About

Catherine Rickbone is the Oregon Coast Council for the Arts Executive Director. As executive director of OCCA, her job entails developing and presenting new and existing initiatives along with handling board support, community relations, resource development, and day-to-day management of the arts council. The Oregon Coast Council for the Arts has a great board, great volunteers and great staff, as they all work together to get it all done.

Rickbone has held other arts management positions, including executive director of the Emporia (KS) Art Council, and executive director of the Grants Pass Museum of Art. As an independent contractor, she has conducted public relations, marketing, writing, business management, speaking, copy editing for a variety of clients including Hallmark Cards, the County Club Plaza Merchants Association, Southern Oregon Repertory Singers, and Living Opportunities, to name a few.

She serves as Chair of the Public Art Committee for the City of Newport, Oregon, as treasurer and grants administrator of the Lincoln County Cultural Coalition, on the board of the Greater Newport Chamber of Commerce, on the Yaquina Bay Economic Foundation and in Newport Rotary. Reach her at 541-574-2652.

Bonnie Prater is the Oregon Coast Council for the Arts Business Manager. Reach her at 541-574-2655.

Randy is a theatre professional with decades of experience in a variety of venues. Most recently he served as Lead Technician for the Mount Baker Theatre in Bellingham, WA; located roughly halfway between Seattle and Vancouver, B.C.

Randy has worked as a union stagehand (IATSE Local #15) since 1996, working shows and events in the greater Seattle area; including many stadium concert events. He was also employed for 15 years as the Technical Director for a large high School theatre, with a busy schedule of plays, concerts, lectures, assemblies, and other performances and events.

Justin Gleeson is the Newport Performing Arts Center (PAC) sound and acoustic technician.

Justin Received his Associate of Applied Arts Degree in Audio Production from the Art Institute of Seattle. While attending school, Gleeson interned at a cultural arts center. He later become technical manager of this facility and operated sound, lights and video. He also managed their internship program.

Also during this time Gleeson started working as a stagehand, deckhand and audio technician for Rhino Staging.

When he moved to the Oregon coast, he quickly got involved in the local music scene mixing sound for local events. Justin eventually found himself at the PAC. Justin began helping with PAC capital campaign efforts on sound and acoustics.

“Justin has been invaluable to OCCA as we installed the PAC’s new sound equipment,” says OCCA executive director Catherine Rickbone. “Then he joined the installation team and spent many days helping the Meyer technicians install the new Meyer Constellation acoustic system in the Alice Silverman Theatre.

OCCA welcomes Gleeson as PAC sound and acoustic technician. He can be reached at jgleeson@coastarts.org or 541-574-2651.

Barbara Berge is the Oregon Coast Council for the Arts’ “Entertain the Future” Performing Arts Center (PAC) Capital Campaign assistant, and works with the OCCA staff and Capital Campaign Chair Mark McConnell.

“Working for the capital campaign is both challenging and rewarding,” says Berge. “It certainly utilizes my experience as well as allows me to hone new skills.” Berge has collaborated with McConnell to develop and assist with campaign communications, public relations outreach and fundraising events. She has developed a grant reporting schedule and is responsible for getting out the interim and final grant reports in a timely manner as well as managing campaign record keeping and note-taking at all the Capital Campaign Committee meetings.

OCCA Executive Director Catherine Rickbone notes that “an important aspect of Barbara’s work has been to research and recommend donor management software that would reflect not just the capital campaign but all aspects of OCCA’s revenue streams.”

Berge is no stranger to the non-profit world, having co-founded a non-profit organization in New Mexico and worked for two others here in Oregon. Her background experience runs the gamut from grant management and reporting to overseeing donor databases as well as publicity, fundraising and general secretarial skills. She brings knowledge and dedication to OCCA and the capital campaign.

Berge grew up in the UK and trained as an actress at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. As a professional actress, she worked for 12 years in London, New York, and in regional theater and, given her background, she says, “I feel right at home at the PAC.”

OCCA welcomes Jamie Reel as the organization’s new volunteer coordinator.

Jamie graduated from Newport High School in 2007 and has been a life long resident of the Newport area. She has volunteered with Lincoln County Court-Appointed Special Advocates (CASA), My Sisters’ Place, Lincoln County District Attorney’s office, Project Homeless Connect, and the Lincoln County School District.

She has also worked as the outreach/volunteer coordinator for My Sisters’ Place as well as youth activities leader for Oregon Family Support Network.

Jamie and her husband have a nine-year-old son who is an avid sports player and Cub Scout. They spend their spare time traveling for sporting events and enjoying the outdoors.