Board
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Kaarin Austin
Board President
Board President
Kaarin joined the Grand board in 2022. She has worked in philanthropy for over a decade, and currently serves as the Director of Major and Planned Giving at KNKX. Kaarin graduated from PLU and Gonzaga School of Law. After law school, she focused on planned giving and proceeded to make her career in philanthropy. She now identifies as a recovering attorney. Kaarin, her husband, and their two young children live in Central Tacoma. They love traveling and adventuring, and in pandemic times have especially loved rediscovering the Pacific Northwest.
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Sarah Jane Hoppe
Vice President
Vice President
Sarah Jane joined the Grand Cinema board in 2020. She grew up in Minnesota and moved to PNW in the 1990's to study music and visual art in college. Sarah Jane is the steward of @TinyArtGalleryOnCedar, a very small 24-hour art gallery featuring her paper collage and other art works by local creatives. She brings her development and fundraising experience to the Grand Cinema board and considers David Lynch's Twin Peaks series to be her love language.
Jess Lanzillo
Treasurer
Treasurer
Jess Lanzillo began her creative journey with the still-unpublished tabletop game entitled Summer Camp, based on her pre-teen love of slasher films. She has since built her career and life around fandom, craft, a DIY ethos, and a dedication to accessible storytelling that everyone can see themselves in. Jess is currently the Chief of Staff for Wizards of the Coast, having previously served as the Vice President / Creative Director for the game Magic: The Gathering. She is excited for the opportunity to join a group passionate about growing the thriving community that the Grand Cinema serves here in Tacoma.
Sam Gayle
Secretary
Secretary
Sam Gayle, born and raised in Tacoma, has over 10-years experience in commercial property management, team building and organizational leadership. She also serves as the mentor and program leader for up and coming leaders for her company, both in the Puget Sound and Denver Areas. Sam has been a part of countless building and tenant improvement projects, ranging from high-rise elevator modernizations to multiple green building initiatives leading the property to achieve LEED Platinum and EnergyStar certifications. Sam takes great pride in the relationships she’s built through these experiences with her tenants, owners, and investors alike.
In 2019, Sam played a significant role at her current property in the due-diligence process of the property’s acquisition and transition under the new ownership team. Sam is beyond excited and looks forward to bringing her collective experience to helping The Grand Cinema team through the acquisition of the Merlino Arts Center and ensuring its future success!
A passionate artist, she enjoys her free-time painting, sculpting, and writing as well as reading extensively, listening to broad range of music, and avidly attending any and all films she can see, especially during the Tacoma Film Festival!
In 2019, Sam played a significant role at her current property in the due-diligence process of the property’s acquisition and transition under the new ownership team. Sam is beyond excited and looks forward to bringing her collective experience to helping The Grand Cinema team through the acquisition of the Merlino Arts Center and ensuring its future success!
A passionate artist, she enjoys her free-time painting, sculpting, and writing as well as reading extensively, listening to broad range of music, and avidly attending any and all films she can see, especially during the Tacoma Film Festival!
Joanne Lisosky
Joanne taught journalism and communication at Pacific Lutheran University for nearly a quarter of a century. She advised student media and was a co-founder of PLU's MediaLab. During her sabbaticals, she served three Fulbright awards teaching in journalism in Uganda, Azerbaijan and Trinidad. She also taught several PLU courses abroad in Australia, Uganda and Geneva. She co-wrote War on Words: Who Should Protect Journalists? and contributed several other articles focused on media literacy. She was executive producer for several award-winning student productions and even wrote/produced several documentaries herself, including Pieces of the Frame: What Made Springfield Grow, and Namibia Nine. She was awarded a Northwest Emmy in 2020 for producing, Peace Queen starring Melannie Denise Cunningham. She calls Tacoma's Stadium District home and appreciates a brisk walk to the Grand. She is an active member of the League of Women Voters and regularly audits classes at UWT in Spanish and Art.
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Board Member
Senior Communications Consultant, Public Affairs, Washington State Attorney General's Office
Kari is serving her second term on The Grand's board. She works for the Washington State Attorney General's Office, as the Senior Communications Consultant for the Public Affairs team.
Kari is serving her second term on The Grand's board. She works for the Washington State Attorney General's Office, as the Senior Communications Consultant for the Public Affairs team.
Kari spent years fostering community connections in Tacoma and Pierce County as an award-winning reporter for KNKX Public Radio and The News Tribune. She's also worked in higher education, as an editor at Pacific Lutheran University and a student newspaper advisor and adjunct instructor at the University of Puget Sound.
