Commissioners

Heidi Wilson

Deb Kaller, Commission Vice- Chair and Facilities

Deb Kaller expresses her creativity as both an artist and an engineer.  Her lifelong passion has been ceramics, maintaining both a home studio as well as working in group studio environments. Deb has traveled extensively and enjoys food and cooking. Other creative outlets include a travel sketchbook and a cooking blog. Her professional background is in the semiconductor industry, where she worked with worldwide teams to develop new technology and make cell phones smaller and smarter. Deb has a degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Arizona. She has two patents and has made numerous presentations at industry conferences. She started a consulting company in 2008 which advised multiple companies on technology strategy and intellectual property. Before joining the commission, Deb served as a volunteer with the Visual Arts working group including the installation of the C3 Gallery, and then with the Communications team, leading upgrades to the CAC’s social media presence.

Paul Schutz, Arts Education, and Musical Arts

Mark O'Brien, Special Events and Volunteer Coordination

Mark O'Brien joins the Cultural Arts Commission as Commissioner of  Special Events and Volunteer Coordination and has a passionate appreciation of the arts.  Since making Coronado his home in 2019 after years of "off-island" in downtown San Diego, he has dedicated himself to volunteering and working for the community.  Before he was appointed Commissioner, Mark joined with Commissioner Deb Kaller on a project to inventory all the community facilities with event space on the island so there is a clear understanding of what is available to local artists, the commission, and the community interested in holding special events. He found joy connecting with the leadership of hotels, churches, schools, parks, and city facilities in town and generated a lot of excitement about hosting future Cultural Arts Commission-sponsored events. Mark is a licensed Real Estate professional at Salas Properties in the village and is a member of the Veterans Association of Real Estate Professionals, a certified Military Relocation Professional (MRP), and has the Military and Veterans Housing Certification (MVHC).  A "jack-of-all-trades", Mark jumps at any chance to assist, support, and be a cheerleader for all commission efforts. He lives in the village with his wife Samantha and their new puppy, "Buffy O'Brien".

Teresa Espaniola, Programming (Visual, Literary, and Performing Arts)

Teresa Espaniola joins the Cultural Arts Commission leading the Programming Area. She has enjoyed creating art since childhood, which was encouraged in the household. With a portrait artist father and landscape artist grandmother, art has been a natural avenue for her to follow. Her mother was very crafty, which broadens Teresa’s pallet of creativity. Her background as an art teacher for children and adults prompted her to publish a book called Silly Goose Gramma Games which is filled with arts and crafts, word games, and much more. Since moving to Coronado in 2005, Teresa has been active in her own artwork as well as working with public and private schools in the San Diego area. Advocating for the health of the ocean, she collaborated with teachers and their students in elementary schools in Southern California to create public art using beach trash. She was hired by KPBS to produce educational projects for a national campaign based on the Jim Henson Company’s Splash and Bubbles Children’s animated series. She has volunteered and donated art to several nonprofits in San Diego over the years. Teresa has lots of ideas for promoting the visual, literary, and performing arts in the community. “Having benefitted from the Coronado Cultural Arts programs, including the Orange Avenue Banner project, the C3 Gallery, the Flower Show, and art receptions in the Winn Room and Spreckels Center, I would like to give back to the Coronado Cultural Arts and to the community of Coronado. I look forward to working together with the Cultural Arts Commissioners and volunteers.”

Marcus Echols-Booth, Communications: Public Relations & Media

Marcus Echols-Booth joins the Cultural Arts Commission as Commissioner of Public Relations & Media. After growing up locally, for most of his twenties he toured the world as a professional pianist, composer, and fine arts advocate. In addition to performances in Paris, Tokyo, Mexico City, New York, New Orleans, and elsewhere, some of his fondest on-stage memories were here in Coronado where he was welcomed back during holiday seasons to perform at the library and as a featured CoSA alumni. Besides performance, his theoretical work led to a residency at the storied Institut de Recherche et Coordination Acoustique/Musique in Paris and an opportunity to help military cybersecurity professionals back home in the States avoid eye strain by converting visual signals to musically viable sounds. Nowadays he works as a financial planner, continuing to support the arts by putting clients at ease buying paintings and concert tickets in town or donating to the aesthetic cause. Having recently decided to make Coronado his permanent home, he sees it as a duty and a privilege to serve in any capacity he can.

Kelly Purvis, Senior Management Analyst/Arts, and Culture

Kelly Purvis was hired as the first Contract Arts Administrator for the City of Coronado and staff liaison to the Coronado Cultural Arts Commission. She joined the team in December of 2013. In February 2019 she was hired as a Senior Management Analyst for Coronado and continues to work in support of Arts and Culture and the Cultural Arts Commission.  A local arts supporter and longtime community volunteer, Purvis assists the Cultural Arts Commission in fulfilling its mission to strengthen, coordinate, and connect the arts with the citizens of Coronado. Purvis served as the first director of development for the Coronado Historical Association and did event coordination for the San Diego political fundraising firm of Dorsee Productions. Volunteer experience includes work with the University of Southern California, Coronado Unified School District, P.E.O. International, and the City of Coronado. A strong proponent of preservation, Purvis served on the City's original Residential Standards Improvement Committee as well as the Vice-Chair of the City of Coronado R-4 Standards Committee. She was named the San Diego Save Our Heritage Organisation "Preservationist of the Year" in 2007 and was honored by the University of Southern California in 2012 with an Alumni Service Award.