The Public Art Committee is made up of 13 members, consisting of one member from each of the five member cities, one member from the San Diego Port Tenants Association, four at-large members and 3 Board Commissioners. The Committee's task is to review and recommend which projects fit within the mission of the Port's Public Art Program and which projects will best achieve the project's own objective.

BPC Policy No. 609 - Port Public Art Program (1.41 MB)

Public Art Committee Application Form

• Committee Members
• Staff Contact
• Public Art Committee Meeting Agendas, Minutes and Actions

 

Committee Members:

Laurie J. Black

Laurie J. Black was sworn in to represent the City of San Diego in June 2007. Commissioner Black is past president of the Downtown San Diego Partnership, a non-profit organization that provides enhanced maintenance and safety services for over 270 downtown blocks. Her career has involved political fundraising, issue development, press relations and implementation of campaign strategies for local, state and federal candidates for elective office. She served as Chief of Staff for Congresswoman Lynn Schenk. She has served on the San Diego City Library Commission and the California Regional Water Quality Control Board. She is currently a member of the Board of Overseers at the University of California, San Diego, and of the LEAD San Diego Leadership Trust.

 

Courtney Ann Coyle

Courtney Ann Coyle is an Attorney in private practice who specializes in environmental litigation, land use policy and planning consulting for various tribes, citizen groups, local and national conservation and historic preservation organizations and non-profits. Her primary focus is biological, historical, archaeological and cultural resource landscape protection. She has specifically made an impact on the development and adoption of cultural resource laws and policies and planning at the local and state levels. Coyle has been recognized with various awards including California Environmental Attorney of the Year. Along with her past service on the San Diego Opera Advisory Board, Lux Art Institute Advisory Board and Patrons of the Prado Board, Coyle is currently a board member of the Trust for Public Land, San Diego Women's Foundation and Save Our Heritage Organization. She is also past President of the La Jolla Town Council and past Vice President of the Torrey Pines Association. She has a B.A. in Biology from Washington & Lee University and a J.D. from the University of San Diego and is a LEAD San Diego graduate. Coyle has served as a member of the City of San Diego Commission for Arts and Culture since October 2002 and is Co-Chair of the Commission's Policy Committee as well as a member of the Commission's Advocacy Advisory and Executive Committees. Coyle serves annually on the Commission's Organizational Support Program panels to advise on the allocation of Transient Occupancy Tax funds to more than 80 arts and culture organizations in San Diego. Coyle is an avid art collector and contributed to the Commission's 2004 campaign to adopt the City's Public Art Master Plan along with new public art legislation which was unanimously approved by the Mayor and City Council.

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Gaidi Finnie

Gaidi Finnie joined the Public Art Committee in September 2002 as the representative of the City of Imperial Beach, where he has resided since 1993. Gaidi has traveled extensively throughout the United States, Europe and Asia, observing and immersing himself in various cultures and arts. He holds a Bachelors degree in Theater Arts and Communication from Augsburg College and a Juris Doctorate from the William Mitchell College of Law. He speaks fluent French. Gaidi is currently employed as the Business Manager for the North Coast Repertory Theater. He is also a gourmet chef, art consultant and wine advisor. He has been proactively involved in the art and cultural development of the City of Imperial Beach. He is currently a member of the City of Imperial Beach Cultural Arts Board and served as chair for three years. He is past chairman of the City of Imperial Beach Film Commission. He also chaired the Architectural Design Commission for the City of Imperial Beach from 1995-1997. All of these involvements, and Gaidi's strong belief and passion in promoting public art, will help facilitate his goals as member of the Port's Public art Committee to make all of San Diego a more beautiful place.

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Terry B. Hall

Terry B. Hall, CPM, joined the Public Art Committee in March 2008, as a representative of the Port Tenants Association. Currently with Terramar Retail Centers as General Manager and Leasing Agent for Seaport Village, she has also specialized in retail management and leasing with the Burnham companies and Clarion ING (General Manager of Del Mar Plaza). While at Del Mar, Ms. Hall collaborated with artists to display art sculptures throughout the Plaza and negotiated favorable lease opportunities for the local Del Mar Art Center. She is currently involved in the prospective rehabilitation and renovation of the Old Police Headquarters project. Ms. Hall received her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Southern California, has her CPM (Certified Property Manager) designation from the Institute of Real Estate Management, is a member of ICSC (International Council of Shopping Centers), is on the Urban Design Committee of the Downtown San Diego Partnership, as well as the Shuttle Task Force, and is a legacy member of CREW (Commercial Real Estate Women.) Ms. Hall looks forward to helping San Diego continue its legacy as "America's Finest City" through continuing and growing the local art scene as a member of the Port's Public Art Committee.

