Pacific Crest Youth Arts Organization

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The Pacific Crest Youth Arts Organization is governed by a Board of Directors, who serve on a voluntary basis for three year terms

ADVISORY COMMITTEE

Mark Gunderson, Music Educator │ Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District

Ken Hammond, Freelance Graphic Designer

Howard Hsu, Officer │ Los Angeles Police Department

Janet Konecne, PT, DPT, OCS, CSCS, Physical Therapist/Owner │ Allegro Physical Therapy

Laurie Tanakaya, CEO │ Serving Our Kids

EMERITI

George Perry (1996 – 2013)

Carter Schuld (Founding Corps Director)

Dr. Martin Rochford (Founding Board President)

 

Antoinette Kveton
President

ANTOINETTE KVETON grew up in the San Fernando Valley and discovered her love for the marching arts during high school as a color guard member. Her alma mater, Chaminade High School, gave her the opportunity to begin teaching in 2008 after her first marching season with Pacific Crest. She continued to teach during the off season, while also completing her B.A. in English from Loyola Marymount University. After aging out in 2010 and graduating in 2011, Antoinette had the pleasure of working with several color guard programs in Southern California, including El Dorado, Whitney, St. Paul, and Gladstone High Schools, as well as the Pacific Crest Drum and Bugle Corps.

In 2013, Antoinette’s roles shifted from instruction to serving as a member of the administrative staff, touring with the corps as a Tour Manager/Administrative Assistant during the summer. Her administrative involvement has expanded to the annual Drum Major and Leadership camps, where she serves as a leadership clinician.

Antoinette serves on the Board of Directors for PCYAO and is currently the chair of the Alumni Committee of Pacific Crest. She works full-time as a Project Coordinator for AltaMed in Commerce, CA. She completed her M.S. in Project Management from the University of Southern California in 2022.

Antoinette lives with her husband Mark (fellow Pacific Crest alum) in Arcadia, CA.

Elizabeth Acosta
Vice President

ELIZABETH ACOSTA has been in the banking industry for over 20 years. Currently in her role as Vice President, Senior Investigator at City National Bank, Elizabeth has knowledge and experience in banking operations, compliance, and financial crimes. Specifically, as an Investigator, Elizabeth is responsible for primarily conducting Fraud but also BSA investigations, in addition to internal claims within the bank. Elizabeth earned her bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice at California State University, Fullerton, which comes to use when working with law enforcement, as needed.

Elizabeth is also the current co-chair of City National Bank’s Latino Community Network colleague resource group. The network is comprised of over 23 leadership steering committee members and over 1,200 colleagues who are dedicated to engage with their peers, the community and their clients, through Philanthropy, Personal and Business Development events.

As a long-time supporter, Elizabeth found her passion for Pacific Crest when first attending the Rose Bowl event many years ago. She is a strong believer of getting youth involved in the arts and seeing them succeed.

Diana Marie Petersen
Treasurer

DIANA MARIE PETERSEN was born and raised in Southern California and has had a passion for music from a young age. She performed in several ensembles while attending El Modena High School (1996-2000), Fullerton College (2000-2002), and California State University Long Beach (2002-2004). She was a member of the Front Ensemble at Pacific Crest Drum and Bugle Corps (1999-2001, 2003). After aging out, she came back to Pacific Crest to serve as a volunteer, and first joined the Board of Directors in 2013, serving as Board President in 2020-2021.

Diana has worked in the commercial roofing industry since 2004 and currently is the Director of Administration at Red Pointe Roofing. She has expertise in all areas of construction related administration and has implemented the company’s accounting and IT systems, 401K plan and health benefits in addition to overseeing purchasing and worker’s compensation reporting. Ms. Petersen also serves on the company Leadership Committee with other senior managers to develop strategic initiatives relating to safety, operations, long term vision, employee benefits and recognition, and charitable contributions. She serves as a Director on the Board of Directors of the National Roofing Contractors Association (NRCA), is a committee member of its Safety and Health Committee and co-chairs its Future Executive Institute (FEI) committee.

