About

Wayne Couto grew up in New England, became an Eagle Scout, joined the Navy, and served on an aircraft carrier in the Mediterranean. Upon his honorable discharge, he skied in the Alps for a month before moving to Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany where for 3 years he taught and managed a Kayak School in the summer and the Kids Ski School in the winter.

Upon returning to the US, Wayne obtained a degree in Real Estate & Economics at Cal. State, where he met his college sweetheart, Karen. Following graduation, he moved to Colorado where he started a home renovation company and became a commercial real estate appraiser focused on ski areas, golf courses, large ranches and other unique properties throughout the West.

After developing two successful businesses in 14 years, Wayne moved back to the California Bay Area and joined a boutique appraisal company and finally married Karen. Together, they designed and built their dream house, created an oasis property in the center of town, and bought and renovated several other houses. Their frequent travels along the West Coast brought them to Newport in 2016 where they bought a condo and started regular visits. In 2018, they spontaneously bought a home in South Beach, sold their home in California and retired to Newport.

In his free time, Wayne travels, attends concerts, hikes, kayaks, skis, plays pool, and enjoys the great outdoors. His creative outlets include wood carving and working with stained glass.

Since arriving in Newport, Wayne has volunteered with Habitat for Humanity and is a regular driver for Meal on Wheels. He first got involved with OCCA as a musician’s driver then as Transportation Coordinator for the Oregon Coast Jazz Party. That led to joining the OCCA Board and helping to publicize events at the PAC and VAC. He is very passionate about Newport’s unique place in the world and amazed at all the talented and creative people who live here. 

Mary Eastman, a theatre artist for over 50 years is privileged to join the OCCA Board of Directors for her second service. Mary was a part of the initial campaign to build the Performing Arts Center, and she has participated in countless productions at the PAC and the “Old Naterlin” as an actor, dancer, director, designer, puppeteer, mime, and teacher.

With her early beginnings in Alaska, to her Theatre studies under the tutelage of Stella Adler and Paul J Curtis in NYC, with stints on Cape Cod and in Seattle, to finding her way back to the Oregon Coast, Mary brings her love and devotion to the arts with an understanding of what it means to the community. Mary has worked in the school system and for non-profits serving a vulnerable population, as well as the hospitality industry.

Mary and her husband, Marc Maislen, have a theatre company called New Visions Arts, producing theatre and other artistic endeavors. Together they have 5 children, 3 who have benefited from our local arts scene, and they are loving their treasured role as grandparents and planting the seeds of art and creativity.

Asia Richardson has served on the Oregon Coast Council for the Arts board since January, 2023.  As a resident of Lincoln County since 2005, Asia has been an active supporter of local arts, including involvement with resident companies as a performer and costumer. She believes in expanding access to the arts and creating opportunities for connection through creative expression.

Brian Gardner has joined the OCCA Board in the hopes to give back to the coastal arts community that has enriched his family’s life so much since moving to Lincoln County in 2008. “My family has benefited immeasurably from being able to participate in, and attend all of the many music, performance and visual art opportunities in our area.”

Having grown up in the Willamette Valley and after attending the University of Oregon, Brian moved to Utah to attend law school where he met his wife, Gretchen Havner, and where they started their family. He has worked for Lincoln County as a Deputy District Attorney and has also operated his own law firm in Newport. Gretchen has worked for Lincoln County at the District Attorney’s Office, taught at OCCC and has operated her own law firm in Newport as well.

Their family has been active in Coastal Act Production performances with Gretchen, Charlotte and Caroline (Coco) always looking forward to performing. The girls have also been active in youth orchestra, school band, Newport School of Artistic Movement, Dance and All that Jazz, and visual art camps at the VAC. Brian has also been involved in youth sports, as a board member for the Central Coast Soccer Association and as a basketball coach for the Newport Recreation Center and Newport Middle School.

Brian believes that access to all types of arts, regardless of whether you are performing, attending, seeing, hearing or touching, can be extremely beneficial to your mind, body and soul.  “We are very lucky to live in a community that appreciates the value of the arts and supports the art community so generously.”

David M. Jones is looking forward to serving on the OCCA board and bringing a fresh view. “It’s an exciting time for our coastal confluence of art – with the continued upgrade of our own Performing Arts Center, as well as strengthening our bond up and down the Oregon Coast with our art communities. It presents challenges as well as opportunities.”

David’s arts background includes performance (acting, magician, musician) and visual (painting, pen & ink, sketching, woodblock printing, serigraph, photography, ceramics), along with running his own design/build company – all of which should help with board duties.

Jeremy Burke is a seasoned professional with a diverse background in media, marketing, photography, and community leadership. As the Director of Marketing at the Oregon Coast Aquarium, he has spent the past two years crafting compelling narratives and driving engagement for the largest attraction on the Oregon Coast. Before stepping into this role, Jeremy dedicated 20 years to newspaper publishing, shaping stories that informed and inspired his community.

Jeremy’s expertise in photojournalism spans 10 years. During this time, he captured powerful moments through the lens, blending artistry with storytelling. His talent has been widely recognized, earning multiple awards. This includes the 2021 Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association (ONPA) General Excellence Award for the best paper in Oregon. Photography accolades include multiple first-place wins, such as First Place News Photo awards in 2015, 2016, 2019, 2021, and 2022, along with a First Place Sports Photo award in 2016,2019, and 2020. His work for OC Waves Magazine and Travel Newport received several first-place awards in 2013, 2019, 2020, and 2021.  

