Board of Directors 2024-2025

  • Susan’s love for music started early, with the Spanish guitar, when she was a child in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Her father was a United States Naval Officer stationed there and their family listened to music of the region. Susan began studying guitar at age 5, when she moved back to the United States. At age 9, she heard another beautiful instrument courtesy of the Honolulu Symphony, the flute, and she wanted to learn to play that as well. Ever since, Susan has continued playing and performing flute music. Susan believes music can heal our souls and create a better world, and she enjoys supporting professional ensembles to help foster beautiful music for the community. Susan and her husband, Gary, have been married for 33 years and live in Poway. They have one daughter, Alana, who is in college. Gary is a physician, a Neuroradiologist, and one of partners at Imaging Healthcare Specialists. Together, they have cheerfully catered The Spoto Dinner for Camarada for the last eight years. Susan has been a supporter of Camarada since its inception over twenty years ago. A retired Clinical Laboratory Scientist, she continues to follow the latest medical discoveries and enjoys food, wine, travel, art, skiing, opera, theater, and an occasional sports car.

  • Elaine Baldwin is a retired elementary school teacher whose career spanned almost 40 years in public and private, rural and urban schools in Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey and California. Lainie worked tirelessly to include musical and artistic instruction, always going above and beyond to provide experiences that would broaden her students’ horizons, especially since most of her jobs were with underserved and underprivileged children. She is a proud native of a small dairy farming town in northeastern Pennsylvania. Lainie loves to tell the story that she made her debut at age five, singing “Suzy Snowflake” at her dear grandmother’s music club meeting. Her school district provided a high level of music instruction at all grade levels.  She played the piano and violin early on, then added clarinet and alto sax, and took part in competitions and festivals at the district, regional and state level. A lifetime of singing in church choirs and community choruses has brought her enormous joy and satisfaction. Lainie has served on many committees and boards for organizations which present wonderful musical experiences, including the Spreckels Organ Society and the Musical Merit Foundation.  Since 2013, she has loved doing frequent volunteer work at the Mingei International Museum, the place where she and her husband Carl learned to love Camarada as well!

  • Jeffrey received his Ph.D. in Comparative Literature (English, French, and German) at Yale. In effect, most of his publications and the slant of much of his teaching was intellectual history. Professor Barnouw taught at UCSD 1969-77, with two years off from 1972-74 for a Post-Doctoral Fellowship at the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation in Tuebingen. He has also held year-long fellowships from ACLS (American Council of Learned Societies), John Dewey Foundation, NEH (National Endowment for the Humanities), and the Getty Grant Program. He taught at Boston University, the University of Michigan, and finally from 1985-2011 at the University of Texas at Austin, where he is an Emeritus Professor of English and Comparative Literature. Jeffrey was a guest professor at the University of Paris X – Nanterre, the University of Paris III – Nouvelle Sorbonne (twice), the University of Toulouse (twice), the Ludwig-Maximilians University in Munich (twice), and finally the Ecole Normale Superieure in Lyon. He is on the editorial board of Hobbes Studies and still involved in scholarship as an evaluating reader and reviewer.

  • Kathy has worked for the Marine Corps University Office of Distance Education and Training at the Miramar Campus since 1998, providing student support for both the Command and Staff and the Expeditionary Warfare School. She also manages the College of Distance Education and Training office spaces and classrooms, coordinating for organizations and units aboard MCAS Miramar as well as visiting units, such as the Blue Angels for the Miramar Air Show. Past professional experience includes serving as the business manager and sales representative for “Sew What” in Tampa, Florida, where she doubled sales volume at a small specialty interior design firm, and working as the office manager for Nurmil Pediatric Practice, where she provided operations oversight for a busy pediatric office. Earlier in her career, Kathryn worked for the Marine Officer’s Gift Shop in Okinawa, Japan, a non-profit organization supporting military and Japanese charities. Kathryn also served as shop decorator, managing incoming shipments from China, mainland Japan, Thailand, the Philippines, and local island artisans. She ended her service as the shop manager and buyer, working with vendors from the far east and gaining an understanding of business practices in each country. She traveled to China, Korea, Thailand and mainland Japan along with the jewelry and stockroom managers to procure furniture, textiles, pottery, antiquates, jewelry, and various gifts. The position also entailed sitting on a joint board of military and Japanese personnel who managed the disbursement of the shop’s profits to the charities.

