board of directors
2024 Board of Directors
Michael Angelo Camacho
Co-Chair
Michael Angelo earned an M.A. in Nonprofit Leadership and Management from the University of San Diego's School of Leadership and Education Sciences. A nonprofit professional, he has solid experience in finance, fundraising, and philanthropy.
With top-tier relationships across a broad range of sectors in San Diego, Michael has been involved in evidence-based program design, financial analysis, resource development, and civic engagement. His portfolio of past client organizations includes: Dreams for Change, the YMCA, and Kids Included Together.
The arts have a special place in Michael’s heart. He has done dance demonstrations at the San Diego Fair and been invited to display his work at the Spanish Village Art Center.
Michael has also contributed towards producing his favorite musical by securing the venue, and funding partners for an up-and-coming theater company. He is proud to say that their production shed a light on the immigrant issues present in the community.
Catherine Cheng
After earning her Bachelor of Science Degree in Molecular and Cellular Biology at the University of Arizona in Tucson, Catherine Cheng obtained her osteopathic medical degree at Midwestern University in Glendale, AZ. She completed her Family Medicine Residency at UCSD and has been working as a primary care physician at Kaiser Permanente since 2009.
After a brief dalliance in dance as a child, she only seriously stumbled into the world of ballet 8 years ago after attending a friend’s adult summer intensive performance. Not long afterwards, she became a ballet student herself and has been passionate about the art form ever since. She credits her teachers at City Ballet of San Diego and the Lynch Dance Institute with providing her instruction and experiences that have contributed to her personal growth well beyond the dance studio. She is continuously inspired by the commitment and work required of professional dancers in that elusive pursuit of artistic perfection. As such, she is extremely excited to be in a position to support the unique choreographic voices within San Diego through The Rosin Box and strongly believes in the additional community outreach mission of this non profit organization.
Ryan Field
Ryan Field is Microbiologist and has spent the past 15 years working in a diverse range of science industry settings—settings ranging from education, research, and the private sector. He is currently performing Quality Control Microbiology here in San Diego, CA for biotech companies under regulatory guidelines or standards such as: FDA, ISO, EPA, USP, and CLIA.
Ryan’s previous non-profit experience ties heavily with Education Outreach. He has spent time with facilities such as the Museum of Arts and Science and Saturday-at-the-Sea program in Tallahassee, FL. He is a patron of the arts and enjoys looking through the lens where art and science intersect.
Gary Kinley
Often asked about his dance training, Gary recalls his one short tap dancing lesson at the age of seven. “I think that I have two left feet” he replies. But that hasn’t stopped him from entering the world of dance. Most recently, he served a two-year term as Chair of the Board for the San Diego Civic Youth Ballet.
He brings to The Rosin Box Project more than 25 years of experience providing organizational development consulting to small and large non-profit organizations and government agencies throughout California. His areas of expertise include program development and evaluation, strategic planning, meeting facilitation, Board training, and fund development. Among his clients were several in the field of arts including acting and graphic arts companies. Always involved in community organizations as a Board member or donor, Gary is delighted to share his experience and insights with TRBP especially after viewing “Debut” earlier this Fall and interacting with the dedicated Board, executive team and dancers of the company.
Ted McCombs
Chair
Theodore McCombs has been an enthusiastic supporter of the San Diego arts community since seeing his first opera as an undergraduate at U.C. San Diego. After law school at U.C. Berkeley, he practiced commercial litigation at Sullivan & Cromwell LLP in New York City. In New York, he served on the Board of Directors of the Anti-Violence Project, a nonprofit empowering LGBTQ+ communities to end all forms of violence. And with the help of that city's incredible ballet scene, he developed his passion for dance as an artistic and expressive medium. From 2014-2018, he served the State of Colorado as an Assistant Attorney General, protecting vulnerable children, defending social services programs, and advising the State Board of Human Services as its general counsel. Returning to San Diego in 2018, he joined the California Attorney General's office as an environmental lawyer. He is a published writer as well, with his fiction appearing in national magazines and anthologies.
