Board of Directors

Paul F. Cohen is a litigator and trial lawyer in solo practice. He graduated cum laude in 1959 from the

University of Pennsylvania, worked in New York for a year as a professional jazz musician, and in 1963 graduated from New York University School of Law. He was admitted to Pennsylvania and District of Columbia

Bars in 1964 and practiced in the District of Columbia from 1964-1969. He was admitted to the California Bar in 1970 and concentrates his practice in the areas of conservatorships, probate-related litigation, and complex business litigation. Mr. Cohen is still a part-time professional jazz musician and vocalist. He recently lectured at the Pepperdine Law School’s Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution class on Improvisational Mediation, using a live jazz trio as a metaphor for creative mediation.

Ann Dobbs is a retired California attorney. Graduating from Southwestern in 1984, she

specialized in family law. Active in the Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles, the Family Law Sections of the State Bar, Los Angeles County, Santa Monica, and Beverly Hills Bar Associations, she chaired the Beverly

Hills Bar Family Law Section in 1993-1994. Ms. Dobbs served on the Community Counseling Services Board of Directors for three years and volunteered for the Harriett Buhai Family Law Center, beginning while she was in law school and continuing until 2000. Her career included a firm partnership, opening her own firm, serving as Assistant Dean for Career Counseling at Southwestern, and eventually sitting on the Los Angeles Superior Court Bench until her retirement in 2007. Ms. Dobbs is an avid jazz listener and served as the CJF Administrator from January 2012 through February 2021.

Ruben Little is a retired executive in Sales Management with AT&T, after a 30-year career.

Mr. Little earned his MBA from Pepperdine University and his Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing from California State University, Northridge. He currently serves as a Deacon and as a member of the Board of

Trustees for Salem Missionary Baptist Church in Los Angeles. Mr. Little has also served on the Boards of Trustees for the Rolling Hills Preparatory School in Palos Verdes and the Weingart YMCA Wellness & Aquatic Center in South Los Angeles.

In addition to listening to jazz, his interests include mentoring, coaching and guiding young people, for which he received the “Man of Valor Award” by the Los Angeles NAACP Youth Council in 2018. He has conducted numerous Interview and Speech workshops and counseled young people on developing their resumes to enable them to find their first jobs.

Click on the Board Member’s name to view his or her bio.

Secretary

Founder and President

Vice President

Chris Dobbs is a veteran in the entertainment industry since the mid 1980’s, when he began his

Post Production work at Cannon Films, supervising all Television Spot Post for their busiest years. He went on to supervise post production for Orion Television’s MOW and episodic Slate. Upon leaving Orion, Mr. Dobbs

landed at the theatrical agency Cimarron Bacon O’Brien (“CBO”) where he supervised all of their film projects for a five-year run, working on some of the biggest theatrical campaigns of the early 1990’s. He later became Vice President Post Production at Craig Murray Productions (“CMP”) where he built their in-house Post Production Department. Subsequently, he became Head of Production at Polestar Entertainment Group to produce feature and television content. After a three-year production stint, Mr. Dobbs moved on to help launch and build the highly successful marketing post company, Picture Head, as Executive Vice President. He is now Executive Vice President at Stampede Studios, overseeing studio theatrical and streaming marketing post accounts while developing Stampede’s workflows. Mr. Dobbs joined the California Jazz Foundation Board of Directors in 2019.

Gina Kronstadt is a music industry veteran. After studying Violin, Theory, Composition and

Arranging in college out of state, she moved to Los Angeles to dive into the music scene.

As a session violinist, she has played live/recorded with

such artists as Beyoncé, George Benson, Michael Bublé, Lena Horne, Freddie Hubbard, Michael Jackson, Henry Mancini, Nina Simone, Barbra Streisand, Mel Tormé, Sarah Vaughan and Nancy Wilson. She has played every awards show, and on numerous TV shows and motion pictures.

As a singer/songwriter/arranger and producer, she has released 3 recordings and performs at major venues in the Los Angeles area.