  • David started Causa Consulting after 15 years of successful government service including eight years as an elected San Diego City Councilmember. He has served as an appointed member of major San Diego public organizations including the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority, San Diego Association of Governments, and the Metropolitan Transit System. He has also served on the Board of the League of Cities’ Latino Caucus and on the national Board of Local Progress. David led the efforts to annually increase investment in the city’s arts and culture programming during his time on the City Council. Among David’s proudest achievements are the building of major infrastructure projects like Cesar Solis Park, a new library branch in San Ysidro, an updating of community plans in Southeast San Diego, Otay Mesa, and San Ysidro, and the revitalization of Barrio Logan. Causa Consulting is a purpose-driven firm focused on clients that helps businesses and organizations that see the potential of our binational relationship with Mexico or see the opportunity to create economic development and prosperity in San Diego. As a strategist that has led many efforts, David believes that every project is a campaign and that the success of causas is accomplished in partnership with the community.

  • Robert’s expertise includes marketing, advertising, social media, business consulting, leadership training, public relations, journalism, and broadcasting. Best known to San Diego radio listeners as the co-founder and show host of 102.1 KPRI, San Diego’s locally owned adult rock radio station, he is co-founder and Chief Strategy Officer at ChangeWell Training Academy in San Diego. Robert is co-author of Enhance Your Presence: The Path to Personal Power, Professional Influence, and Business Results. He speaks frequently at healthcare conferences around the US. Robert is also a former White House TV news correspondent and author of How to Write a One Page News Release – Make Your Own News and Get it Covered for Free. He subsequently turned his writing and producing skills to the field of advertising where he created marketing campaigns for thousands of clients. His commercial copywriting, directing, and producing talents have won him the coveted Mercury Award, a Clio Award, and several ADDY Awards from the American Advertising Federation. Throughout his career, Robert has lectured and taught diverse subjects such as media and politics, advertising and marketing, and self-expression and leadership. He graduated from Fordham University in New York with a degree in English and Mass Media.

  • Zoraida is originally from Argentina and came to the United States in 1997 with Gary - her American husband - and their first child, Sebastian. Later, they had two more girls, Michelle and Mercedes. While bilingually raising their three kids, Zoraida worked as a Spanish and Latino Culture teacher at elementary and middle schools, as well as in private language institutes in San Diego. Zoraida’s love for music was ignited in her home country at a very young age, when she attended operas, zarzuelas, and flamenco events with her father. She feels very fortunate to share this passion for music with her husband of 26 years, as Gary is a photographer and musician - he plays the mandolin and the violin. Both Gary and Zoraida are avid supporters of the arts and music scene in San Diego. They have been hosting concerts at their home since 2004 and have ran the Kensington concert series since 2017. In following her longtime passion for understanding the roots and expressions of her adopted country, Zoraida recently went back to school and earned her Master’s in American History at San Diego State University. Since 2015, she has worked as a docent, researcher, and writer for the Coronado Historical Association, and has recently begun to collaborate with the Kensington Community Journal as a public historian. Zoraida is also a volunteer bilingual community educator for the Alzheimer’s Association. Her hobbies include traveling, improving her French, cooking and baking for family and friends, gardening, and kayaking in the bay. Zoraida thinks that there is so much to learn and joyfully concentrate on in life, and she strongly believes that music is an ubiquitous way to do so.

