BOARD OF DIRECTORS
VHF BOARD OFFICERS
CAROL LEVY, PRESIDENT
Carol is the founder of Pilot Light Foundation, an organization that works with people living in extreme poverty in Africa to help them improve their lives through creating a sustainable, livable income.
CHRISTINA KRAUSE, TREASURER
Christina brings over two decades of operational excellence to the Venice Heritage Museum's Board of Directors, having honed her skills in leading roles at BMW, Christian Dior, and as a co-founder of Canoo, an innovative electric vehicle company.
MARCIA XINTARIS, SECRETARY
Marcia Xintaris is a Senior Content Production and Development Executive with over 15 years of experience managing Emmy-nominated television for NBCUniversal, CNBC, and large creative content studios. Her work includes programs such as Empires of New York with Paul Giamatti, the reboot of Deal or No Deal with Howie Mandel, the legacy justice series American Greed and The First 48, and fan favorite Jay Leno’s Garage.
VHF BOARD MEMBERS
GRAFTON DOYLE
BRENNAN K. LAWSON
JEREMY McCREARY
Jeremy is a third generation Angeleno with over a decade of experience in AI and advertising for firms large and small. A Meals on Wheels driver for 10 years, he is a passionate supporter for the people and culture of Los Angeles.
JASON SUGARS
Jason is a fourth generation born and raised Venice native. Life started in the loft above the family shop on W. Washington Blvd and led to countless homes all across the Venice neighborhood map.
IN MEMORIAM: ELAYNE ALEXANDER, HISTORIAN
A Venice historian and author, Elayne served on the board of Venice Historical Society for 18 years and Los Angeles Genealogical Society for a decade, where she held the presidency of each society. She was a founding member of the Venice Heritage Foundation, keen on bringing a museum to life for her beloved Venice. Elayne wrote six books on Venice history, including an authorized biography of Abbot Kinney, founder of Venice.
We honor the legacy of Elayne's unparalleled service to preserving and celebrating Venice history through the Elayne Alexander Collection—her impressive archive of images and artifacts, oral history interviews, and written pieces, which forms the foundation of our permanent collection.
VHF HONORARY BOARD MEMBER
ALISON ROSE JEFFERSON, MHC | PhD
A third-generation Californian, born and raised in Los Angeles, Alison is a publicly engaged independent historian and heritage conservation consultant. She brings expertise of Los Angeles and Southern California landscapes that feature historical significance as well as contemporary consequence which will help VHF elucidate less familiar stories of the Venice community’s historically diverse populations.
VHM COMMUNITY CURATOR
MARILYN RAMIREZ
Venice native and photographer.
VHM CURATOR | MUSEUM MANAGER
ANTHONY CARFELLO
ADVISORY COUNCIL
Our Advisory Council is comprised of individuals who lend us the invaluable resources of their expertise and lived experience as we have brought the Venice Heritage Museum to life.
Senator Ben Allen, California Senate District 26
Max Benator, Co-Founder & CEO of Orca
Jason Benesch, Cultural writer & Community Coordinator
Ray Bradbury
[In partnership with the Estate of Ray Bradbury], Internationally renowned author (In Memoriam)
Steven Ehrlich, FAIA, Founding Partner, EHRLICH YANAI RHEE CHANEY Architects
Sergio Enriquez, MA, Sustainable Cultural Heritage and Creative Director
Grant Francis, Master Carpenter and 35+ Year Venice High Teacher
Frank Gehry, Internationally renowned architect
Dr. Judith Goldman, Psychologist and Venice housing activist
Sarah Haft, Professional Independent Museum Exhibit Developer
David Hertz, Architect & Founder, Studio of Environmental Architecture
Karen Kiss, Nonprofit Grants & Administration Expert
Josh “Bagel” Klassman, Underground Venice Photographer
Juri Koll, Founder & Director, Venice Institute of Contemporary Art
Jeremy Kove, Owner, Munson Industries, Inc.
Francisco Letelier, Visual artist, Writer, Educator
Rob Lissner, Co-Founder, The Venice West, BeachLife Festival & BeachLife Ranch
Lisa Marquez, Event producer and multigenerational Venetian
Earl Newman, 1960s–70s Venice artist
Dr. Naomi Nightingale, Social justice advocate & Oakwood community leader
Stephen Pouliot, Writer, producer, and restorer of The Venice-of-America House
Michael Preiss, President, RSFLA Inc. | Commercial Real Estate | Leasing and Investment Sales
Tom Sewell, Multimedia Artist & Venice restoration expert
Jonathan Skogmo, Founder and CEO of LOST iN
Spanto, Co-founder, Born x Raised (In Memoriam)
Alex and Edizen Stowell, Founders, Venice Paparazzi
Kristina von Hoffmann, Former VHF Board President
Pep Williams, Fine Art Photographer