David George, Compton, CA
Associate
David George and his wife Hyra were partners and owners of George and Goldberg Design Associates (now G&G Design), a design and custom fabrication company that creates themed theatrical environments for the entertainment and display industries. They specialize in finding solutions for projects with unique requirements, working from initial conception through finished product. They also are partners in the production company Millrock that produces shows in conjunction with G & G Design.
Both companies, formed by David and Hyra in 1988, employ a staff of over 60 designers, artists and craftsmen on a four-acre campus based in southern California. Projects are diverse and widely dispersed and incorporate structural design and fabrication techniques that are developed to address unique, one of a kind situations. International projects that they produced and/or designed include Boeing Press and Technology Summits (London, Paris, Berlin, Rome, Tokyo, Abu Dhabi and Madrid), Pepsi W2K Millennium Concert (Bombay), Nagano Winter Games (Japan), Yanni Concert Videos (Beijing, Taj Mahal), Volkswagen (Berlin).
Nationally their projects include interactive events, shows, displays and exhibits for WDI, Sonicare, Epcot Center, The Super Bowl, The Getty Center, Mattel and the World Wrestling Federation as well as the design of special events for Barbra Streisand, Bette Midler, Neil Diamond, Ricky Lee Jones, Yanni and Neil Young. David and Hyra are Executive Producers for the one-man comedy show Straight Up With A Twist, by Paul Stroili and have just completed producing a tour with John Cleese on the west coast.
David is a member of the Television Academy of Arts and Sciences and was nominated for an Emmy award in 1995 for his design of Barbra Streisand's Television Special.
Wayne Lawson
Associate
Dr. Lawson is the Barnett Distinguished Professor of Public Policy and Arts Administration in the Department of Art Education at The Ohio State University where he teaches and advises Ph.D students. In 2007 he chaired the Creative Columbus Policy Steering Committee which issued "The Creative Economy, Leveraging the Arts, Culture and Creative Community for a Stronger Columbus," an extensive report making policy recommendations about the city's creative economy. Appointed by the City Council, the Committee's report laid out the steps necessary to effectively sustain and enhance the city's cultural resources.
Dr. Lawson was also one of four persons who produced, researched and wrote The Appreciative Journey--a guide to developing international exchanges. Lawson has worked in the international arena for the past 25 years and completed various projects and exhibitions in a variety of countries including Chile, Argentina, Cuba, Japan, Israel and Mexico. In 2007, Lawson and Mary Kelley made presentations on American cultural policy in Santiago, Chile at the conference "Access to Culture in Chile and the United States." This year he received a special award from the government of Chile for his work in that country over the past two decades.
In September 2007 Dr. Lawson was asked to present his work in international programming to a group of public policy officials, foundation representatives, and former diplomats chaired by Frank Hodsoll, former chair of the National Endowment for the Arts and now consultant to the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities. The topic of the meeting, held in Washington, D.C. was "Toward a More Consequential Cultural Diplomacy."
Dr. Wayne Lawson is the Director Emeritus of the Ohio Arts Council where he served as Director for over 20 years. He is a trustee of the Columbus Museum of Art, trustee and vice-chair of the Alliance of Artists Communities in Providence RI, of the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown MA and Thurber House, a literary center in Columbus OH. He also serves on the evaluation team of Young Audiences in New York and has been on many program panels for the National Endowment for the Arts. He served a three year term as chairman of the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies and completed three terms as chairman of Arts Midwest.
Christina Pappas, Boston, MA
Associate
Christina Pappas is founder of Open the Door, a company which works with travel, tourism and cultural industries on sales, marketing, communications and public relations. With almost twenty year's experience, her background covers a solid career in the hospitality industry - holding the position of Director of Marketing for both the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority and the Massachusetts Port Authority. Over the past six years, she has provided marketing, communications, public relations and/or strategic planning services for the Boston Children's Museum, the Peabody Essex Museum, the French Library and Cultural Center, and Smart Destinations, a visitor pass program featured by San Francisco, Chicago and Boston.
Chris also works to develop partnerships between cultural organizations, cities and towns to increase visitation and visibility for cultural attractions. Most recently, for the Town of Provincetown, MA and the City of Salem, MA, she developed a strategic plan that identified ways to maximize the resources of the area to increase visitation year-round. She also identified ways for the region's cultural institutions to work more closely with the tourism industry and leverage resources. Both projects required a significant amount of work within the community, speaking with key stakeholders and other organizations in the region to determine the best course of action for both communities.
As Director of International Marketing at the Massachusetts Port Authority, she created and oversaw a cultural tourism position in conjunction with New England Foundation for Arts and the six New England state Cultural Councils. This position was created to help leverage the resources of the region and assist in increasing visitation to performing institutions, as well as museums, festivals, historic homes and other cultural facilities throughout New England.
Chris currently serves as Chair of the Massachusetts Advocates for the Arts, Sciences and Humanities, an advocacy organization for theatres, presenters, museums, and other cultural organizations in the Commonwealth. She also has served on the board of the Travel Industry Association of America and is a member of TIA, Skal, Professional Convention Management Association, Meeting Professionals International, the Greater Boston Convention & Visitors Bureau, and North America Travel Journalists and the Public Relations Society of America.