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Donna Long Knierim

Donna Long Knierim joined the Public Art Committee in August, 2008. She is "almost" a San Diego native, holds a BA in Mathematics and an MBA. She is an artist, landscape designer, gourmet cook and world traveler. Professionally, Donna has worked for IBM as a Systems Engineer, was Vice President of both Great American Bank and Imperial Corp in San Diego, and Director of Training and Development for Alaska Airlines in Seattle. On returning to San Diego, she became Director of Corporate Education for UCSD Extension and has more recently done management training and strategic planning as a consultant for UCSD, the Mission Hills Town Council and companies like Hewlett-Packard, Intuit, SDG&E, Amylin, GenProbe, and others. Donna is currently a Trustee and Vice President of the San Diego Historical Society, where she created the successful "Historic Places" program which regularly highlights the work of renowned architects of San Diego's past. Donna is also a Docent at the San Diego Museum of Art, where she has designed art programs and teaches 19th-century European Art. She was founding president of the Mission Hills Garden Club and is now responsible for murals and community art projects for the organization. She has served on the Boards of The Charter 100, San Diego Ballet and American Society for Training and Development. Donna values beauty in every aspect of life and hopes to contribute to public understanding and appreciation of art in San Diego.

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R. Brad Lewis

R. Brad Lewis, ASLA, is a landscape architect and urban designer with over 26 years of professional experience. He has worked on numerous large urban design and planning projects throughout Southern California as well as Australia and Hong Kong. Mr. Lewis received his Bachelor of Science Degree in Landscape Architecture at California Polytechnic Institute (Cal Poly) at San Luis Obispo. He is a registered landscape architect in six states and is currently the landscape Architecture Group Manager at Helix Environmental Planning, Inc. Mr. Lewis has developed special expertise in pedestrian circulation, urban design and public art. Local projects that he has worked on include the Old Town Transit Center, Little Italy Trolley Station and the San Diego Zoo Polar Bear Plunge. Mr. Lewis is committed to the belief that the quality and quantity of public art is an important expression and measure of the richness of a society's culture and that the people of San Diego in particular deserve a world-class collection of public art. He is currently Vice-Chair of the Public Art Committee.

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Caroline Murray

Caroline Murray, A.S.I.D. represents the City of Coronado and has resided there for many years. She is a well-established interior designer with a current business and nearly 30 years in professional practice and is a member of the American Society of Interior Designers. During these years she selected fine art and sculpture for many clients, both residential and commercial. After her art studies in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, Ms. Murray received a Bachelor of Arts degree from SDSU. Her studies continued in Europe, India and Asia with an emphasis on architecture and sculpture. She served several years on the Design Review Commission for the City of Coronado and currently is serving on the board of Coronado Main Street, which is an arm of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. She has been selected as a designer for the San Diego Historical Society showcase house for the past 15 years. She is looking forward to promoting unique art for public enjoyment.

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Mike Najera

Mike Najera was sworn in to represent the City of Chula Vista on the Board of Port Commissioners in October 2006 and is currently the Chair of the Public Art Committee. Commissioner Najera is president and co-owner of Cornerstone Building Group. He is a lifetime resident of South San Diego County and is involved in many community charitable organizations. His civic responsibilities include serving on the boards of the San Diego Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, the Sweetwater Education Foundation, the UCSD Hispanic Scholarship Foundation and the Borderview YMCA. He has also served in leadership roles with the Chula Vista American Youth Soccer Organization, the San Diego City College Students in Free Enterprise Program and the Adelante Latino Conference.

