Board of Directors
Gretta Sandberg, President
Gretta Sandberg retired in June 2009 after 44 years as an orchestra director in the public schools of Virginia. She taught elementary and high school levels in Arlington and Fairfax Counties. She has since retired from the Allegheny Mountain String Project (AMSP), a part of the educational department of the Garth Newel Music Center in Warm Springs, Virginia, as a string instructor and orchestra director. Gretta is a co-founder of the AMSP.
Gretta is the founder and director of the Highlands Community Orchestra, an orchestra dedicated to providing an orchestral experience to amateur musicians in Highland & Bath Counties in VA and Pocahontas & Franklin Counties in WV. The Highlands Community Orchestra rehearses at the Highland Center in Monterey, VA. They provide the communities with three concerts a year, including a Holiday Community Concert with the Highland Community Choir and the Highland Handbells.
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Cristin Dorgelo, Vice President
Cristin loves Highland County for its beautiful nature and its talented community. She discovered the craft of basket weaving through a Highland Arts Academy workshop, and soon after joined the Arts Council. Basket weaving has become a hobby that she treasures; she now shares her work at Art on Main at The 3rd Space in Monterey.
Cristin believes the events and learning opportunities offered through the Arts Council enrich our community, attract visitors to our county, and form an important pillar for economic development, to help ensure Highland County and its residents thrive. Cristin has experience in senior executive roles leading and advising successful nonprofit organizations. She brings a wealth of knowledge in areas such as grant writing and board governance to the Arts Council.
Professionally, Cristin is an independent management consultant with more than 25 years of executive leadership and public policy experience. She is an Adjunct Senior Fellow at the Federation of American Scientists, a Visiting Fellow at the Burnes Center for Social Change at Northeastern University, and President Emerita at the Association of Science and Technology Centers (ASTC). Her work at ASTC has supported expansion of community science programs at science centers and museums across the country.
She previously served as a senior policy official for the Office of Management and Budget and for the Office of Science and Technology Policy within the Executive Office of the President, driving Federal government initiatives and partnerships to address national challenges.
She holds a BA in history with a minor in anthropology from UCLA. She is a certified Virginia Master Naturalist.
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Nancy Mohlmann, Treasurer
Nancy Mohlmann is a finance executive with more than 35 years of experience in enterprise growth strategies, board governance, investment selection and oversight, mergers and acquisitions, and fiduciary responsibilities. She has led financial, tax, audit, investment, and business professionals at large domestic and international for-profit and non-profit entities. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, a master’s degree in accounting, and a CPA certificate.​
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Cindy Maerz, Secretary
Cindy is an avid consumer of art and music. She started playing the piano in elementary school and enjoys playing for fun (and stress relief!). In college, she played the clarinet in the symphonic, marching and pep bands (she says watching the band at half time is the best part of any football game!) and has most recently been learning the ukulele. She has also enjoyed volunteering in the arts, spending many years as a volunteer with a local youth theater group doing tasks from ticket sales to costumes to cast parties.​
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Wendy Jaccard
Wendy has over 25 years of professional experience in the nonprofit sector, including institutions of higher education, health care providers and hospitals, and both large, national and small nonprofits. Her organizational skills and strong background in fundraising, project management and technology and operations will be beneficial to the future development and growth of the Highland County Arts Council.
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Galen Watts
Galen retired in 2024 from the National Radio Astronomy Observatory in Green Bank, West Virginia where he worked as an engineer for 27 years. Prior to the Observatory Galen was an audio engineer for live event production in Colorado. Galen has played bass for 47 years and plays with the Highlands Community Orchestra and a few bands in the Green Bank area. He was a production volunteer and board member with the Pocahontas County Opera House during their first fourteen years of operation. Galen has held an amateur radio license for 48 years, his current call sign is W8LNA.
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Melody Moats
Melody was fortunate to have been born in the local hospital in Bath County. Her mother told her that she broke up a card game that night. She is a native of Highland County who had the privilege of many “favorite” teachers and, therefore, decided to become one herself. She graduated from Highland High School, James Madison University, and taught for 38 years in the Highland County Public School system. She enjoyed teaching fifth grade and then moved to Middle School English. While there, she was a co-sponsor of the Mid-Kids Radio Club, a forensics coach, and the founder of the Drama Club. Since retiring, she has enjoyed life with her husband, Jerry, and their three fur children. She is passionate about home projects, boating, walking, reading, and shared family time. Life in Highland is good!
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Landdis Holifield
Landdis is an economic development consultant currently working with the Highland EDA through the Economic Recovery Corps Program. In addition to her economic development interests, she has experience in public relations and assisted local governments and tourism destinations to promote their programs and events. She has advanced skills in grant writing, media relations and fundraising initiatives. Before moving to Virginia, she served as President of the McDowell Arts Council Association in North Carolina. Landdis’s many skills and interests will be a tremendous asset to the Highland County Arts Council.