John and Mary Nixon moved permanently to Cambria in 2011, after having lived many years in Orange County. John’s career was in higher education, serving as faculty and in administration. He retired as President of Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut California. Active with non-profit organization in Cambria, he volunteers with the Lions Club, Friends of the Fiscalini Ranch Preserve, Cambria Scarecrow Festival, and the Cambria Film Festival.

Bryce Prunty is a graduate of the Pacific Conservatory of Performing Arts and studied Theatre at San Jose State University. He has performed in several productions at PCPA and SJSU. At CCA, he has directed and performed in several stage productions in the last couple of years. During the day, he is an Executive Vice President for STAND 8 technology solutions company.

Dennis Frahmann grew up in Wisconsin, majored in English and philosophy at Ripon College, and then earned a master’s in journalism at Columbia University. After a short stint as a restaurant reviewer with Mpls. St. Paul Magazine, he spent most of his career as a marketer for several high-tech firms. Now retired, he lives on the Central Coast of California with his husband Robert Tieman. He is the author of four novels, including The Long Table Dinner, which is set on the Central Coast.  Dennis has been instrumental in the creation and continuing success of the Cambria Film Festival and is involved in numerous other civic and cultural activities serving Cambria.

Lucas and Jennifer moved to Cambria two years ago but have deep roots on the Central Coast. Lucas graduated from Cal Poly and lived in San Luis Obispo for nearly 20 years. Together they are raising their two children, Pixley (7) and Wesley (4), in our town of Cambria. Lucas currently serves as a lecturer of Computer Science at Cal Poly and is VP of Engineering at a finance company. Jennifer is Chief Operating Officer of a sustainable startup and homeschools the kids part-time. Both Lucas and Jennifer are passionate about the arts and look forward to continuing to grow with CCA.

Gail Lampert-Thomas became involved in the film festival shortly after moving to Cambria in 2018 with her husband Michael Thomas. Gail jumped in by helping plan and run the Opening and Award nights for the Festival. Gail helped establish the Arts Education branch in 2022.  This branch plans and provides a monthly Youth Arts Program throughout the school year and week long summer camp programs. The Adult Academy provides a variety of art workshops and lectures throughout the year.  Gail is a certified meeting professional and spent decades managing events for major corporations in Silicon Valley. She also had a technical communications firm where she and her team designed many websites and programs for various clients. Gail is also a registered yoga teacher and  a credentialed teacher who has taught the arts to all grade levels.. She is very dedicated to bringing the arts to our community and really enjoys being involved with all the creative and vibrant people at CCA. 

Lilliana emigrated from Costa Rica to Los Angeles in 1964 and has lived in Cambria since 1997 with her husband Jeff. In 1993, Lilliana founded Montero Corporate Services, a business compliance service for firms in the entertainment industry. She previously served as Assistant Corporate Secretary for various subsidiaries of Security Pacific Bank and as a Corporate Paralegal for different major entertainment law firms and a film production company in Los Angeles. Through her extensive work experience and business establishment, she has gained the invaluable skills of effective leadership, management, planning, goal setting, and communication. Lilliana's interest in film festivals began while supporting her sons, Kyle and Carlos, who are award-winning independent filmmakers. Through attending, volunteering for, and establishing lasting relationships with the leadership of a variety of film festivals, she has gained a thorough understanding of the workings of film festivals and is passionate about supporting independent filmmakers and eager to share this passion with our community through the Film Arts branch of CCA.

In 2019, Margo with her husband, Art Watanabe, and two cats fulfilled their dream of moving to Cambria. Margo was born and raised by artistic parents in Los Angeles. After getting her degree in Design from UCLA, Margo enjoyed a wonderful career in graphics and illustration for Interior and Landscape Designers. She has been actively involved with the CCA since 2021.

Karen Chrisman grew up in Louisville, Kentucky, and has lived in California (mostly Los Angeles) for four decades.  She became a part-time Cambrian in the late 1990s and has lived here full time since 2019.  Her working life was spent mostly in mortgage banking, and she taught English Composition at the University of Louisville for a few years.  She volunteers regularly at the Friends of the Fiscalini Ranch Preserve office/shop and the Cambria Chamber of Commerce and is active in several local non-profit organizations, including Cambria's American Legion Auxiliary, the Rotary Club of Cambria, the North Coast Advisory Council, and the Mah Jongg Club at the Joslyn Center.  While she insists she does not have a creative bone in her body, she has enjoyed being a supporter and member of CCA for several years. 

Hank has had a lifelong career in education, leadership and training. With a BA in Education and an MA in Educational Administration, he worked in diverse settings including the United States Military Academy at West Point, Beverly Hills High School, Nestle, Inc., and the National Aeronautic and Space Administration (NASA), ultimately becoming the Mission Director for In-flight Astronaut Training. Retired from his full-time job at NASA he continues as a “contract civilian,” including serving as a member of NASA’s Astronaut Selection Committee for its upcoming Mars One Project – their first manned space flight to Mars scheduled for launch in 2032.  Hank loves sports, and played professional baseball with the Chicago White Sox and coached football and baseball.  He and his wife Judy moved to Cambria in 2020. 

 Helmut has had a varied career, including Audio/Visual Engineer, Web & App Developer, Photo- & Videographer, Drone Pilot, and—he reports—sometimes, Artist. Originally from the European culture and art mecca of Vienna, Austria, he has lived in the United States since 1998, first in the Southwest, and in Cambria since 2014 with his wife and art collaborator, Dena. Helmut says, “Cambria Center for the Arts is a wonderful place in our little town as a communication and connection for artists and art lovers. I enjoy being part of the board to bring in my talents, knowledge, and interests.”

Judy became involved with the Cambria Center for the Arts in 2017 as a member of the founding organizing committee of the Cambria Film Festival.  Since then she has been active in roles as operations director of the Film Festival, Vice President and then President of the CCA Board and now a director-at-large.  Her career pre-Cambria included executive roles in marketing, product development and social impact for technology companies. She’s passionate about the value the arts bring to everyone in our community and loves being part of the vibrant Cambria fabric. 

Deborah is the owner of Pinnacle Auto Brokers, an “all makes and models” new vehicle broker operating throughout the state of California.  Deborah‘s background is in financial services, sales and marketing. She previously was in corporate marketing for an NPR affiliate and has experience working with non- profit organizations to create and maximize exposure for their events and fundraising campaigns. An accomplished musician, her passions are travelling and supporting the arts.

John is a professor emeritus of Art and Art History at Mt. San Jacinto College and holds degrees in Studio Art from Stanford and UC Berkeley. He and his wife Linda moved to Cambria in 2018 with their younger daughters Evan and Condee. Between 2021 and 2023 John served as President of Greenspace - The Cambria Land Trust. His writings about art and artists have appeared in The Huffington Post, Hyperallergic, and Arts of Asia. He is the author of "Disrupted Realism: Paintings for a Distracted World" and "More Disruption: Representation in Flux."

Interested in serving on the Board or in a leadership position? Click below for more information or contact us to learn more! Email  president@CambriaArts.org