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Whitney Henry-Lester
Whitney once got a C in a documentary film class because she spent too much time interviewing subway musicians and not enough time in class. She has been working with documentaries ever since. Whitney is an audio producer and editor. Her editing credits include a doc short nominated for an Oscar (Rehearsing a Dream), a podcast nominated for a Peabody (How to Be a Girl), and a 2022 duPont-Columbia award winner (According to Need). She has taught audio to high school football players, non-traditional college students and public radio newbies. And she hosted an audio artist residency in Lima, Peru. Whitney is originally from the Catskill Mountains, and Tacoma is her home base.
Linda Tieman
A nurse by education and experience, Linda's been a resident of University Place for 32 years; has been involved with many non-profits here and nationally, in a variety of roles, from the Red Cross to the Washington Center for Nursing (the nursing workforce center for the state). Most of her career was spent in healthcare leadership in San Diego, Columbus Ohio and here in Washington. A movie fan all of her life and Grand member for many years, preferring small neighborhood theaters. She wants the Grand to thrive! She's a hopelessly smitten grandmother to a 2-year-old who lives with her parents in Marysville; Mom graduated from Curtis and Dad from Kent. She's traveled a lot in her life, solo and with her husband. She's an avid mystery reader. Recently widowed, she's grateful for a cadre of long term friends across the US and locally. Her favorite movie? Compulsion about the Leopold-Loeb murders.
Orsi Szoke
Orsi is an experienced senior finance and accounting professional. In her current role at
Clark Number, she leads audits of not-for-profit organizations. Prior to joining Clark
Number, she managed teams working on financial audits of for-profit private companies
and listed entities in various industries, with a special focus on training new hires.
She grew up in Hungary and currently lives in Kent, WA with her husband, Matt and
their two cats. The Grand Cinema is very special to Orsi as the large selection of
movies shown there helped her feel at home in a new country and culture right away.
She has a lifelong passion for independent and animated movies. She is a big fan of
Miyazaki, Bergman, Almodovar and Kaurismäki. She follows all the big film festivals
around the globe and tries to catch the local screening of the best movies in Tacoma or
in Seattle. Art and cultural events help her recharge her battery and connect with her
inner self. She would like to pass on this passion to others in the Greater Tacoma area
and open a window for them to the World through movies.
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Derek Nunn
Returning to Tacoma after 15 years in the film & entertainment industry, Derek began working as a story consultant for various TV and film projects, script-doctoring and ghostwriting, whilst simultaneously grinding on film sets as a boom operator and working many of the most prestigious film festivals around the world. He later assimilated to the corporate side of entertainment, traveling the world as an assistant for ViacomCBS. With each opportunity, his proficiency for story and unique perspective has centered him in rooms with executives and personnel from Warner Brothers, MTV, Paramount Pictures, Vh1, Nickelodeon, Sony Pictures, BET, Comedy Central and 20th Century Fox.
Returning to Tacoma after 15 years in the film & entertainment industry, Derek began working as a story consultant for various TV and film projects, script-doctoring and ghostwriting, whilst simultaneously grinding on film sets as a boom operator and working many of the most prestigious film festivals around the world. He later assimilated to the corporate side of entertainment, traveling the world as an assistant for ViacomCBS. With each opportunity, his proficiency for story and unique perspective has centered him in rooms with executives and personnel from Warner Brothers, MTV, Paramount Pictures, Vh1, Nickelodeon, Sony Pictures, BET, Comedy Central and 20th Century Fox.
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Nick Federici
Nick Federici came to Tacoma reluctantly, dragged by his loving wife and Tacoma native Kristen Federici. It wasn’t long before he realized Kristen was right. Nick quickly fell in love with the city of destiny and the grand cinema played a role and his falling head over heels so fast. Nick has over 30 years in government relations. He has worked to secure billions of dollars to benefit the lives of Washingtonians. He lives in the north end with his wife, daughters and their flock of little dogs. You’ll find Nick walking to Proctor with a tea in hand, when he’s not at Disneyland with his family, or binge watching movies together!
Nick Federici came to Tacoma reluctantly, dragged by his loving wife and Tacoma native Kristen Federici. It wasn’t long before he realized Kristen was right. Nick quickly fell in love with the city of destiny and the grand cinema played a role and his falling head over heels so fast. Nick has over 30 years in government relations. He has worked to secure billions of dollars to benefit the lives of Washingtonians. He lives in the north end with his wife, daughters and their flock of little dogs. You’ll find Nick walking to Proctor with a tea in hand, when he’s not at Disneyland with his family, or binge watching movies together!
Anida Yoeu Ali and Masahiro Sugano
Filmmaker Masahiro Sugano and performance artist Anida Yoeu Ali run Studio Revolt, an artist-run independent media lab that produces films, videos, installations and performance projects around the world. While still residing in Chicago in 2010, they established their media lab after winning their first major award for their collaboration on 1700% Project: Mistaken for Muslim, a short film and community response to Islamophobia. Based in Cambodia from 2011-2015 they became a prominent presence in the contemporary arts scene showcasing their works in screenings, exhibitions, and public art projects all over Asia. In 2016, they relocated to Tacoma after falling in love with the city’s promising art scene, waterfront location and diverse working-class neighborhoods. They both make the long commute to Bothell, where each serve as Senior Artist-in-Residence at the University of Washington teaching art and influencing a new generation of creative thinkers and agitators.