She is a graduate of the NRCA/Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University Future Executive Institute program and earned her BA in Music from California State University Long Beach. She is a SHRM-Certified Professional, HRCI Professional in Human Resources-California®, and HRCI HR Ethics Certificate holder. Ms. Petersen is also a member of National Women in Roofing (NWIR), Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), and Professionals In Human Resources Association (PIHRA).

 

Mariam Kaddoura
Secretary

With over 10 years of experience in the music field, Los Angeles native MARIAM KADDOURA currently serves as the Manager of Learning for the LA Phil in their educational initiatives.

In her role at the LA Phil, Mariam produces programs for Symphonies for Youth and Symphonies for Schools, writing lesson plans, curricula, and family-based activities related to the concert programs; and oversees the Composer Fellowship Program and the YOLA National Symposium.

Mariam has worked for Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District, Los Angeles Unified School District, and independent charter schools throughout Southern California teaching marching band, concert band, orchestra, percussion ensemble, chamber music, and general music for grades 2 through college. Mariam also has taught in YOLA and Harmony Project, El Sistema-inspired music education programs.

With her experience in teaching and working in other arts organizations, Mariam brings insight and guidance from project-based learning and cross-curricular education perspectives.

Mariam holds a Bachelor of Arts in Music Education and Performance and a Masters of Music in Percussion Performance from UCLA, and a Masters of Arts in Teaching and a California K-12 Single Subject Teaching Credential from the Longy School of Music of Bard College. She holds memberships in SCSBOA, NAfME, the Percussive Arts Society, and El Sistema USA. She marched at Pacific Crest for two years in the Front Ensemble.

Ron Clark

RON CLARK, retired Chief Financial Officer for a local city in the San Gabriel Valley, first became involved with drum corps when his son Stephen (Contra) began his five-year marching career with Pacific Crest back in 1999. His daughter Mandy (Guard) also marched for two years with PC in 2004 and 2005.  Ron is always amazed at the talent and dedication the young adults display while entertaining thousands of people during the summer.  The skills, teamwork and perseverance they develop in drum corps are characteristics that will live with them for the rest of their life.

Jim Doyle

JIM DOYLE leads Amazon Web Service’s (AWS) Global Strategic Pursuit Team focused on business-based transformations enabled by Amazon technology. Jim’s team also develops strategic partnerships and go-to-market selling motions utilizing pan Amazon capabilities. Prior to joining AWS, Jim has worked for over 30-years in consulting, systems integration, and managed services with KPMG, Computer Sciences Corporation, Unisys, HP, Hewlett Packard Enterprise and DXC Technology.

Doyle’s education includes Business Administration from Widener University, Strategic Planning and Scenario Planning, Cornell University and GE Leadership Development Program. He is an alum of the Crossmen Drum and Bugle Corps (1974-77), and he was instrumental in assisting the Crossmen during the corps’ relocation from the Delaware Valley to San Antonio, Texas.

Jim is recognized as a transformational executive with a proven record of performance driving the development and execution of global digital growth strategies for technology-based companies. Decisive leader and strategic change catalyst with extensive experience in strategy development, sales and marketing management, and P/L management serving a diverse group of vertical industries and government clients. A proven executive at directing digital transformation activities that significantly accelerate revenue generation, operating margin and client loyalty.

Jesus Holguin

JESÚS M. HOLGUÍN is a dedicated advocate for public education who served on the Moreno Valley Unified School District Governing Board from November 2002 until his retirement in 2024, bringing nearly twenty-two years of leadership and service to students and families.

From 2014-2015 he served as President of the California School Boards Association (CSBA) and was the first Latino president of the Association in 20 years. As President, he also served as the chair of the Superintendents Advisory Council, chair of the then newly established Adequacy Committee, chair of the President’s Council and chair of the Policy Platform Committee. He represented CSBA at the California Education Coalition and was a member of California State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson’s Blueprint 2.0 Action Planning Team. Mr. Holguín also served as a member of the National School Boards Association Nominating Committee. One of his top priorities as CSBA President was to promote and enforce the inclusion of Visual and Performing Arts education as part of the core curriculum in all California public schools.

