Board of Directors

Donna Bedwell, President
Donna Bedwell has been a Highland County Arts Council board member since 2017 and served as
President since 2021. A native Highlander, she retired to her family home in Monterey after a
career that included product development, marketing and event planning. She has been a supporter
of the arts through a lifelong interest in hand crafted art and currently coordinates a weekly
basketry workshop in the Arts Council classroom at the Highland Center. She also coordinates the
Highland Arts Academy, a series of annual workshops in the visual arts, which was launched by the
Arts Council in 2019.

 

Paul Vosteen, Vice President

Paul works at the Green Bank Observatory as the graphic and web designer. He grew up in Williamsburg, Virginia, learned piano at age 5, and at age 10 started playing music professionally as a fifer in the Colonial Williamsburg Fifes & Drums. Through that job, he developed a love for traditional music that continues to this day, and he is constantly on the lookout for an Irish session. He has always enjoyed the arts - both the visual and performing arts - and credits his parents with encouraging that enjoyment by taking him to museums, stage, and musical productions from an early age. He studied sculpture, bronze-casting, and communication design before obtaining his BFA in Design from the Atlanta College of Art. Attending a college that shared space with the Alliance Theatre and the Atlanta Symphony, and was situated right next to the High Museum of Art was an incredible experience. 

   Paul has worked as a technical illustrator for NASA, done graphic design work for large corporations such as Andersen Consulting, AT&T Solutions, and Capital One, and has also worked as a photographer and media professional overseas. In his free time, he also enjoys being outdoors - hunting, fishing, hiking, and biking - all things to be found in abundance in Highland County.

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.

Gretta Sandberg, Secretary
Gretta Sandberg retired in June 2009 after 44 years as an orchestra director in the elementary and
high school levels in Arlington and Fairfax Counties of Virginia. She is now string instructor and
orchestra director for the Allegheny Mountain String Project, a part of the educational department
of the Garth Newel Music Center in Warm Springs, Virginia. Gretta lives in Highland County and
teaches at a studio in Monterey, VA.

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Brit Chambers

As a writer and researcher, Brit Chambers holds Masters Degrees in both Education and Journalism.Brit has volunteered and worked for many non-profits through the years and has grant writingexperience, as well as editing, public relations, special events, publishing, and website marketingcapabilities Brit was blessed with broad, arts-based experiences and participated in many plays,recitals, and art shows at the Warehouse of Living Arts in Corsicana, Texas.

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Cindy Maerz

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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Jim Sherman
Jim has been involved in “the arts” in many ways for many years.  He was in musicals in college and
in community theatre, has sung in ensembles, with occasional solos for many years. He was in a
traveling group in college, and in a Barbershop chorus and quartet for about 10 years.   In the
Barbershop chapter in Roanoke, he was the musical director for their annual performance on two
occasions, president for 6 years, and vice-president for two. He designed the web page for the
organization. He has written and published two books, loves poetry, has written many poems, and
has written lyrics for three songs. He even took modern dance instruction for two years in college
and performed multiple times in dance performances.  He obviously has an appreciation and love
for the arts and has supported the Arts Council by attending performances and has participated in
storytelling events. He is a retired physician, and held many positions of leadership and teaching.  

Ashlyn Senger
Ashlyn is a flautist and music educator who graduated with a Bachelors degree in instrumental
music education from Virginia Commonwealth University. This is her second year as the music
teacher and band director at Highland Elementary School and High School.

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Cristin Dorgelo

   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.