LA OPERA BOARD DIRECTORY

Born in the midwest, raised in the Windy City, educated in English literature and astrophysics at Northwestern University, Tim Johnson knew his destiny: cartoons! In Chicago, he drew and directed animation for television commercials. In 1985, he joined the staff at Post Effects. After three years working as a one-man computer department, he joined the computer animation whiz team at Pacific Data Images. In the early 1990s, he co-founded the Character Animation Group. Acting as creative director for the 10-member team, he directed most of the group’s work, from the Pillsbury Doughboy, to the Bud Bowl to The Simpsons’ 3-D Halloween episode. A 1995 story pitch to Jeffrey Katzenberg resulted in Tim co-directing DreamWorks Animation’s first release, Antz. He continued with DreamWorks directing Sinbad and Over the Hedge. He was inducted into the Motion Picture Academy in 2004. He was executive producer on DreamWorks’ How To Train Your Dragon, executive producer for DreamWorks’ How to Train Your Dragon Arena Spectacular live arena shows, directed DreamWorks’ Home and recently served as executive producer on DreamWorks’ Abominable released in September of 2019.  

Rian Johnson is an Academy Award® and Golden Globe®-nominated filmmaker known for films like Brick, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, and Knives Out. In 2019, Johnson and producer Ram Bergman launched their production company, T-Street. The company’s film and television projects include Glass Onion, Poker Face, Fair Play, and most recently, American Fiction. Through T-Street, Johnson supports independent filmmakers and emerging talent. He is currently preparing for the much-anticipated third installment of a Knives Out Mystery.​ 

Janet Jones is an Executive Vice President at Hub International. She was formerly President and Owner of the Elkins Jones Insurance Agency in West Los Angeles. Born and raised in Pasadena, California, Jones attended Stanford University and worked in the State Attorney General’s Office upon graduating. She then moved to Republic Corporation and, as a Treasury Assistant, aided in the maintenance of the company’s multimillion dollar insurance program.

Jones then moved to Max Factor & Company as Risk Manager. She also worked for Lincoln National life Insurance Company. She then joined the predecessor to Elkins Jones, the George Elkins Company’s insurance division, as Manager. The insurance division grew from a $50,000 Revenue small division of a larger company, to a $60,000,000 premium independent company with 50 employees. Jones purchased the Elkins Insurance division in 1996, forming Elkins Jones Insurance Agency. In December of 2017, Elkins Jones merged with Hub International, the largest Privately Owned Insurance Brokerage in the United States. Her focus continues to be on customer service.

Richard Jones is a Managing Director in Private Wealth Management at Merrill Lynch, Los Angeles. He is a senior founding partner in a 44-member team that specializes in providing financial advisory services to ultra-high net worth individuals, families and non-profit organizations throughout the country. Originally from Cleveland, he graduated magna cum laude from Boston University with a BA in Russian studies and then earned a master’s in international finance from Columbia University. He joined Bank of America in 1980 and then worked at JP Morgan from 1983 until 1999, when he moved to Merrill Lynch’s Private Wealth Management Group. He is on the board of directors of The Los Angeles Opera, Bet Tzedek Legal Services, one of the largest legal services firms in Southern California, St. Barnabas Senior Services, the Board of Councilors for the USC Thornton School of Music and is former chairman of the Advisory Council to Management for Merrill Lynch’s Private Wealth Group. He is married with two children, and enjoy biking, golfing and running, as well as music, reading and travel. 

Born and raised in the Northeast San Fernando Valley, Monique has a B.A. in Political Science from UCLA and a J.D. from Catholic University in Washington, D.C. Her work experience includes working on the United States Senate Judiciary Committee for both U.S. Senators Joseph Biden and Howell Heflin.  While in law school, Monique chaired the Students For Public Interest Law Club and worked at Catholic University’s Legal Aid Clinic, the D.C. Lawyer’s Committee for Civil Rights and the San Fernando Valley Neighborhood Services. After law school, Monique received a fellowship working for Public Council in Los Angeles. She then worked for the Los Angeles City Council where she was the Chief Legislative Deputy for Los Angeles Councilwoman Ruth Galanter and as the Chief of Staff to Councilmember Alex Padilla. During her tenure as Chief of Staff, she gave birth to two sons. When her youngest was three, she retired to focus her efforts on the family. During that time, she volunteered with the Cheviot Hills Homeowner’s Association and the President of her son’s elementary school parent association.  Monique and her husband have served as co-chairs of Philharmonic Council of the L.A. Philharmonic. Monique would like to be considered as a kind, calm and thoughtful person who believes in service helping the greater community as well as responsibly and lovingly taking care of her entire family.  She is now very interested in exploring new endeavors and fields of interests with likeminded individuals.