Mr. Holguín held the post of treasurer of the California Latino School Boards Association for twelve years; president of the Riverside County School Boards Association; president of the Moreno Valley Hispanic Chamber of Commerce for three years; and board member of ACCESS to the Future. For the last twenty-four years he has been involved in school and school district level parent groups including PTA, Site Council, Year-Round Education, GATE, High School Curriculum, Safety Task Force committees and Booster Clubs. He provided translation services for Spanish-speaking audiences at School Board meetings for four years. He was also a member of the MVUSD Budget Advisory Committee.

Jesús served on the National PTA Board of Directors for three years and previously served on the California State PTA Board of Managers for eight years. He also served on the California State PTA Board of Directors as Vice President for Education for nearly two years. In addition, Jesús has been a member of the Create California Board of Directors since 2016 and currently serves as Chair of the Board. He has also been an active member of the Pacific Crest Youth Arts Board of Directors since 2016, served as President of the Board for two years, and continues to champion arts education and youth development.

Employed by the San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools since 1985, Mr. Holguín has extensive experience in school finance. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration/Accounting and a Certificate in Human Resources Management from California State University, San Bernardino. He took the CSBA Master’s in Governance program during his first two years as School Board member.

Martinrex Kedziora, Ed.D.

Dr. Martinrex Kedziora is the former Superintendent for the Moreno Valley Unified School District, having led the district from 2017 through 2023. Originally from Memphis, TN, Dr. Kedziora has been a middle school teacher, special education coordinator, K-8 Principal and Professional Development Director during his 30-year career.

He serves as Chairman of the California League of Schools and as an Education Faculty member for National and Brandman Universities (now UMass Global). Kedziora has also been President of the Moreno Valley Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, and served on the advisory board for the Schools First Federal Credit Union.

Overall, Dr. Kedziora is a results-driven and accomplished educational leader with 40+ years’ experience spanning diverse roles, from a dedicated teacher to the Superintendent of Schools. He has proven success in transforming educational environments, fostering academic excellence, and driving positive change. And is adept at strategic planning, program evaluation, and personnel management, overseeing 40 schools and a staff of 3,400 employees.

Dr. Kedziora is recognized as a visionary leader, committed to student success and community engagement. He possesses a strong track record of building cohesive teams, resolving challenges, and enhancing educational outcomes.

Mark Kveton

MARK KVETON has been involved with the Pacific Crest Youth Arts Organization since 2008, currently serving as a member of the Board of Directors. He was the organization’s first Education Programs Director, overseeing Pacific Crest’s educational camps, workshops and virtual learning programming. Prior to this, Mark managed the teaching and coordination of the Drum Major and student leadership teams while also founding the Pacific Crest Drum Major and Leadership Camps, where he now serves as a leadership clinician after directing the camps from 2011-2023. He continues to consult with the drum corps, training the organization’s top student leaders. His drum corps performance experience includes the Pacific Crest Drum and Bugle Corps from 2008-2011 (Drum Major) and the 2019 Pacific Crest Rose Parade Ensemble (Conductor).

In addition to his marching arts work with PCYAO, Mark participated on the teaching faculty for Drum Corps International’s Leadership Seminars from 2013 – 2021, mentoring and training drum corps student leaders from across the country. Mark was also the Ensemble Director for Pulse Percussion from 2015-2017, helping the group to a gold medal and two bronze medals in WGI World Championship competition. He has worked with a variety of marching band programs in Southern California as a visual instructor/designer, including Rowland, Esperanza, Santa Monica, Gladstone, Walnut, and Chino High Schools.

Mark’s academic degrees include a M.S. in Arts Leadership from the University of Southern California (USC) and a B.A in Psychology and Social Behavior from the University of California, Irvine. Mark holds a full-time position as the Director of Admission and Student Success for the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences. His expertise centers around higher education enrollment administration, scholarship program management, and student leadership development.

He lives with his family in Arcadia, CA.

Bryan Mariscal

BRYAN MARISCAL is a high-energy leader with a proven record of developing and growing successful team members, and developing innovative and proactive Quality Management Systems under demanding requirements and schedules.