As a storyteller himself, Ted is fascinated by dance's power to connect emotionally to audiences without language--or rather, with a physical language that each dancer creates anew. He was thrilled to play host and emcee for the Rosin Box Project's 2019 season and is excited to share future seasons with San Diego as the Rosin Box Project's Founding Board Chair. He lives in Hillcrest with his partner, dancer Rony Lenis, and their beloved cat, Kamala.
Camille McPherson
Secretary
Camille McPherson has worked in the San Diego nonprofit arts and culture sector for over a decade. Presently, she serves as Development Coordinator, Institutional Giving and Grants for La Jolla Music Society, where she maintains responsibility for identifying, writing, managing, and reporting on the organization's vast grant portfolio in addition to cultivating and stewarding individual donors. Prior to joining La Jolla Music Society, Camille enjoyed a fruitful ten year dancing career as a soloist with San Diego Ballet, where she originated many featured roles and toured with the company across the United States. In addition to her role as a dancer, Camille held various administrative positions within San Diego Ballet, including Education Outreach Coordinator, Summer Intensive Administrative Director, and Grants and Programs Manager.
Camille has extensive teaching experience and currently is on staff at Lynch Dance Institute, where she teaches ballet to ages 3 through adult. She has served on the Board of Directors for Teatro San Diego, Victory Arts, and on the Steering Committee of Rising Arts Leaders San Diego.
Samuel Topazio
Treasurer
Samuel Topazio is an Applications Analyst for Scripps Health who has been a lifetime advocate of both local arts and local entrepreneurs. He has worked diligently in the non-profit healthcare industry for the last seven years. In that time, he has worked in both the information technology and financial analysis departments. His goal has been to advise senior management on strategic initiatives by providing up-to-date data and industry trends. Samuel spent time in Guatemala working with non-governmental organizations (NGO) and local non-profits to improve both the local culture and economy. There he was called upon in order to help local entrepreneurs sort out their businesses and devise plans for marketing, budgeting, and supply chain management.
He is a project management and analytics enthusiast with academic training from the business schools of both the University of Connecticut and Boston University. He holds a Bachelor’s in Business Management with a concentration in Entrepreneurship from the University of Connecticut as well as a Master’s in Business with a concentration in Strategy & Innovation from Boston University. While attending Boston University he was a co-founder of the Strategy & Innovation Graduate Association to help students identify their future paths. Samuel also holds several certifications which include a Green Belt Certification in Lean Six Sigma and the following Epic Electronic Medical Records Software Certifications: Customer Relationship Management Certification, Eligibility & Enrollment Certification, and Claims & Contracts certification.
John Velasco
John Velasco started dancing at the age of 10 in San Diego at the Naismith Academy of Scottish Highland Dancing. He competed nationally and internationally winning numerous championships. He started his ballet training with the California Ballet Principal Xavier Hicks and Wayne Davis and furthered his ballet studies at University of California, Irvine where he majored in classical Greek and Latin Language.
After college John worked in the field of Human Resources for San Diego companies such as Qualcomm and Ace Parking. He made the jump to professional ballet dance in 2012 with the California Ballet as a member of the corps de ballet. In his first year John won Dancer of Year of the California Ballet. During his time at the company John has danced many classical and modern productions of the company’s repertoire including Maxine Mahon’s Nutcracker and Thor Sutowski’s Swan Lake. Additionally, John served as the Community Engagement and Social Media Manager of the company, working with local groups and populations to ensure the broadest stroke of the classical dance performance medium in the city.
John completed a certificate in nonprofit management at Harvard University in 2018 in Cambridge, MA. He also serves as a Visitor Experience associate at the Timken Museum of Art. His passion is arts administration and dance education. This is John’s first time serving on a nonprofit board. In his spare time, he is also a passionate classical musician playing flute, piano and guitar and enjoys singing.
Advisory Board
Ryan Beck, Rebekah Brown, Judy Berman Silbert, Khamla Somphanh
The Rosin Box Project is currently seeking new Board Members with fundraising, event planning, and administrative backgrounds. Please view our Board Information Packet below and contact us with any queries.