Volunteers At Work

Event Staff

Keeping our patrons safe

so everyone will have

a great time

Ticket Takers - Trolley Host

Parking and Traffic Control

Helping patrons get into and

out of the venue safely

Ushers

Helping patrons find their seats

and settle in for the show,

answering questions and gently

enforcing venue rules

Gift Booth, Artist Merchandise, Ice Cream Sales

Chair and Cushion Rental

Providing treats, souveniers, and other

concert enjoyment essentials

Clean Up

Ensuring a clean environment

for all Britt Festival patrons

to enjoy the show

Meet the Board

Laurin Parker

President

I was born and raised in Riverside, CA. My parents put a strong focus on appreciation of all types of cultural events, so I was fortunate to be introduced to Broadway musicals, dance and classical music at a very early age.I went to Pitzer College, Claremont, CA, where my major was French and French philosophy.I married my husband Michael in 1984. We moved to Oregon in 2005, where we live on 78 acres in the Applegate Valley, overlooking the Siskiyou Mountains. I have been self employed most of my working life, including owning an exotic bird store, The Pecking Order. I bred miniature horses and exotic birds, including macaws and cockatoos. I was the Marshall of the Wee Wheelers, a miniature horse driving group, which was featured for ten years in the Rose Bowl Parade. I successfully competed at the National level in many horse events - dressage, driving, and vaulting (gymnastics on horseback), winning National Championships. My other passions are gardening, travel, theater and music. I am totally committed to volunteering at the Britt as I believe in what it offers to the community. We are so lucky to have access to a full philharmonic orchestra and other world class musical entertainment in such a magical setting. I thoroughly enjoy the company of the other volunteers who donate so much time and energy to enhance the Britt experience. I have found my "home" on the Britt Hill in the Gift Booth, where I love interacting with the Britt patrons.

LeeAnn Bower

First Vice President

I grew up outside Detroit, Michigan and attended Central Michigan University. In 1974 I married my college roommate's brother and shortly after, escaped to California. We lived in Paradise for 5 years where my son was born. Three years later my daughter arrived. I was very fortunate and was able to be a stay at home mom for 6 years. It was the best time of my life. Over the years we moved north through the San Joaquin Valley. In Stockton, I went to work for a farm and home supply company and got in on the start up of their wholesale division. In 1990 I found myself on my own with my children and we relocated to Medford. My first job was working at Pinnacle Orchards where my education of Oregon agriculture began. When Pinnacle closed in 1995, a friend and I started a successful wholesale gift fruit fulfillment company. We closed the company in 2006 and I went to work at the Rogue Creamery where I learned the business from the ground up and set up their mail order division. From there I went to Agate Ridge Vineyard and learned about grapes, winemaking and wine drinking! Finally, I enjoyed 8 years working at Lillie Belle Farms chocolate shop. Aside from the wonderful chocolate, the facility was always filled with music. In 2017 I retired to enjoy life at my own pace and pursue volunteer opportunities. Music has always been a part of my life. I remember helping my Mom clean the house with Frank Sinatra on the turntable. I fell in love with the Beatles and their songs are still a part of my life. I danced to their music with my children and now my grandchildren. I've attended concerts by everyone from John Denver to Paul McCartney. When I moved to the Rogue Valley and wanted to meet new people, I decided to volunteer at Britt. The first season I signed up for 8 shows and ended up working 23 as Security, now Event Staff. I became a Security captain and after 10 years had to take a break to tend to family matters. I was able to return to the festival in 2017 as a member of the Event Staff. I love being on the hill in the summertime.

Jim Early

Second Vice President

Christi Siedlecki

Director

Like so many others who live around here, I was born and raised in the Los Angeles area. I became a nurse while living in Riverside, CA, then moved to Southern Oregon in 1985. Soon after, I discovered Britt Festivals. I have spent many years enjoying the magic of the Hill as a patron and a volunteer. I have two sons and four other grown “kids” I call mine. My family is my greatest passion and joy. I also volunteer for a dog rescue organization and my state and national professional associations. If you want to strike up a conversation with me, just ask me about my pets or healthcare policy. I do an annual St. Jude fundraiser in honor of someone who helped me achieve my dream career. Currently, I work as a healthcare executive for a clinic in Grants Pass. I am excited to be one of Britt Society’s newest board members. Britt volunteers are the best kinds of folks.

Kathy Bachtel

Treasurer

Linda McGuire

Corresponding Secretary

I began volunteering at Britt in the 1980’s and have worked every position on the Hill plus being on the Board. I am on two other Boards: Southern Oregon Chapter American Guild of Organists and Senior Aces, an organization on learning Macs and PC computers. My love of music started when I was 8 years old and started piano lessons in Southern California. That continued through college as I have a Bachelor’s Degree in Piano and Pipe organ performance. I continued with organ as I worked toward my Master’s Degree. I taught music in public schools, directed musicals, gave piano and organ lessons and directed choirs I changed from teaching music in the public schools to Library and became the IT person for 3 schools for over 20 years. I have since retired from teaching but I still play the organ for churches as a paid employee.