  • Andrea Puente Catán is a cultural leader, arts administrator, fundraiser, arts educator, public speaker, and bi-national producer with more than twenty years of international experience. As an artistic advisor for diversity opera productions and Hispanic Initiatives Director at San Diego Opera, she specializes in Hispanic affairs and holds an Equity, Diversity, Inclusion Certificate from the Fieldstone Leadership Network 2021. Andrea is an accomplished fundraiser skilled in major gift cultivation and stewardship, with a 90% retention rate. As the Director of Major Gifts and Hispanic Initiatives at San Diego Opera, she has overseen more than 150 major gift donor relationships and has established and expanded relations with Mexican cultural institutions and the American Hispanic community to boost donor participation and audience development. Also at San Diego Opera, Andrea has produced 50 virtual programs during the pandemic, and curates multiple music programs dedicated to the community including Equal=VOICES concerts and The Frida Kahlo songs. Her extensive career as both an orchestral and chamber harpist includes principal positions with such ensembles as Orquesta del Teatro de Bellas Artes, the Filarmónica de Jalisco, the Orquesta Carlos Chávez in Mexico, and the Orquesta Ciudad de Málaga in Spain. A native of Mexico City, she is the widow and legacy caregiver of Mexican opera composer Daniel Catán.

  • Jeanne Simmons graduated with honors from San Diego State University with a degree in journalism. Following a lifelong dream, Jeanne attended law school and graduated in 1982 with honors from California Western School of Law. She then began her career in law at HIggs, Fletcher, and Mack where she represented clients involved in civil litigation disputes. Jeanne is also an experienced mediator, arbitrator, and lecturer. Since retiring from the HIggs firm, Jeanne has enjoyed raising her daughter, Nicole, and supporting non-profit organizations, including Camarada. Her current interests include helping to solve the homeless crisis in San Diego. Jeanne is actively volunteering at the Monarch School in San Diego, a K-12 comprehensive school designed to educate approximately 450 homeless youth and provide additional support to their families. Jeanne and her husband, Roger, a retired professor at San Diego State University, have been married for 31 years and enjoy every wonderful opportunity to experience local cultural and outdoor activities.

  • Désirée M. Wilson is a provider of financial estate planning. She received her Bachelor of Arts in International Relations from Agnes Scott College, an all women’s liberal arts college in Atlanta. After completing her undergraduate degree, she pursued a law degree, at which time she interned with Elder Law and Advocacy, a non-profit San Diego-based organization focusing on the estate planning, tax, and health care needs of the senior community. She also worked with Luce Forward Hamilton & Scripps LLP in the Family Wealth and Exempt Organization practice group. This experience enlivened a desire to work with clients to protect their most valued assets, their families and businesses, while enabling them to keep the maximum amount of income and profits. This inspired her to obtain a Masters of Business Administration with an emphasis in Financial Planning and Taxation. In 2011, when a struggling construction company came to her asking for help before they had to close their doors, she was not afraid to take on the task to assess their financial and business affairs to determine the best road to recovery and success. After several months of work turning the company around, she decided this work was something she could see herself doing for the long term. Désirée went on to get her contractor’s license, allowing her to start an Iron Works and Fencing Company, which she operates out of her financial services office in Old Town. In August 2014 she was featured in the San Diego Reader cover story entitled “Babes in Boyland” focusing on her role as a woman in a mostly male-dominated field.

Our Advisory Board

Ann Craig

Jennifer Eve

Don Young

Our Dedicated Staff

  • Beth is the Founder and Artistic Director of Camarada. For 28 years, Ms. Ross Buckley has produced groundbreaking chamber music events throughout San Diego, combining great music, cuisine, and art. Since Camarada’s inception, she has expanded the scope of the organization to include performances at diverse venues throughout greater San Diego, new commissions for concert repertoire, and an exciting roster of performing artists.