Lawrence A. Kern was president and chief executive officer of Ready Pac Produce, Inc., from 2004 to 2006. From 2001 to 2004, he was president and chief operating officer of Dole Food Company, Inc., and he served as president of its Dole Fresh Vegetables subsidiary from 1993 until 2001. Prior to that, he was vice president and general manager of Birds Eye, a subsidiary of Kraft General Foods. He currently serves on the boards of the San Francisco Opera and the Opera San Jose. He is an alumnus of Indiana University, where he received his BS in finance in 1969, and his MBA in 1972. 

Thomas Kranz is an attorney specializing in immigration and government law with an emphasis on international trade and investment. He has served in three presidential administrations. From 1985 to 1988 he was the principal deputy general counsel of the Department of the Army in the Pentagon for the Reagan Administration. In 1989, President George H.W. Bush appointed him as special assistant to the president in the White House. In 2001, President George W. Bush appointed him to be the principal deputy general counsel of the Department of the Navy, where he served in the Pentagon until 2004. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. He served as vice president of the board of governors of the statewide California Community Colleges from 1996 to 2001. He was a member of the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics Citizens Committee, served on the board of the Los Angeles Master Chorale in the 1970s and was a trustee of the California Institute of the Arts from 1980 to 2001. He is married to art historian Travis Barton Kranz, Ph.D., and they have two adult children, Alexander and Francis.

Sherry Lansing was involved in the production, marketing and distribution of more than 200 films, including Academy Award-winners Forrest Gump, Braveheart and the highest grossing movie of all time, Titanic. In 1984, she became the first woman to head a major film studio when she was appointed President of 20th Century Fox. As an independent producer, she was responsible for Fatal Attraction, School Ties, Indecent Proposal, Black Rain and The Accused. From 1992 to 2005, she was chairman and chief executive officer of Paramount Pictures. The Sherry Lansing Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to cancer research and public education, was formed in 2005. She sits on the boards of the Carter Center, Civic Ventures, Teach for America and the American Association for Cancer Research. She is vice chair of the UC Board of Regents, founder of the EnCorps Teachers Program, and is on the Governor’s Committee on Education Excellence. She is on the executive committee of the board of Friends of Cancer Research and the board of the Lasker Foundation. She is a co-founder of the Big Sisters of Los Angeles Future Fund, Stand Up To Cancer, and Stop Cancer, which she founded with Armand Hammer. She graduated cum laude with a BS from Northwestern. 

 Dr. Leemann is the founder and Managing Partner of Resolution Economics LLC, an economics and statistics consulting firm based in Los Angeles with additional offices in Washington, DC, Chicago, New York, Charlotte, Columbia, MD and Folsom, CA.  He has a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Chicago, and a BA in History and Economics from The University of Pennsylvania.  Prior to starting Resolution Economics over 25 years ago, Dr. Leemann was a partner at Deloitte & Touche LLP and Altschuler, Melvoin and Glasser LLP, and was a member of the litigation consulting group at Price Waterhouse in New York and Los Angeles.  Before entering the consulting world, Dr. Leemann served as an Assistant Professor of Economics at Baruch College of the City University of New York.    

Dr. Leemann is a nationally recognized expert in the application of economics and statistics to class action litigation matters alleging employment discrimination.  Many of these matters have been national class actions involving Fortune 100 companies.  Dr. Leemann has been a pioneer in developing an alternative approach to statistical analysis in age discrimination settings and has written and lectured widely on the subject.  Dr. Leemann also consults directly with companies on economic and statistical issues as they relate to human resource management and pay equity.   

