The LFEF Board

THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

The foundation is organized as a non-profit California 501 (c) corporation and managed by a Board of Directors serving 3-year terms.  There are 9 seats on the Board of Directors.  Six of the seats are filled by the following directors.  Each director was instrumental as a driving force behind the creation of the foundation and its mission.

Randy Holleschau (Orinda)

President, Executive Director and Founding Director

Randy is a marketing, sales and management executive with a broad base of expertise and experience in the information, technology, service and entertainment industries.  He is an entrepreneur with strategic vision, focused on developing, motivating and leading teams to apply themselves, accept challenges, overcome obstacles, and achieve success.  He excels in creating, developing and implementing successful solutions to meet and exceed established objectives.

Randy, with over 24 years experience as an entrepreneur, has founded and reorganized numerous companies in diverse fields including entertainment, printed media, technology, food service, beverage, and the shipping industry and as an independent business services consultant, has been retained by several Fortune 500 companies, including the US Postal Service, Bank of America, Paine Webber and Charles Schwab.

Randy is also an entertainer and storyteller as much as a visionary and experienced management leader. Under his Crazy Dreams Entertainment banner, Randy has produced six independent films, working with such Hollywood luminaries as Kevin Spacey, William Hurt, Faye Dunaway, Lauren Holly and Tom Skerritt.  Mr. Holleschau was awarded Canada’s highest film honor, the Gemini Award, for his 2005 movie Hunt for Justice, which chronicled the courageous efforts of Canadian Judge Louise Arbour to prosecute Slobodan Milosevic for the U.N. War Crimes Tribunal.  He continues to remain involved in the entertainment industry with ties to Hollywood, independent film and access to celebrities.

Within the community, Randy founded the Orinda Film Festival, where he also served as Executive Director.  In 2005, Mr. Holleschau was named Citizen of the Year by his home City of Orinda. His accomplishments have been well publicized in countless trade publications, magazine articles, newsletters, newspapers, Television shows, news casts, as well as the Internet.  He has also served as a director on numerous industry and charitable boards.

Jo Alice Canterbury (Orinda)

Founding Director

Jo Alice and her family moved to Orinda in 1987 when her daughter was entering first grade.  She served on the Sleepy Hollow Parent Board, chaired the eighth grade graduation party clean up at OIS, and co-chaired the grade level Holiday Boutique committee for four years with Amy Worth.

Jo Alice performed various volunteer duties at California Shakespeare Theatre (Cal Shakes) for over 10 years. Jo Alice joined the Friends of the Orinda Library board in 1989, chaired the annual book fair for three years (1991-1993).  Then in 1998 she was a co-chair of the Friends’ Heart of Orinda committee.  Jo Alice spearheaded numerous meetings with the contractor and architect until completion of the new library.  She also served on the capitol campaign committee which raised $5,000,000 to fund the building of the library.

Jo Alice was a founder of the Orinda Film Society in the fall of 2001 and a founder and program director of the Orinda Film Festival in 2002. She served on the film festival board for four years the film festival from 2002 -2005.

In 2002, Jo Alice had the honor of being named Co-Citizen of the Year.

Kate Wiley (Orinda)

Secretary, Founding Director

Kate Wiley, her husband and two boys have been Orinda residents since 1985. After a career in sales, marketing and training, Kate has been an active volunteer and successful fundraiser in the community serving on the executive boards of educational, civic and philanthropic organizations both locally and nationally for over 20 years. Kate has been involved with Orinda Theatre events since 2002 as the director of volunteers for the Orinda film festivals, later as an executive board member and then founding board member of LFEF. Received honors for philanthropic work, “Woman of Achievement” (California Federation of Women’s Club, Juniors Division 1999), Orinda Citizen of the Year 2009.

Laura Abrams (Orinda)

Founding Director

Laura Abrams has lived in Orinda for the past 35 years. She served as an elected member of the Orinda City Council from 1994 to 2006, twice holding the position of Mayor. She was appointment to many regional positions during her tenure including The Contra Costa Mayors Conference Executive Committee, Chair of The Central Contra Costa Solid Waste Authority, Vice-Chair of the Hazardous Waste Allocations Facility Committee and was directly involved in the Restoration of The Orinda Community Center, The construction and design of The New Orinda Library and the construction and design of The New Orinda City Hall.

Her volunteer experience includes serving as Co-Director of The Friends of the Orinda Theatre from 1981-1994. As Co-Director Laura was instrumental in negotiating the compromise that resulted in the preservation, restoration, and expansion of the Historic Landmark Theatre. She has worked on development and approvals for various regional projects including The Alameda Antiques Fair.