Bob Barry is a Jazz and Art Photographer who for the last 25 years concentrated his attention on the

world of music. Mr. Barry began his careers in the arts as a stage actor in NYC in Musical Comedy from OffOff Broadway all the way to his Broadway debut in 1976. He worked in stock, star package and touring productions

for over 20 years. Simultaneously (between shows) Mr. Barry had an alternative career as a singer-guitarist. Shortly after moving to LA in the 80's, he concentrated on his photography, documenting concerts, club performances and festivals, and to date has done covers or contributed photo art for 85 CD's and DVD's. Mr. Barry has a permanent collection at the American Jazz Museum in Kansas City where he also served as director of photography for special events and jazz festivals. Mr. Barry also has a permanent collection at NBC Universal Studios in the Henry Mancini Bldg. He is the Photo Archivist for Ruth Price and the Jazz Bakery. In 2012, documentary film maker Dailey Pike did a documentary of Mr. Barry's life and work called, "Bob Barry - Jazzography in Black & White."

Edythe L. Bronston, the Foundation’s President and Founder, is an attorney, a court-appointed

fiduciary, and co-founder and board member of the following non-profit organizations: California Bankruptcy Forum; Los Angeles/Orange County Bankruptcy Forum; California Receivers Forum; and Los Angeles/Orange County chapter of California Receivers Forum. She has

served on many executive committees of the Los Angeles County Bar Association and the California Bar Association. As a Provisional Director, Ms. Bronston has and continues to serve on boards of directors of widely varied companies. As a court-appointed Receiver, she has run manufacturing, retail, and service companies, as well as sold a variety of personal property and ral estate assets. She is a lifelong jazz fan and the Foundation is the product of her vision.

Peggy Barber is a public policy consultant in education legislation with a particular interest in

social justice. Her professional career began as an engineer at Rocketdyne, where she designed rocket engine components and pioneered the use of computers in design. She was president of the 31st District (PTA)

(Los Angeles) where she was instrumental in establishing school-based health clinics and child care programs. She served on the boards of the California PTA, Los Angeles County United Way, and the L.A. Educational Partnership. More recently she represented the Los Angeles Unified School District as a legislative advocate in Washington, D.C. and at the CA State Board of Education. During her youth Ms. Barber taught piano, was a church organist, played piano in a Dixieland jazz band, and was oboist with the San Fernando Valley Symphony.

For nearly five decades, "Brush Master" Clayton Cameron has played behind and recorded with

such luminaries as Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Joe Williams, Paul McCartney, Neil Young, James Brown, BB King, BTS, Trisha Yearwood, Mariah Carey, George Shearing, Hank Jones and the Count Basie Orchestra.

He credits his innovative drumming and percussionist use of brushes to none other than his boss for 8 years, Sammy Davis Jr. Mr. Cameron’s brush techniques, “just trying to emulate the tap-dancing sounds from Sammy and his hoofing buddies like Gregory Hines," are shared in his 1990 groundbreaking video "The Living Art of Brushes" and his book "Brushworks" published in 2001.

Also a bandleader and composer, Mr. Cameron’s cd "Here's to the Messengers,'' a tribute to Art Blakey, garnered critical acclaim. His new 2021 cd, “Collective Thinking,” is performed with the group by the same name. A new cd project, "In the Name of…," will drop in the winter of 2022.

Don Camph grew up in Detroit during the Motown era that was powered by the Funk Brothers,

arguably the best soul and R&B studio band in history. He has been an avid jazz fan since the first time he heard Miles Davis in a small club outside Boston in 1965.

Prior to his retirement in 2015, Mr. Camph was President of Aldaron Inc., a consulting firm which provided political, policy, financing, and strategy advice on transportation-related issues to a variety of private and public sector clients since 1982. Aldaron’s client base included local and regional governments, special purpose transportation agencies, the Office of the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation, and major employers and commercial developers.

In August, 1992, he was appointed by then Congressman and later USDOT Secretary Norm Mineta to the Board of Trustees of the Mineta Transportation Institute at San Jose State University, on which he served for 22 years.

Mr. Camph holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from MIT, a Masters degree in Public Policy from the University of Michigan, and has done post-graduate work in the Public Policy doctoral program at Michigan.

Over the last 24 years, Michael Dolphin has been co-producer and host of the Central Avenue Jazz

Festival and the founding principal/producer of the Legends of Los Angeles Awards. He is passionately dedicated to the recognition of Central Avenue as a significant era of music history and noteworthy

contributor to the fabric of this city. He is the oldest child of John Dolphin, the legendary music entrepreneur who founded Dolphin’s of Hollywood Record Store and the Cash, Money and Hollywood record labels.