Scott Richard Lord is an attorney whose practice emphasizes construction law and litigation. Scott was born in Chicago and raised in Los Angeles. Scott previously served on the Board of the LA Opera from 2006 through 2012, the Los Angeles Philharmonic Board of Overseers, the Board of Trustees of the Archer School for Girls, and the Board of Directors for the Merola Opera Program. He holds a B.A. from the University of California, Santa Cruz, 1976, and a J.D. from Santa Clara University School of Law, 1979. 

For over three decades, Nora Manella served as a state and federal trial court judge, the United States Attorney for the nation’s largest district, and a presiding justice of the California Court of Appeal. A Los Angeles native, she was appointed six times by California governors and a U.S. president to judicial and executive positions. After serving as counsel to a U.S. Senate subcommittee, she practiced civil litigation in Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles. For eight years she served as a federal prosecutor before being appointed to the Los Angeles trial courts. In 1994, President Clinton nominated her to be the U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California. In 1998, President Clinton nominated her to the U.S. District Court. In 2006, she was appointed an associate justice of the California Court of Appeal, and later presiding justice, being rated “exceptionally well qualified.” During her career as an appellate justice, she authored over 1,500 opinions.

Claude Mann was born in Berlin and grew up in Montmirail, France. At the age of 16, she moved to Paris where she attended La Sorbonne University and received her bachelor of arts in philosophy and French. In 1972, she moved to the United States, settling in Los Angeles where she became a restaurateur. She was an owner/partner of two successful restaurants. In 1998, she was the impetus behind the selection of the Technion for the establishment of one of the Alfred Mann Institutes and now serves on their board of directors. She is also the chair of gifting and development for the Alfred Mann Foundation for Scientific Research and has embraced the same dedication to philanthropy and innovation as her husband, with the creation of an annual gala raising over $1 million each year to support research at the Foundation. Claude Mann earned the Women of Achievement Award from the Women of Sheba.  She currently serves on the boards of numerous organizations including the Technion Institute of Technology, the Cerebral Palsy Research Foundation, Nevada Cancer Institute, Foundation and the American Friends of Rabin Medical Center. 

Linda May has built an extraordinary legacy in Los Angeles’ luxury residential real estate industry, with over four decades of experience and career sales exceeding $4 billion. Linda is renowned for her expertise in representing pedigreed estates, iconic residences and historic architectural masterpieces. Her distinguished reputation is reflected in her consistent ranking among the top 1% of Carolwood Estates’ agents and her annual recognition by prestigious industry-leading publications. Linda's influence extends far beyond her record-breaking sales and iconic properties. Along with her husband, Jack Suzar, she is deeply committed to enriching the cultural fabric of the Los Angeles community as a passionate advocate for the arts, education and social equity. A supporter of LA Opera since its inception, Linda was a patron and co-chair of one of its early galas. Today, she is honored to be asked to serve on the board, coming full circle in her enduring support of the organization. Her philanthropy includes leadership roles and active support for esteemed organizations such as the LA Philharmonic and its YOLA program, a board member of the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts and a dedicated supporter of A Place Called Home. Throughout her involvement, she champions initiatives that empower and inspire future generations, striving for a lasting impact on the city she calls home. Dedicated to both her community and her craft, Linda strives to shape a brighter Los Angeles—one iconic home, one inspired child and one meaningful act of support at a time. 

Jennifer McCormick came to the United States in 1997 with only her suitcase. She was born in Tianjin in Northern China and graduated with an International Business degree from Tianjin Hexi District University. In China, she worked for Sealand Service, Inc. (Maersk Line) as a Sales Representative in the ocean shipping industry. Upon her arrival in the US, she continued working in the shipping industry for Evertop Freight, Inc. from 1997 to 1999 in Los Angeles. Her success led her to become Vice President of Sales of the busy West Coast region for the Hong Kong firm Jardine Logistics, Inc. where she worked until 2003 when she became Vice President of Sales for Dart Express, Inc. ​

 ​In 2005, Jennifer made the decision to start her own freight logistics company, American Freight Logistics, Inc., of which she is still the CEO and owner. American Freight handles shipping of ocean and air cargo from all corners of the world. ​

 ​In 2019, Jennifer was chosen to attend the Women Entrepreneurs Program through BNP Paribas at Stanford University. ​ ​She serves on the National Council of the American Red Cross Tiffany Circle and as a Board Member of the American Red Cross Los Angeles Region.  She is also a member of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art Acquisition Committee and joined the Otis College Art and Design Board of Trustees in 2020. ​

