The Board
The Rio Hondo Symphony Association Board of Directors is a working Board that meets monthly to support the symphony activities. Subcommittees meet at various times during the year to carry out specific duties. Representatives from various communities serve on the Board.
Board Executive Committee
- President - Fred Zermeno - Event Coordinator
- Vice President - John Marin - Salesman, Moose Lodge
- Secretary - Dr Joan Meister - Pediatrician, Retired; Violist, Whittier Regional Symphony
- Treasurer - Charles Barth - Engineer IBM, Retired
- Immediate Past President - Maurice Meysenburg - Rio Hondo Community College Professor Sociology, Retired
Board of Directors
- Maria Elena Alvarez, WRS Guild President
- Leighton Anderson - Attorney, Whittier Union High School District Board Member
- Charlotte Borst, Former President College of Idaho and former VP for Academic Affairs Whittier College, Retired
- Dorothy Carras - Guild President, Community activist
- Tim Kunze - Realtor, retired, Violist/Violinist Whittier Regional Symphony, Freelance Musician
- Elizabeth Lauritsen - Actor, Singer, Violinist/Violist, Music Educator
- Maggie Moe - Domestic Employment Agent, Whittier Sunrise Rotary
- Sandra Molina - Freelance writer & photographer, former reporter San Gabriel Valley News Group
- Tim Schneider - Teacher, Whittier Union High School District Board President
- Agnes Szeleky Schwartz - Violinist/Violist, Concert Master Whittier Regional Symphony, Music Educator
- Madeline Shapiro - Former Rio Hondo College Trustee President, retired educator East Whittier School District
Emeritus Directors
- Mary Herrera - RN LA County, Retired
- Carolyn McFarland - Community Activist
Meet the Board Members
Leighton Anderson
Leighton Anderson
Leighton Anderson is an attorney and a partner in the law firm of Bewley, Lassleben & Miller, LLP, in Whittier. He is an elected public official, serving since 1997 on the Board of Trustees of the Whittier Union High School District. Mr. Anderson is a member of the Delegate Assembly of the California School Boards Association (CSBA).
In addition to Mr. Anderson's role with the Rio Hondo Symphony Association, as a member of its board since 1997, including service as the Association's President during 2001 - 2003, and 2012-2013, he serves on the Board of Directors of the Whittier First Day Coalition, which provides a short-term emergency transitional housing as part of a comprehensive approach to recovery from homelessness, and on the Advisory Board of the Los Angeles Centers for Alcohol and Drug Abuse (L.A. CADA), treating persons with addiction and behavioral problems through recovery-orientated services. His non-profit affiliations also include membership on the Board of Directors of the Whittier Area Chamber of Commerce, and membership in the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Association and Lion's Club International.
Mr. Anderson received his B.A. degree from Claremont Men's College, magna cum laude, in 1976, after which he attended law school at Columbia University, from which he received his Juris Doctor degree in 1978. He is married, and has three children and eight grandchildren.
Dorothy Carras
Dorothy Carras
Dorothy Carras, a resident of Whittier for 45 years, has been an active member of RHSA for 10 years. She has been a Social Service Commissioner for the City of Whittier for 7 years.
For several years, she has been a active member of several local organizations including Rio Hondo College's retiree's organization and Vice President of Los Angeles Centers for Alcohol and Drug Abuse.
John Marin
John Marin
Although John Marin seldom performs on the piano these days, he says that music still plays an important role in his busy life. He admits that the happiest days of his life were the years from 1978 to 1984 when he played mostly the piano but also the organ and synthesizer in his band, "OTR." That band made a few recordings and the group still gets together occasionally for an old-fashioned jam session.
The dedicated board member, who is the helpful tech man for the Kids Korner Concert Preview in the lobby, attended Don Bosco Tech Institute and worked for Fluor Corporation and Davidson Plywood. Now self-employed, Marin's company makes decorative laminated panel products and cabinets.
Currently Marin spends much of his time as Governor of La Habra Moose Lodge No. 1858 and also as Vice President of the Orange County Moose District. Always a salesman, Marin has been responsible for contributions to the orchestra from the Moose Lodge and from numerous Moose members.
Marin enjoys the concerts and is doing his part to make sure there will be continuing free concert seasons.