Steve Sincerny

Recording Secretary

Having started this life in Minnesota, I grew up in New England, Ohio, New Jersey, and attended college in Pennsylvania. I settled in the Applegate Valley in 1974 and lived on a commune there and in the Illinois Valley. It was the old back to the land movement, and turned out to be a great way to live and raise a family. Homesteading is a tough job, and does not pay very well, so I worked as a tree trimmer, forest worker and did some construction. I also worked as a beekeeper, following the springs from Modesto to North Dakota. When my children started to require more resources, I realized it was time to embrace a career, and became a middle school teacher. I have been a teacher for twenty-seven years at Pinehurst School on the Green Springs and at Talent Middle School. Teaching a variety of subjects, I taught mostly Tech Ed (shop, engineering and design) and eighth grade science. I have lived in Ashland since 1988 and am blessed with three beautiful children and two grandchildren. You will often see me riding my motorcycle to Britt on summer evenings, or perhaps in a national park, or on some remote logging road. I enjoy playing and listening to music and living life fully in whatever form appears. I started coming to the Britt in the late seventies, and became a volunteer in about 2000. My life is enriched by being exposed to a wide range of music and artists both familiar and new. Britt volunteering has filled my summers with hundreds of enchanting nights. I love socializing with Britt volunteers and patrons, and helping make sure that folks have a safe, fun and inspiring evening. I have worked mostly in event staff and as a security captain. I love being a part of the Britt team and my intention is to support this awesome organization in whatever way I can and the volunteers who contribute so much to create the magic called Britt Festivals.

Toby Brown

Director

I was born and raised in Waterbury, Connecticut and graduated from Rider University in Lawrenceville, New Jersey with a BA in American Civilization. I moved to California with a college roommate during the turbulent 70’s and had many interesting times in the Bay Area – including meeting my husband, Peter, at a wild Christmas Eve Party in Berkeley. We got married a year later and moved "back to the land" in Washington state in 1976, where we lived off the grid for several years, built our own house (I peeled many logs!), grew our own food and learned how to survive without all the creature comforts we now love! Since my husband was in construction, we moved around a lot – wherever the latest building boom was happening somehow we ended up there. We have lived in California (3 different times), Washington, Hawaii and for the past 15 years outside of Jacksonville where we plan to retire. I have had many different types of jobs – from Consumer Research to Social Work to Personal and Health Insurance. On December 31, 2017 I retired from my job as Supervisor of a small testing center in Medford. That leaves me way more time to do what I love – volunteer! I have been a Britt Volunteer for 12 years – and have happily settled in to the Gift Booth where I get to meet so many interesting patrons and feel part of the Gift Booth Family. I am also a Volunteer Ambassador for Dogs for Better Lives and have a small pet sitting business. I am passionate about rescuing dogs and currently have 2 rescues who are the loves of my life I look forward to every summer when I get to spend many hours on the hill with my Britt Family.

Dennis Colbrese

Director

Jill Eversole

Director

I came to Rogue Valley in 2010 with my husband Jean-Claude Beauvalet (yes, he is French born and raised) when he retired from a long career as an hotelier. I first worked for Asante in their Nursing Professional Development department. Currently, I am a nurse educator at OSHU School of Nursing Ashland Campus in the BSN program. Jean-Claude and I came to Medford after living in Memphis TN for nearly 20 years where I worked as a surgical nurse. Previously, we lived in overseas for ten years in Freeport, Grand Bahama, Bahrain, then to Malta before returning to the US. We have four children; the oldest boys Jean-Marc and Yannick live in Ottawa Canada, daughter Laura still lives in Memphis and Ivan Beauvalet, a local artist known for his Old Master glazing technique oil paintings of modern subjects. I have been a volunteer at Britt for 10 years. I appreciate how important it is to maintain this excellent venue for highlighting music for our whole region. We have something so special in the Britt Festival and the Britt Symphony Orchestra each summer. My mission and vision fits very well with the Britt values. Everyone has a good experience.

Terri Staab

Director

My parents moved to Jacksonville in 1996, and Jacksonville has been our family hometown ever since. My first Britt experience was hearing the music from the balcony of The Orth House, the home my parents bought and ran as a bed and breakfast for 12 years. After experiencing a day in Jacksonville and hearing the music from the hill I fell in love with the town and Britt Festivals. I was blessed with the opportunity to move to Jacksonville in January of 2023, and retired from Washington state service in January 2024, having worked with the WA State Department of Licensing for 16 years. Prior to Washington state service I was the Center Director for a large child development center. My first step in joining and supporting the Jacksonville community was to become a Britt volunteer. During my first year as a volunteer I made many new friends and helped with a variety of volunteer opportunities. I love the Britt volunteer experience and am excited with this opportunity to provide deeper support to Britt and the Britt volunteers by joining the Britt Society Board. There’s nothing like an evening at Britt, and I look forward to many, many more!