Mr. Dolphin is fortunate to have been a “nephew” and a listening ear of Buddy Collette, Gerald Wilson, Ernie Andrews, Clora Bryant, Jackie Kelso, Teddy Edwards and many, many others who represent the rich heritage of the music legends in Los Angeles.

In his earlier years, Mr. Dolphin was a successful bandmate, leader and drummer in bands of their own renown in the Los Angeles area. He is currently a partner in the Central Avenue Jazz Festival and has been a board member of Grand Performances-Los Angeles.

Ruben Little is a retired executive in Sales Management with AT&T, after a 30-year career.

Roni L. Fischer is a financial consultant to businesses in transition, from turning around

companies in financial distress to guiding the launch of new ventures. In addition to advising boards of directors in multiple industries, she co-founded and served as CFO for a multi-faceted internet company in the early

days of e-commerce. Subsequent to earning a Master of Arts in Teaching Mathematics and an MBA in Finance, both from UCLA, she spent 10 years in corporate executive positions with Hughes Aircraft Company, MCO Holdings, Inc. and First Interstate Bank before launching her consulting practice in 1986. Over the past years, Ms. Fischer has held leadership roles in numerous business and philanthropic organizations including chairing the Consultants Roundtable of Southern California and the board of directors of the Westside Jewish Community Center. A lifetime lover of music, taking piano lessons from age 8, her noted performance piece was “Bumble Boogie.”

Chief Financial Officer

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Dominic LoBuglio, Chief Financial Officer, is a Certified Public Accountant and board member of

the non-profit Los Angeles/Orange County chapter of California Receivers Forum. He has been a C.P.A. in Los Angeles since 1977 after obtaining his M.B.A. degree from the University of Southern California. He oversees

all the financial and taxation issues of the Foundation and is a co-Founder of the organization.

Vicki Pedrini is a third generation Angelino whose Grandfather founded Pedrini Music in Alhambra in

1938. Raised by two musician parents; she couldn't help but get music in her blood. She produced a "Live Jazz Series" at Pedrini Music for seven years, featuring musicians such as John Clayton, Alan Broadbent, Gary

Foster, Gerry Wiggins, and Buddy Collette, among others.

She decided there were so many living composers who had arranged for many musicians living in the Los Angeles area that she started a "Meet the Composer" venue. With joy, she was able to get Johnny Mandel, David Raksin, Neil Hefti, Steve Allen and Michael Feinstein (who supported so many composers) to the store and introduced them to "everyday people.” Ms. Pedrini was the first recipient to receive the Teri Merrill award from the Los Angeles Jazz Society. The Pedrini Family received the award again in 2001. Ms. Pedrini’s current Orange County contact for Jazz is LagunaBeachLive.Org.

Greg Porée is an accomplished composer-arranger-producer-guitarist. He has been fortunate

to build his career in Los Angeles around music. He was the lead guitarist on the BBC hit show ‘Dancing with the

Stars’ from 2005 through 2013. Having grown up in a multicultural environment, Mr. Porée was deeply

influenced by the exposure to diverse styles of music, ranging from Bach to Beatles, and from Villa- Lobos to Motown.

He has worked with a diverse group of musicians from Ray Charles and Herbie Hancock to Diana Ross, Sting and Phoebe Snow. He can be heard on landmark albums from artists such as Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, Stanley Turrentine, Randy Crawford, Albert King, Ahmad Jamal, Benny Golson, Donald Byrd and James Blunt. As a musical director, Mr. Porée’s credits include Sonny and Cher, The Supremes, Gladys Knight and the Pips and Joan Baez. He produced groundbreaking solo albums in association with Sting for world music master Vinx. Mr. Porée is music director of CJF.

Nicholas Terwilliger is an attorney in the Los Angeles area specializing in business transactions

and intellectual property. He began his music career 30 years ago studying trombone, drums and piano and was immediately drawn to jazz. With this focus, Mr. Terwilliger attended the University of Louisville where he studied

with Delfeayo Marsalis and John LaBarbera. Moving back to Los Angeles, he graduated from California State University, Northridge in Music Industry Studies. Through this curriculum, he learned the particulars of the music business and the importance of intellectual property rights. While pursuing his degree, Mr. Terwilliger toured the world with various musical groups and worked in Southern California as a musician, band manager, sound engineer and theater director.