Patty McKenna grew up in a small town in Washington State and graduated with a degree in economics from Stanford in 1983 before receiving an MBA in 1988 from Harvard Business School. After five years as a banker in New York, she switched to institutional asset management and became a partner and portfolio manager at Hotchkis & Wiley in Los Angeles in 2001.  Patty primarily researches consumer stocks and acts as a peer reviewer on the healthcare sector team in addition to her managerial responsibilities. She is also active on five non-profit boards, all based in California.  She is a board member of two Los-Angeles based private foundations, the Dan Murphy Foundation, which is focused on inner city Catholic education, and the Ahmanson Foundation, which primarily gives to education, the arts, and health and human services.  Patty is also a trustee of the LA Opera and the Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association as well as a vice chair of SIEPR, the Stanford Institute for Economic Research, which supports economic research at Stanford.

James Mulally has a broad taste in music and has been a supporter not only of LA Opera, but also the LA Chamber Orchestra (he serves as Board Treasurer) and LA Master Chorale. His travels have taken him as far away as Madagascar. He is retired from the Capital Group, where he was a fixed-income portfolio manager.  Earlier in his career, as a fixed-income investment analyst at Capital, he covered non-U.S. sovereign fixed-income markets, including being based in London for five year. Prior to joining Capital, he was a research associate at the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. He holds an MBA from the Columbia University Graduate School of Business and a bachelor’s degree in economics from Dartmouth College. He is a former trustee of his alma mater, Saint Thomas Academy in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Gary W. Murphy is president and CEO of the Opera League of Los Angeles, the primary volunteer support organization for LA Opera.  A performing arts public relations specialist for over three decades, he has represented or held staff positions at many notable organizations including LA Opera where he served as the company’s first director of public relations for fifteen years.  During that time, Murphy created and implemented strategic press campaigns for more than 100 opera productions including six world premieres, three U.S. premieres and LA Opera’s first ever Ring cycle.  Simultaneously, he promoted LA Opera’s numerous concerts, recitals, special initiatives, and community outreach productions.  In addition, he served as editor for the company’s Performances magazine, and collaborated with classical KUSC 91.5fm to create and co-produce “LA Opera on Air,” a radio broadcast series of both recorded and live performances. 

Gregory Nava is an Academy Award, Golden Globe and Emmy nominated director and writer. He has two films on the Library of Congress National Registry of "American Classics": The Oscar Nominated El Norte, the milestone film about Central American refugees which critic Roger Ebert called "The Grapes of Wrath of our time," and Selena, the story of the slain Teja no singer which was Jennifer Lopez's star-making role. He directed and wrote the Oscar nominated film Mi Familia, he is a writer of the Academy Award winning film Frida, and his television series American Family was nominated for an Emmy and Golden Globe for Best Limited Series. His films have been honored at many international film festivals including Cannes, Sundance, Berlin, San Sebastian and Telluride. He was a Governor of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, he founded Film Independent, the largest independent film organization, and he has won "Life Achievement" awards from the Kennedy Center in Washington, the ALMA Awards, the Imagen Foundation and The National Association of Latino Independent Producers. 

Olivia H. Ernst Neece and her husband Anthony Neece currently manage their family business Neece Associates, investing in real estate, stocks, and bonds.  Ms. Neece’s prior positions in finance have included VP of The Ernst Group, Treasurer-Secretary of EON Corporation and Vice President of Project Administration for Hirsch Bednar Associates.  As a certified interior designer and general contractor, she earned accolades for her work in bank and hotel design, and held management positions at Yates Silverman Inc, and at AIRCOA, a national owner of hotels, including Westin, Hyatt, Sheraton, The Brown Palace in Colorado and the Gaylord Opryland Hotel. She has served on the boards of the International Interior Design Association, American Society of Interior Designers, and The American Hotel and Motel Association.​Ms. Neece has received degrees in Interior Design from UCLA, a BS in Finance and Business from USC, an MBA from UCLA, and a Master's Degree in Strategic Management from the Peter F. Drucker School of Management of Claremont Graduate University. ​