Silicon Valley Shakespeare’s Board serves a vital role in the development and management of our company. Providing governance and financial guidance, our Board actively participates in and manages the various committees that help our company run smoothly. They are members of our community who generously give of their time and energy to help our company grow, and ensure a healthy economic and organizational future. Our Board works closely with the Executive and Artistic Directors to oversee the business affairs of the organization.
We are currently seeking strategic new members of our Board of Directors, to expand our numbers, hear more voices and ideas, and further distribute board functions. We are open to anyone with interest, and particularly seek someone with financial expertise. If you are interested, or want more information, contact Executive Director Doug Brook.
Sasha Abrams – Board of Directors Chair
sasha.abrams@svshakespeare.org
Sasha Abrams is the General Counsel and Secretary to the Board at the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, one of the largest private foundations in the United States. Sasha’s practice focuses on the tax laws affecting private foundations, program-related investments, and complex legal issues in grant making. Previously, Sasha worked at Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP, where she represented public agencies in municipal bond financing. Sasha holds a bachelor’s degree with honors from Stanford University and a J.D. from the Boalt Hall School of Law at the University of California, Berkeley. She is admitted to practice law in California, and resides in San Mateo, CA.
Kim Pfahnl – Board of Directors Vice Chair / Treasurer
kim.pfahnl@svshakespeare.org
Kim received her degree in Theatre Arts from San José State University. After graduation, she worked in children’s and adult theatre throughout the Bay Area as a designer, stage manager, and actor, and ran her own graphic design and staging business. She resides in San José, CA.
Michelle Galloway – Board of Directors Member
michelle.galloway@svshakespeare.org
Michelle Greer Galloway is Of Counsel with Cooley LLP in the firm’s Palo Alto, California office. She is a member of the IP litigation group (patents) and teaches at Stanford Law School and Santa Clara University School of Law. Ms. Galloway also advises clients, and lectures in the areas of risk management, compliance, and ethics. Ms. Galloway received a J.D. in 1989 from Stanford Law School and a bachelor’s degree, with distinction, from Stanford University in 1986. She has been a long time supporter of Stanford and serves on the Dean’s Advisory Council and as Co-Chair of the Law Fund. She resides in Los Altos, CA.
Tom Flynn – Board of Directors Member
tom.flynn@svshakespeare.org
Tom Flynn serves as the CEO of Connect Address, Inc., a leader in e-commerce technology. Prior to his current position, Tom co-founded two successful startups Lavante, Inc and AuditSolutions, Inc. Professionally, Tom has earned awards and commendations for economic development, job creation, technology innovation, and marketing achievements. He is a frequent contributor to various professional publications and an active member of the Association of Corporate Growth and the Institute of Financial Operations, as well as a mentor with Spartups Accelerator and the UCLA Alumni Association. Prior to making his jump to the world of technology, Tom whiled away his twenties as a playwright and running Shoulder and Necktie Arts, a small theatre company in Los Angeles. He resides in San José, CA.
Robert Peterson – Board of Directors Member
robert.peterson@svshakespeare.org
Bob Peterson teaches law at the University of Santa Clara School of Law. He studied law at Stanford and Oxford Universities. Although his undergraduate study was in mathematics and physics, he also took a course in Shakespeare and was hooked. Since then, he has been an unabashed Bardophile and has published articles on Shakespeare and the Law. He says that his article “The Bard and the Bench: An Opinion and Brief Writer’s Guide to Shakespeare” has been read by fewer judges and lawyers than it deserves! To keep the wolf from the door, he has taught courses in Torts, Evidence, Civil Procedure, Products Liability, and Insurance. He resides in Los Gatos, CA.
Ken Arora – Board of Directors Member
ken.arora@svshakespeare.org
Ken has been a long-time patron of Silicon Valley Shakespeare, starting with their first season at Sanborn Park, and has enjoyed watching them grow into the multi-venue, multi-production company they have matured into. His most memorable Shakespeare experience was working with high school students to help develop Brutus’ legal defense strategy at a post-Julius Caesar mock trial. When he is not busy designing cybersecurity products at F5 Networks or experiencing live theatre, Ken also enjoys participating in sports, photography, volunteering with local schools, and developing scenarios for role playing games. He resides in Saratoga, CA.
Susan Rojo – Board of Directors Member
Susan is Digital Marketing Manager for Arcadia Data, a big data visualization company. She worked earlier at Stanford University Libraries researching preservation of digital artifacts like video games. Prior to this, she managed projects in engineering, sales, marketing, and education at Novell and various start ups. Susan has her Masters in Library and Information Services and a BS degree in Business Administration. She’s seen Shakespeare in three of 24 countries, and five of 32 states she’s visited, and is always planning her next travel adventure. She resides in Campbell, CA.