He has an extensive experience as a Quality Engineer and manager – with an ability to create complex systems to ensure desired results are achieved. A major component of that process relies heavily on risk assessment, risk mitigation, and establishing systems to quantify why processes are breaking down.

Bryan has overseen the development of products that have entered space, and have been used by the military and for commercial purposes. Each of those industries require extensive risk mitigation activities to ensure a high-quality product and safety considerations.

Bryan performed with Pacific Crest from 1999 – 2003. He taught the corps from 2004 – 2006, and served on the admin team in 2021 as the compliance manager during the Covid-19 season. He lives in Lake Forest, where he is raising his two sons and helping coach their football teams.

Phil Mortensen

Phil Mortensen has served on the Board of Directors since 2009. In the spring of
2025, Phil will retire after 37 years in Music Education. Most of his time was spent in the
Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District where he taught Instrumental Music at
Valencia HS (1989-2004), Orchestra at YLHS (2010-2023) and served as the district
Visual & Performing Arts Coordinator from 2004-2025.

Mr. Mortensen is an Honorary Life Member of the Southern California School Band &
Orchestra Association (SCSBOA) and was their President from 2009-2011. In 2018 he
received the Music Educator of the Year award from the CMEA Southeastern Section
and was recently recognized as an Outstanding Arts Administrator by SCSBOA, the
Orange County Music and Arts Administrators (OCMAA) and the California Music
Educators Association (CMEA).

Mr. Mortensen is a Head Field Judge for SCSBOA and judges numerous Music in the
Parks festivals each spring. In fall of 2024, Phil joined the faculty at Cal State Fullerton
where he is a clinical coach for several music education candidates. He enjoys
presenting at state/local conferences, speaking at local universities and consulting with
various school districts in the southern California region.

In his free time Phil enjoys playing golf and following his Dodgers. He is also a volunteer
scout leader having assisted over twenty youth to earn the Eagle Scout award. He is a
proud father of two Eagle Scouts who are flourishing in their own careers.

Ted Randall

TED RANDALL is a senior portfolio manager at Avantis Investors®. Prior to Avantis Investors’ establishment in 2019, Ted served as vice president and portfolio manager for domestic and international equity strategies at Dimensional Fund Advisors (DFA). In this role, Ted served as portfolio manager and portfolio advocate for 11 U.S. and non-U.S. developed, emerging market and blended asset allocation mutual funds and separately managed accounts.

Ted earned a master’s in business administration from the University of California Los Angeles Anderson School of Management and a bachelor of science in business administration from the University of Southern California.

Adrian Rivas

ADRIAN RIVAS is currently the Director of Enterprise Technology Demand Management and Resource Allocation at The Walt Disney Company in Burbank, CA. In this role, Adrian leads portfolio management and analytics teams responsible for optimizing people and financial resources to deliver against the highest strategic information technology priorities for the company.

He has nearly 25 years of success overseeing technology programs, developing teams, and leading capabilities in entertainment, retail, program management, customer data management, and mergers and acquisitions domains. Notable leadership initiatives have included the North American intra-company and supermarket gift card mall launch of the Disney Gift Card, implementation and technology operations management of Disney’s first cross-segment customer/guest data analytics environment, business case development and approval for company-wide on-prem to cloud infrastructure migration programs, executive leadership of strategic programs PMO, and leading Disney’s Transition Service Agreement (TSA) Office in support of the acquisition and integration of 21st Century Fox in 2019.

Adrian is a charter member of Pacific Crest Drum and Bugle Corps, joining in the inaugural year in 1993 and performing with the corps for 5 years, while also performing with the Blue Knights Drum and Bugle Corps (Denver, CO) for two years during that time. He served as a visual instructor and leadership coach at Pacific Crest for nearly 20 years. He joined the Pacific Crest Youth Arts Organization Board of Directors in 2014, was elected Board Vice President in 2020, and was elected Board President in 2022.

Adrian has been proud to have donated his time and professional input across a variety of causes outside of Pacific Crest, including Starlight Children’s Foundation, UCLA Interview with a Bruin, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (through Disney’s VoluntEARs program), and Disney’s Enterprise Mentor Program.