Beyond his work in media and photography, Jeremy has been deeply committed to community service and nonprofit leadership. He currently serves as a Board Director for the Oregon Coast Visitors Association, Newport Chamber of Commerce, and the Oregon Coast Council for the Arts. This service allows him to contribute his expertise to support local tourism, business development, and arts initiatives. Jeremy’s dedication to nonprofit work spans 25 years and service on over 150 local and regional boards. These range from hospitals to chambers of commerce. His leadership has played a vital role in strengthening community engagement, as well as driving positive change across multiple sectors.

In addition to his editorial work, Jeremy has spent seven years specializing in fine art landscape photography, creating breathtaking large-scale prints that showcase nature’s beauty. A keen eye for composition and detail brings depth and emotion to his work.

With a career built on creativity, communication, and public service, Jeremy continues to make a lasting impact across multiple industries.

Kay Klose holds a BFA in fine arts from the California College of Arts and Crafts. She spent 35 years in Alaska being a visual artist and managing Behavioral Health programs. Kay also developed a “Best Practice” Arts program for visual artists affected by homelessness, mental illness, and substance abuse. Kay landed in Newport after attending a great play here and seeing a wonderful encaustic show at the VAC. Any town this size with theater that good, and art, plus being a fishing town…was an easy sell.

As an artist, Kay works in two ancient techniques – Encaustics and Felting. Her work has been shown in various museums, universities, and juried shows in the US and Mexico.

John moved to Newport in 2019 with his wife, Summy and daughters, Mayumi and Meili. He is a ‘mostly’ retired small business owner with a background in marketing, creative direction and consumer anthropology. Along with Summy, he owns and operates a small coffee shop, a gym, and a yoga studio here in Newport. (Located at the Driftwood Building across from the hospital.) He has been a long-standing patron of the arts and many nonprofits in Oregon. In his spare time, he also runs other small businesses, travels, builds, and rides British motorcycles. He is especially passionate about Lego. 

Khara Ledonne grew up in the Pacific Northwest, where she was involved in visual and performing arts from early adolescence. Her first mural was featured in Seventeen magazine. This launched an early painting career, which funded a BFA at Cornish College of the Arts and a subsequent move to the East Coast.

In NYC, Khara worked for Evergreene Architectural Arts on murals for the Empire State Building and various theaters and capital buildings. Her work progressed into sign painting and gold leaf for restaurants and museums. Also, a dabbling of historical restoration for the Park Avenue Armory. Khara went to Italy to study stone masonry and sustainable farming, and ended up painting murals there as well.

After 12 years in the city, Khara and her beau sailed south on a 29’ fixer upper. After a year aboard they returned to the PNW to have a family and settle on the Oregon Coast. Her current work focuses on coastal landscapes, enamel miniatures, and narratives on climate change. 

Khara is involved in For Artsake Gallery, the NYE beach banner project, and OCCA’s Teaching Artist Preparation program.  She is a spirited advocate for access to arts education.

Glenda professes to be an ART NERD! Her passion for all things ART began with a high school play. She inadvertently stepped out of character for a moment and the audience roared with laughter. That was the moment she realized the ability for ART to induce powerful emotions in Beings. There is also a realization that, too often, ART is considered extraneous. A concept that seems foreign to her.

You can often find Glenda at the PAC or at the VAC, or walking the boardwalk, listening to her eclectic variety of music.

We are fortunate to have so many cultural opportunities in our little backwater! I grew up with tons of exposure to theater, music, making art, and seeing outstanding art. Fortunately, I am one of those people who is driven to make stuff, and I’m crazy about music.

Being on the OCCA board is an honor, and I believe I have good ideas, energy, and community knowledge to add. I have lived in the Newport area since 1979, participating in the area’s business and public affairs. I was a middle and high school teacher in art and science, mostly in Toledo. I’ve made a living producing sandblasted etched glass, and worked in aquatic sciences at the Aquarium and OSU.

Doug Chadwick is a dentist in Newport, where he and his wife Tracy run a family dental practice. He earned his degree from the University of Texas-Houston and has been practicing since 2006. Before joining the OCCA Board in 2025, he served on the Samaritan Foundation Board. Doug has a lifelong appreciation for the arts, with a background in band and growing involvement in local theater and choir. His daughter Grace danced for 10 years with Newport’s School of Artistic Movement and Pacific Dance Ensemble. She then continued her training with Oregon Ballet Theatre and Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet. Doug values the distinctive arts community on the Oregon Coast and is committed to helping it grow and thrive.  

Don Gomez is the founder of Sterncastle Publishing, a Newport-based independent press dedicated to fiction, folklore, poetry, memoir, and biography. He established Sterncastle to make a meaningful contribution to the literary legacy of the Oregon Coast. Also, to expand publishing opportunities for writers from historically underrepresented groups in mainstream publishing. This includes authors who identify as Black, Indigenous, Latino, military veterans, and LGBTQIA+.

For nearly two decades, Don has been an active advocate and patron of the arts. He has hosted and sponsored exhibitions, exhibited his own work as a photographer and visual artist. Don has also written extensively for news, arts, and cultural publications. His work reflects a deep commitment to storytelling as both creative expression and community building.

A U.S. Marine Corps veteran, Don previously served as Digital Media Team Lead for the Veterans Writing Group of San Diego County. In this role, he supported veterans and their families through the healing power of the writing process. He also serves as Vice Chair of Neighbors for Kids in Depoe Bay and Junior Vice Commandant of the local Marine Corps League detachment. Through his publishing, service, and advocacy, Don is dedicated to strengthening arts access and cultural vitality on the Oregon Coast.