    Ms. Ross Buckley received her Bachelor of Music in Flute Performance from St. Olaf College and her Master of Music from the University of Minnesota. While she enjoys all genres of music, tango music is her passion. Currently on the music faculty at Cal State San Marcos, Ms. Ross Buckley boasts an extensive performance resume that includes a twenty-five-year tenure as principal flute of the former San Diego Chamber Orchestra/Orchestra Nova and engagements with a variety of musical theatre companies throughout Northern and Southern California. Ms. Ross Buckley also runs a portrait photography business, Beth Ross Buckley Photography.

  • Dana is currently Associate-Artistic Director of Camarada and has directed and performed with Camarada for over a decade. She has been on the faculties of the University of North Carolina, University of Wisconsin, and Vanderbilt University. Ms. Burnett was awarded the Alban Berg Fellowship at the Schubert Institute-Austria and received an Artist Diploma and accompanying prize from that institution. She has a Bachelor of Music from San Diego State University, a Master of Science in Piano Performance and Pedagogy from Vanderbilt University, and has competed post graduate work at Indiana University with Michel Block and John Ogdon. A soloist and chamber musician, Ms. Burnett has performed at Carnegie Hall, New York City; the Frick Collection, Pittsburgh; Dame Myra Hess Series, Chicago; Academy of Music, Philadelphia; and the Kennedy Center, Washington D.C. Dana has been fortunate to have collaborated with Leonard Rose, Hilary Hahn, Nathaniel Rosen, Martin Chalifour, Benita Valente, Paula Robison, and many more musicians in her chamber music career. She has premiered chamber works including those by Jean-Michel Damase, Richard Wernick, Judith Zaimont, Gunther Schuller, and the last chamber work of Stephen Albert. She was also a yearly concerto soloist during her eighteen-year tenure as a member of the piano faculty at the Eastern Music Festival in Greensboro, North Carolina. Other festivals include Hidden Valley Seminars Flute Camp, Virginia Arts Festival, and the Skaneateles Music Festival. She has recorded for the Naxos and Arabesque labels and has been featured on WHYY, Philadelphia's “Fresh Air,” and NPR. Dana performs with California Chamber Orchestra and Classics 4 kids and was the symphony pianist with the North Carolina and Virginia Symphonies. Ms. Burnett is on the music faculty at Cal State San Marcos and an active member of North San Diego MTAC, with a private piano studio in Carlsbad.

  • Lisa Barnhouse’s career spans strategic marketing, non-profit leadership, and entrepreneurship. She currently serves as a consultant offering fund development and growth strategy planning for non-profit organizations. After 18 years in leadership positions on volunteer boards, Lisa saw the benefits of fund development expertise on staff. Most of the foundations and non-profits she worked with could not afford a full-time development officer or executive director, but needed help with fundraising and strategic growth planning. Lisa combined her passion for helping under-served communities with her business, marketing and fundraising experience to offer development and strategy consulting. Prior to her volunteer work, Lisa began her marketing career as one of the early team members at Suissa Miller Advertising, Inc. (acquired by Dailey & Associates) in Santa Monica, California. Lisa led innovative marketing campaigns and business development projects for publicly traded clients including Hollywood Video and Jenny Craig. At San Francisco’s Wells Marketing (acquired by Interpublic Group), Lisa managed the Visa U.S.A. account, continuing her representation of Fortune 500 companies. Lisa continued exploring business and leveraging her marketing background with her entrepreneurial endeavor, uberfood, a pilot project launched in San Diego, California. Lisa co-founded the start-up food-tech company with the goal of creating the most convenient way possible for customers to enjoy freshly-prepared local, organic meals. Lisa Barnhouse received her B.A. in Communications from the University of California at Santa Barbara and works from home in La Jolla, California.

Thank you to our dedicated and FUN Board of Directors!

Thank you to our dedicated and FUN Board of Directors!

“It takes a village…and dedication to keep our vision for Camarada going!”

Featured Past Performances

Check out the Camarada Video Library on YouTube by clicking below.