Board of Directors

PAT LAUNER, President; Creator/Host of The Patté Awards

Emmy Award-winning theater critic Pat Launer has been writing about
San Diego theater for 25 years, seeing and reviewing more than 200 local productions annually. She is resident theater critic at San Diego News Network (sdnn.com),
KSDS-FM Jazz 88.3 and KPRI-FM. She also makes a monthly appearance,
to talk about theater, on KUSI-TV.

Pat received a Ph.D. in Communicative Arts and Sciences from the City University of New York. She's won local and national awards for her theater-related documentaries, created with San Diego CityTV, and numerous honors for her writing, from the Society for Professional Journalists, the San Diego Press Club and American Women in Radio and Television. In 2005, the Women's International Center named her a Living Legacy.

DANNY SHAPIRO, Vice President of Programming

Danny Shapiro has a long history in broadcasting and extensive experience in a wide range of business endeavors. He is the co-founder and president of Climate Source, Inc., and served as vice president of Rolda Inc. He was lead technology consultant to Other Minds, Inc., and owner/archival explorer of Out of the Box Digital Media. Danny has won numerous awards for his radio and documentary work. He has a Master's degree in history and a strong working knowledge of copyright law and digital rights management, with an emphasis on education and the arts.

JOHN PRYOR, Treasurer/Chief Financial Officer

John Pryor has a Master's degree in Physics and an MBA from the University of San Diego with an emphasis on Accounting. In his profession as a Project Manager, he routinely manages projects and vendor contracts valued in excess of $1 million. He is an avid theatergoer who attends more than 120 plays a year.

ERIN RASKIN, Secretary

Erin Raskin is a California and nationally licensed acupuncturist whose environmentally friendly clinic has been featured on the GreenBuilt Tour for the past two years. She is a professional speaker and health educator who earned a Master's degree from the American College of Traditional Chinese Medicine in San Francisco, and completed an intensive training program in Tianjin, China. She has taught classes across the U.S.; she regularly supervises students at San Diego Hospice and Palliative Care. Erin is an avid San Diego theatergoer.

JUDY STRICK, Director

Judy Strick is a long-term theaterlover and patron/supporter of the arts. For the past 15 years, she has assisted in set construction at local theaters. She trained to serve as a docent at the San Diego Natural History Museum and the Gemology Institute. Judy is a world-traveler and culture-hound, whose educational background is in sociology and merchandising.