Meet Our Board of Directors
The Board of Directors at Arts Connection brings a diverse range of expertise from diverse fields like corporate leadership, academia, finance, and community development. United by a commitment to inclusivity, empowerment, and the transformative power of the arts, they champion Arts Connection’s vision and work for environmental justice, arts education, artistic expression, and career development. Their visionary leadership ensures Arts Connection remains a beacon of hope and leadership, providing essential resources and opportunities to our artists and communities. Through their tireless dedication, the board fosters a culture of creativity and growth, empowering individuals and creators through the arts.
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Kathryn Ervin
BOARD CHAIR
Kathryn Ervin is a Professor in the Department of Theatre Arts at California State University San Bernardino and is serving as Department Chair. She served on the faculty at Michigan State University. She is a graduate of Wayne State University and Illinois State University. She teaches courses in Directing, Acting, Creative Drama and African American Theatre and Film and Culture. She is a director and has directed drama’s comedies and musicals. She is currently at work devising INVISIBLE a play based on The Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison and HG Wells. Past productions include NO CHILD, THE WIZ, NOVIO BOY, HAMLET:the artist formerly known as Prince of Denmark. She guest directed INTIMATE APPAREL and HOW I LEARNED TO DRIVE at UCR and MA RAINEY”S BLACK BOTTOM at Illinois State. Her original production of the hip hop opera KEEP HEDZ RINGIN’ by Rickerby Hinds was a finalist at the American College Theatre Festival in Utah and presented as part of the NYC Hip Hop Theatre Festival in 2002.
She is active in numerous professional organizations including the California Educational Theatre Association, the Association for Theatre in Higher Education and she is a fellow of the California Arts Project. She is a recipient of the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival Outstanding Educator Award and an NAACP Pioneer Award. She is a consultant and past president for the Black Theatre Network, the national organization for artists, scholars and individuals with an interest in celebrating the beauty and complexity of black life onstage. In 2010 she received the Black Theatre Network Lifetime Membership Award recognizing her service to the organization. (Lives in San Bernardino)
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Dr. Anne Viricel
BOARD TREASURER
In addition to her position as Treasurer of Arts Connection, Dr. Anne L. Viricel is Executive Director of the San Bernardino Symphony, spending her days creating opportunities for visibility for the region’s longest running and most prestigious professional orchestra. In the evenings, she serves as a professor at the University of Redlands School of Business specializing in quantitative operations and strategy coursework. She is also a public servant in her locally elected role as Vice President of the San Bernardino Community College Board of Trustees.
Dr. Viricel is also an author, having published dozens of academic and industry articles and, most recently, collaborated on the autobiography of educator and activist Dr. Margaret Hill. In addition to being a board member of Arts Connection, she serves on the boards of the San Bernardino County Museum Association (Treasurer), the San Bernardino Valley Concert Association (Member), The Unforgettables Foundation (Member), and the Highland Woman’s Club (Treasurer). She is also an active member of the American Association of University Women, the Bonnes Meres Auxiliary of the Children’s Fund, and the San Bernardino Symphony Guild. Her recent awards include Assembly District 40 City of Highland Woman of the Year, League of Women Voters Citizen of Achievement, the Black Culture Foundation’s Black Rose Award, and two University of Redlands Excellence in Teaching Awards.