Laura has an MBA in Marketing and Finance and currently works as a Realtor.

She was awarded The Volunteer of the Year Award for her leadership in Preserving The Orinda Theatre in 1989.

David Mayeri (Orinda)

Vice President, Founding Director

David M. Mayeri has over 34 years of experience in the Live Entertainment Business working for Bill Graham Presents in San Francisco (1970 to 2004), and Clear Channel Entertainment (aka LiveNation) in the Western United States.

David’s responsibilities as COO of BGP included facility management, business development, budgeting and forecasting, government affairs, and venue development for the concert venues owned or operated by BGP/LiveNation.  In that role David guided the development of venues that range in size from 200 to 20,000 throughout the Western United States as well as oversaw the operations of popular venues such as The Fillmore in San Francisco, The Warfield, Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mt View, Sleep Train Pavilion in Concord, and The Fillmore Auditorium in Denver.

David is currently the Principal at DMM & Associates an Entertainment Consulting and Management Consulting business located in the East Bay; he is also a Green Real Estate Developer.  David and his wife Yoni have lived in Orinda since 1990 and have two sons Max and Zachary.  David was most recently distinguished by the Orinda News as one of the 8 People to Watch in 2008.

Efi Lubliner (Lafayette)

Treasurer, Director

Efi arrived in the United States from Israel in 1970.  While earning dual degree in Radio-TV-Film and Business Administration, Efi produced and occasionally hosted a weekly radio show for ten years on KCSN-Los Angeles.  Efi also produced and directed several stage productions for nonprofit organizations.

Efi’s wife, Shira grew up in Orinda and was the major factor in the family decision to move back to this area.  Efi, Shira and their four children have been residents in Lafayette since 1983.  He is the owner of EDC Systems, a computer store that he founded in 1984.

Efi has been actively involved in the arts since moving to this area.  He co-directed three musicals at Campolindo High School and helped the Belasco Theater Company for several years.  He brought several international art exhibitions to the community and has been a member as well as the chair of the Contra Costa International Jewish Film Festival over the past ten years.  Efi currently serves on the Board of several local charities.  He is the chair of the East Bay “Israel at 60″ celebration.

The foundation is organized as a non-profit California 501 (c) corporation and managed by a Board of Directors serving 3 year terms.  There are 9 seats on the Board of Directors.  Seven of the seats are filled by the directors as listed below.  Each director was instrumental as a driving force behind the creation of the foundation and its mission.

THE HONORARY BOARD

Kevin Spacey (London)

Honorary Director

Two-time Academy Award Winner Kevin Spacey began his film career in 1986 with a small part as a subway thief in Heartburn. Spacey would eventually take on a long line of dark, manipulative characters like the sinister office manager in Glengarry Glen Ross (1992), a sadistic Hollywood exec in Swimming with Sharks (1994), and, most famously, creepy, smooth-talking eyewitness Verbal Kint in The Usual Suspects (1995).

The “Suspects” role earned Spacey an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor and catapulted him into the limelight. That same year, he turned in another complex performance in Seven (1995). After appearing in Al Pacino’s documentary, Looking for Richard (1996), Spacey made his own directorial debut with Albino Alligator (1996) and then jumped back into acting, winning critical accolades for his role in L.A. Confidential (1997) and Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (1997). In October 1999, the dark suburban satire American Beauty opened in theaters, which earned Spacey his second Oscar (Best Actor).

Father Mike Russo (Moraga)

Director

Michael A. Russo is a professor of Communication Studies at Saint Mary’s College of California, Moraga, nearby San Francisco in the East Bay. He teaches courses in the history of the print and electronic media, journalism, and political communication. During January Term of 2008 he taught “Scorsese on film,” a study of the film legacy of Martin Scorsese.

Since his college days at Seton Hall University in New Jersey, he has maintained a long-standing association as a producer/consultant to CBS News. In the late 60′s, he was a desk-assistant to Walter Cronkite during special events broadcasts of the space program, and earlier this year, he traveled to Rome to report on the death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, and the election of Pope Benedict XVI. Over the years, he has covered national political conventions, presidential elections, and the funerals and the elections of popes. His special expertise is the news of religion.

His doctoral degree from New York University is in American social and political history. In 1990 he was awarded a Shorenstein fellowship at the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University.

Michael A. Russo is a Roman Catholic priest of the Archdiocese of Newark (New Jersey). He is an avid swimmer, likes to read historical biographies, has a reputation as a great pasta chef, and, as yet, he has not taken up the frustrating game of golf. Mike Russo lives in Moraga, and in Monterey, California.