Filmmaker Masahiro Sugano and performance artist Anida Yoeu Ali run Studio Revolt, an artist-run independent media lab that produces films, videos, installations and performance projects around the world. While still residing in Chicago in 2010, they established their media lab after winning their first major award for their collaboration on 1700% Project: Mistaken for Muslim, a short film and community response to Islamophobia. Based in Cambodia from 2011-2015 they became a prominent presence in the contemporary arts scene showcasing their works in screenings, exhibitions, and public art projects all over Asia. In 2016, they relocated to Tacoma after falling in love with the city’s promising art scene, waterfront location and diverse working-class neighborhoods. They both make the long commute to Bothell, where each serve as Senior Artist-in-Residence at the University of Washington teaching art and influencing a new generation of creative thinkers and agitators.
Rachael McAlister
Rachael is originally from Nashville, Tennessee where she worked in three related fields; art, bars, and a zoo. She’s been in Washington state for fourteen years and is the director of Auburn’s White River Valley Museum and Mary Olson Farm. After the mandatory stint in Seattle her family has chosen Tacoma as their home (because it’s awesome.) She is passionate about bringing authentic arts and heritage experiences to the communities she lives and works in. As a lifelong film fan, she is excited to serve on The Grand's board and contribute to its future.
Rachael is originally from Nashville, Tennessee where she worked in three related fields; art, bars, and a zoo. She’s been in Washington state for fourteen years and is the director of Auburn’s White River Valley Museum and Mary Olson Farm. After the mandatory stint in Seattle her family has chosen Tacoma as their home (because it’s awesome.) She is passionate about bringing authentic arts and heritage experiences to the communities she lives and works in. As a lifelong film fan, she is excited to serve on The Grand's board and contribute to its future.
Triple pics
Chase Willett
Chase joined the Grand Board in 2020, in the middle of the COVID - 19 pandemic. Originally from Dallas, he spent a while in Washington, DC before meeting his wife and moving to the West Coast in 2017. Chase has been in global health for the past decade, working with government and non - governmental organizations to help improve healthcare systems in low-income areas. He plays music, bowls, and likes old film noir.
Chase joined the Grand Board in 2020, in the middle of the COVID - 19 pandemic. Originally from Dallas, he spent a while in Washington, DC before meeting his wife and moving to the West Coast in 2017. Chase has been in global health for the past decade, working with government and non - governmental organizations to help improve healthcare systems in low-income areas. He plays music, bowls, and likes old film noir.
Ellen Ito
Ellen Ito is a culture worker and artist from Seattle, WA currently living and working in Tacoma, where she manages a museum collection and programs the art space SLIP. Interested in the intersection of foodways, culture and identity. In a committed relationship with ceramics and paint, with a wandering eye for glass.
Ellen Ito is a culture worker and artist from Seattle, WA currently living and working in Tacoma, where she manages a museum collection and programs the art space SLIP. Interested in the intersection of foodways, culture and identity. In a committed relationship with ceramics and paint, with a wandering eye for glass.
Art Wang
Art Wang retired from Washington state government, where he served as State Representative, Chief Administrative Law Judge, and Judge on the Court of Appeals. He also taught law at UPS and Seattle U Law Schools and has chaired many local nonprofit boards, most recently the Greater Tacoma Community Foundation. He remains active with Asian and Pacific Islander community organizations and continues to lead birding trips for the Tahoma Bird Alliance.
Art Wang retired from Washington state government, where he served as State Representative, Chief Administrative Law Judge, and Judge on the Court of Appeals. He also taught law at UPS and Seattle U Law Schools and has chaired many local nonprofit boards, most recently the Greater Tacoma Community Foundation. He remains active with Asian and Pacific Islander community organizations and continues to lead birding trips for the Tahoma Bird Alliance.
Geoff Lawrence
After living in Seattle for 5 years during his childhood, Geoff returned to the Pacific Northwest after making several stops around the country and the world. In Tacoma since the early 2000’s he was a partner in a growing manufacturing company, and later a consultant supporting other Washington manufacturers. He engages in the community with service on several nonprofit boards and enjoys watching great films at The Grand Cinema and learning Tai Chi at the Merlino Arts Center.
After living in Seattle for 5 years during his childhood, Geoff returned to the Pacific Northwest after making several stops around the country and the world. In Tacoma since the early 2000’s he was a partner in a growing manufacturing company, and later a consultant supporting other Washington manufacturers. He engages in the community with service on several nonprofit boards and enjoys watching great films at The Grand Cinema and learning Tai Chi at the Merlino Arts Center.
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