Santa Cruz Shakespeare Board

Chris Frost

Mary Anne Carson
A native Californian and advocate for the arts, Mary Anne first discovered the wonders of live Shakespeare performances while attending UCSC. She served on the board of directors for Shakespeare Santa Cruz from 2003-2008 and joined the Santa Cruz Shakespeare board in 2018. Mary Anne serves as Executive Vice President & Chief Marketing Officer of Santa Cruz County Bank. Throughout her 33-year banking career, she has been recognized for her leadership, community involvement and industry acumen by the Silicon Valley Business Journal as a Woman of Influence, by American Banker Magazine as one of the Top Women in Banking Teams in the country, by the Aptos Chamber of Commerce as Woman of the Year and by the Santa Cruz Chamber of Commerce as Volunteer of the Year. She is a graduate of Leadership Santa Cruz County and Focus Agriculture.

Jean Shimoguchi
Jean Shimoguchi joined the Board of Directors for Shakespeare Santa Cruz in 2006 and in 2013 helped work through its transition to become an independent organization -- Santa Cruz Shakespeare. After a brief hiatus, she rejoined the Santa Cruz Shakespeare Board in 2016 and is currently its Secretary. After decades of working in marketing and communications in the high-tech industry, Jean retired in November 2019 and is focusing her time on volunteering with Santa Cruz Shakespeare and the Mountain View Buddhist Temple. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California, Berkeley.

Mark Dammann
Mark is a lifelong aficionado of live theatre. His love of Santa Cruz Shakespeare started in December 1998, at his family’s first holiday “panto.” The show opened with giant bunnies marauding toward his family (front row center), causing his young son to burst out crying. A hasty retreat to the back row enabled all to enjoy the show.
In 2016, Mark joined the Board during SCS’s transition to DeLaveaga Park. He served as Treasurer and Personnel Committee Chair. After a brief hiatus, he was delighted to return to the Board in 2024. Mark holds degrees from Stanford University and the University of San Francisco. He recently retired from his career directing services for people with disabilities and low-income families. Mark served on four non-profit boards, including Imagine Supported Living Services. His happy place is the Grove on a starry night surrounded by friends.

Rick Wright
Rick joined the SCS board in 2014, serving as president for 8 years. In addition to shepherding the growth of the organization, Rick has played a key role in the design and development of the Grove. Involved from the beginning, Rick planned the theater’s overall layout and designed the stage, tech-booth, bench seating, and most recently the soon-to-be-built multi-purpose actors' center and theater offices. With a continuing eye on the growth and sustainability of the organization and the Grove, Rick continues to work towards improvements, which may include a better sunshade, permanent restrooms, and who knows what else.
When not working on something SCS-related, Rick is an IT exec, having worked as the VP of Ops for a tech consulting firm, and has led teams at Apple, Salesforce, Sony, and many other companies over the past 30+ years.

Bill Richter
Bill has been on the Festival’s Board since 2005 and is the founding Board President of SCS. By day, he is a corporate and transactional lawyer, and the sole proprietor of Richter Law Offices, a Santa Cruz practice formed in 2002 dedicated to the representation of entrepreneurs, investors and inventors and the companies they form. Bill practiced corporate law for five years at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati and Shearman & Sterling. He serves in leadership positions on the boards of Mahler Foundation, and the American Farm School & Perrotis College (Greece), and is an honorary lifetime trustee at Kirby School. A NY native, Bill is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Yale College and earned a Masters Degree in Russian Studies from Harvard University and his JD from New York University School of Law.

Lee Duffus
A native Californian, Lee Duffus has been a member of the Santa Cruz community since 1968 when he joined the cadre of pioneering staff and faculty at UC Santa Cruz. He served in a variety of administrative roles, retiring in 1992 as assistant vice chancellor. For the next ten years he owned and managed an independent bookstore in Aptos.
Lee has served as a leadership volunteer with many organizations, including: United Way, the American Red Cross (chapter chair during the Loma Prieta Earthquake response and recovery; state, regional, and national assignments), UCSC Retirees Association and the systemwide Council of UC Retirement Associations, the Santa Cruz Symphony, Trinity Presbyterian Church, and the Cabrillo College Foundation. He also served two terms on the Santa Cruz City Arts Commission. Duffus joined the SCS board in 2019 and chairs the education committee.
Lee resides with his wife Emily in Santa Cruz.

Anna Hackenbracht

Kent Imai


Meg Lilienthal

Aaron Lipton
An attorney working in Santa Cruz County, Aaron's involvement with Shakespeare dates back to attending the festival at UCSC when he attended Aptos High School, and having a summer job working in the Glen at the end of summer.
Aaron attended UC Davis for both his undergraduate degree (Religious Studies) and law degree; he returned to Santa Cruz, departing the world of criminal defense in 2011. He now specializes in consumer bankruptcy practice, working to give a fresh start to members of our community, as well as estate planning. He currently resides in Scotts Valley with his wife, Sue Jung Lee.

Kevin Lohman

Liz Sandoval