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Susanna Hernández Peredo

Susanna Hernández Peredo is currently the National City Representative on the Port of San Diego's Public Art Committee and Art Program Coordinator for the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority. She also served as Chair of the National City Public Art Committee for the first two years of its existence. Ms. H. Peredo is a member of the Actors Equity Association and a founding Member of the San Diego Shakespeare Society. She studied at the Royal National Theatre in London and has taught voice projection and speech for youths at Caroline Thomas' Total Theatre Lab in New York City. Ms. H. Peredo is a Magna cum laude graduate of San Diego State University where she majored in Humanities and minored in French. She has volunteered with community building programs like the National Conference of San Diego's DiverCity Works Theatre Program and received the Adelita Award for outstanding community leadership. She was also founder and co-director of the V.I.D.A. Foundation, a non-profit organization based in Mexico City that organizes arts professionals from various urban communities to donate their skills, offering free workshops in their chosen craft. Through her experiences, she has learned first-hand that the privilege of having an artistic environment cannot be taken for granted and is proud to be a part of this very important process.

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Sheryl Rosander

Sheryl Rosander is currently serving as an at-large representative to the Public Art Committee. Ms. Rosander is an attorney representing clients in transactional and commercial matters. She has been active in implementing and enforcing design standards and architectural restrictions in community associations and has served on boards of municipal agencies working with design professionals during major construction and renovation projects of library buildings and a municipal auditorium. She currently serves on the Citizens' Advisory Committee to the Community Development Agency of the City of Coronado, and is a Commissioner of the National Board of Certification of Community Association Managers, an organization responsible for the education and enforcement of standards of ethics for community association managers. She has held numerous leadership positions in professional and civic organizations and worked with design professionals in residential real estate projects in Coronado. She is a collector of maritime and modern realist art and a patron of the Florence Academy of Art. She has sailed to, and visited many recreational and commercial ports throughout North America, the Caribbean, Europe and Southeast Asia. As an avid sailor and boat owner, she appreciates the Port of San Diego as a recreational resource and her goal is to enhance its recreational, educational and cultural uses -- and the stature of the region -- through the public art program of the Port of San Diego.

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Dency Souval

Dency Souval is a fine arts artist, consultant and teacher with thirty years experience in the San Diego County area. Her professional focus has spanned all the expressive arts including dancing, painting, music and sculpture. With the Chula Vista Elementary School District, Ms. Souval taught creative arts for twenty-seven years, developed and implemented curricula for grades K-6, classes for the Gifted and Artistically Talented Education (GATE) program students, and taught summer school for challenged students. She also developed the ART SMART after-school program that was sponsored by the City of Chula Vista and developed curricula and implemented College for Kids at Southwestern College. As a volunteer, Ms. Souval participated in Chula Vista 2000 Community and City committees for bringing Chula Vista into the new century and is currently involved in Chula Vista's A Taste of the Arts Festival and the National Arts Program. Ms. Souval is committed to sharing her passion for the arts by bringing the arts and culture to the communities of Chula Vista. She also aspires to encourage Chula Vista's full participation in implementation of public art for the Chula Vista Bayfront and to contribute to the success of the Public Art Program in the Port District as a whole.

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Robert "Dukie" Valderrama

Robert "Dukie" Valderrama was sworn in to represent the City of National City on the Board of Port Commissioners in January, 2005. He served for two years as a Director on the San Diego County Water Authority Board and served on the agency's Engineering and Operations Public Affairs Special Budget Committee. His past appointments within the City of National City include serving on the agency's Planning and Environmental Professional Committees. He has also served on the City of National City's Park and Recreation Commission and as Chairman of the agency's Planning Commission. Active in civic affairs, he has served as Chairman of the Board of San Diego Construction Council, Inc. He is President of A-D & D Drywall, Inc. and of WestCoast Scaffold, Inc.

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Jess Van Deventer

Jess Van Deventer is an at-large member from National City who has held the title of Commissioner Emeritus since the end of his third term on the Board of Port Commissioners in 2004. Mr. Van Deventer chaired the BPC in 1996 and 2003; served as Vice-Mayor of the City of National City 4 times between 1977 and 1990; chaired the National City Public Art Committee in 2007 and is the 2009 incoming President of the National City Chamber of Commerce. As President of Vancon Corporation, specializing in general construction and management, he has been involved in the design and construction of over fifty commercial structures in the south San Diego area. Mr. Van Deventer also owns a number of commercial properties managed through his company, J & S Investments, and is a real estate agent with JDM Properties, in which capacity he sells, leases and manages commercial properties in South Bay area. He is very proud of his role in bringing world class art to the San Diego region in keeping with other progressive metropolitan cities throughout the country.

Staff Contact:

• Catherine Sass, (619) 686-6200

 

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Public Art Committee Meeting Agendas, Minutes and Actions

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Agendas

Minutes

Actions