Adrian received a B.A. in Political Science (International Relations) from UCLA, participating in the UCLA Marching Band and serving as Drum Major for 3 of those years. He lives with his wife, Stacy (National Leadership Team for Kappa Delta Sorority), and son, Brandon, in Valley Village, California. He has a decade of half marathon and triathlon experience, including a Half Ironman finish, under his belt.

George Steele

GEORGE STEELE is an attorney with offices in Pasadena, CA. He represents a broad range of clients in unique and complex matters requiring creative approaches. His breadth of experience enhances his ability to embrace a wide range of issues and to think “outside of the box” when fashioning a solution.

Prior to starting his own law firm, Mr. Steele gained expertise and became a highly effective litigation and patent attorney at a various law firms in California and Maryland, both large and small. Before entering private practice, Mr. Steele honed his patent skills at the United States Patent and Trademark Office, and his trials skills at the Office of the Los Angeles Public Defender. He now brings his passion, determination and know-how to representing clients in the areas of Intellectual Property, Indian Law, Criminal Law and Complex Litigation Matters.

Before joining the world of law, Mr. Steele was a Naval Aviator in the United States Marine Corps, flying CH-46 assault helicopters. He was also an engineer on the Titan IV expendable launch vehicle program, specializing in payload-to-launch vehicle integration.

Mr. Steele received his Juris Doctor from the University of California –Los Angeles School of Law and his Bachelors of Aerospace Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology. He is admitted to practice law in the state of California, the United States District Court for the Central and Eastern Districts of California, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

Mr. Steele is registered to practice before the United States Patent and Trademark Office. He is also a member of various legal organizations, including the American Intellectual Property Law Association and the California Attorneys for Criminal Justice.

Mr. Steele’s goal is to develop long-term relationships with clients by becoming intimate with their needs and assisting them beyond the requirements of a single case.

Russell Tanakaya

RUSSELL TANAKAYA is a longtime supporter of drum corps and Pacific Crest. He spent his career in the hospitality industry, and is recently retired as the General Manager of the Embassy Suites by Hilton Los Angeles in Glendale.

In addition, he is an adjunct instructor at Glendale Community College where he teaches Introduction to Hospitality, Intro to Tourism, Restaurant Management, Bar/Beverage Management and Hotel Operations.

Russ is an avid photographer, who specializes in portrait, special event and marching music activity imagery. A veteran writer and photographer for the internet magazine Drum Corps World, Russell has taken pictures around the country for the niche youth activity of American drum corps for over a decade. His magazine contributions and social media postings feature thousands of action photos annually. He serves as the primary photographer for the World Class, Drum Corps International group Pacific Crest – and the WGI World Class organization Pulse Percussion.

In the off season, Russell’s photography runs the gamut from National Park landscapes, to night photography and his passion – studio and location portraiture and special events.

He also supports the Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep organization as an affiliated photographer. He is a member of the Professional Photographers Association, and an avid Sony mirrorless artist.

Russ served on the Governing Board of the Japanese American National Museum from 2003 – 2018.

Steve Tye

STEVE TYE was first elected to the Diamond Bar City Council in November 2005 and re-elected in 2009, 2013, 2018 and 2022. He completed serving his fourth term as mayor in 2020 and previously was mayor in 2007, 2011 and 2015.

Prior to joining the Council, Mr. Tye was appointed to the Planning Commission four times, serving from 1997-2005, including two terms as chairman.

He served on the Parks & Recreation Commission from 1994-1997, including once as chairman. He also served on the Library Task Force and the Sports Complex Task Force in 2004 and was a member of the Diamond Bar General Plan Advisory Committee.

Born in Whittier, Mr. Tye graduated from California High School. Mr. Tye earned his Bachelor of Science in Public Administration, graduating cum laude from California State University Dominguez Hills.

He and his high school sweetheart, Patricia, moved to Diamond Bar in 1982, where they raised their three children Kelly, Matthew and Jeffrey. They have been blessed with two grandchildren. Mr. Tye was actively involved with his children in AYSO Soccer and the Diamond Bar Little League. He is a lifetime member of the Diamond Bar Friends of the Library and a member in good standing with the Walnut Valley Rotary Club.