.
 

Among leadership roles, Ms. Castrey served as the international president of the Society of Professionals in Dispute Resolution, president of the Orange County School Boards Association, founding president of the Orange County Industrial Relations Research Association, president of the national Labor and Employment Relations Association and chair of the Federal Service Impasses Panel. As a member of the Delegate Assembly to the California School Boards Association since 1986, she has served on many committees including chair of conference planning, legislation and was chair of the 2013 Nominating Committee