Discovering that many musicians needed assistance in understanding how their intellectual property rights affected their careers, he realized the best way he could assist these musicians was to become an attorney. Mr. Terwilliger attended the Thomas Jefferson School of Law where he specialized in intellectual property law. While in school, he joined the Intellectual Property clinic, helping low income clients secure their copyright and trademark protections. As a licensed attorney, Mr. Terwilliger’s mission is to assist as many musicians as possible while helping support the Jazz community.

Jeffrey A. Winston is a jazz producer, historian, journalist, poet and archivist. His jazz career

started at the University of Washington, where he served as a Teaching Assistant for a popular jazz history course and helped procure a$100,000 grant from the Rockefeller Foundation to establish a jazz institute on

campus. He then went on to emcee concerts featuring a multitude of jazz luminaries and frequently does guest stints on Chet Hanley’s “Jazz in the Modern Era,” airing weekly on Channel 36. Mr. Winston co-produces The World Stage Jazz Festival and World Stage Stories, an archival project featuring important jazz figures. His professional career has focused on community outreach and funding on behalf of the disabled and the elderly.

Damian Kerr is an associate clinical social worker working concurrently with CJF as a clinician and

as a case manager at The Center in Hollywood. He previously worked in the entertainment field as a theatre artist before starting his career in social work in 2019. Mr. Kerr received his B.A. in Theatre Arts from California

State University, Long Beach in 2010 and his Master of Social Work from California State University, Northridge in 2020. He is passionate about supporting artists in the California community and is excited to be working with the California Jazz Foundation, assisting jazz musicians in connecting to resources that create opportunities to live with dignity while pursuing their art.

Kyle Scranton graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles with a Bachelor of

Science in Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology. He currently conducts medical research at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA while pursuing admission into medical school. Though dedicated to

science and medicine, Mr. Scranton is equally passionate about music and giving back to the outstanding musical community. As a trumpet player and life-long lover of jazz, he joined the California Jazz Foundation family amid the COVID-19 outbreak hoping to help support the countless musicians left in financial and medical emergencies as a result of the pandemic and beyond.

Rick Baptist started playing the trumpet at age 10 when his parents rented a horn that came with 3

lessons. That lit a fire in him. Three years later he joined the musicians’ union where he has been a member for over 60 years. Mr. Baptist has played on 1,300 motion pictures and over 3,000 cartoon shows and performed on the Oscars, Emmys and Grammys awards shows.

He has played on over 100 gold and platinum albums, including Frank Sinatra’s duets, five albums with Barbara Streisand, and albums with Linda Ronstadt, Michael Jackson, Michael Buble, Josh Groban, Lionel Richie’s “All Night Long,” many Barry Manilow albums and Ray Charles’ last album.

Mr. Baptist was first trumpet for 15 seasons on Dancing with the Stars along with Greg Porée of the CJF Board. He also served for 6 1/2 years as Vice President of Local 47 musicians’ union.

Gary Fukushima is a keyboardist and composer in Los Angeles, as well as a jazz journalist and

monthly contributor to DownBeat Magazine. He has performed throughout the United States, South America, and Asia with Alphonso Johnson (Weather Report), Blue Note singer/songwriter Priscilla Ahn, Big Bad Voodoo

Daddy, and many others. He leads his own progressive electronic jazz group which released their debut EP, Preludes, Vol. 1, in 2019, with a full-length album set for release in 2023.

A native of Seattle, Washington, Mr. Fukushima relocated to Southern California in 2003 and is currently active in the Los Angeles music scene, having recorded and performed with Chester Thompson, Mike Stern, Ndugu Chancler, John Daversa, Anthony Jackson, Gilad Hekselman, Mark Ferber, Nick Mancini, Steve Cotter, Federico Ramos, Jeff Clayton, Mike O’Neill, Joe La Barbara, Larry Koonse, Matt Otto, Darek Oles, Ralph Alessi, Kathleen Grace, Peter Epstein, Abe Lagrimas, Jr., Ben Wendel, Roy McCurdy, and others. He is on the faculties at California State University, Northridge, Pasadena City College, and the Pasadena Conservatory of Music, and writes regularly about jazz, having his words published in Downbeat Magazine, LA Weekly and LA Jazz Scene, among others.

Vice President - Outreach

Social Worker

Director of Applicant Services

Website Manager: C. David Rossen

CJF Admin. & Events Team: The Proper Image