2022 Board Members
Val Blaha - President
Val is a music instructor, performing musician, and singer-songwriter. A nearly 20 year resident of Yamhill county, she and her husband co-owned Mossback Farm, where they raised grass fed beef, reforested several riparian areas, and protected habitat for endangered and threatened species.
Val earned an MA in Anthropology from Western Washington University, and has been involved with farmers' markets as a vendor, manager, musician and researcher, and served as president of the Oregon farmers' markets association.
She loves to write, read, paint, travel, and spend time with her husband and teenage son, and is energized to be able to assist with planning and communications for AAYC.
Holli Wagner, Vice President
Holli is the owner of Stay McMinnville LLC since 2010 and also owned McMinnville Event Center for the Arts LLC (MECA Gallery) from 2018-2020 along with her husband Mick.
She has 30 years experience in technology and sales, working for enterprise organizations such as IBM, and Bayer Pharmaceuticals.
As a 50/50 left brain/right brain, she also dabbles in water colors, acrylics design and writing. Her primary love is to assist our community in providing resources for the Arts.
Since 2019, Holli has also held the position as Board Chair for the McMinnville Short Film Festival. Holli lives in McMinnville with her husband, cats and chickens.
Cassie Sollar - Treasurer
Part time bookkeeper, Atticus Hotel
Retired:Manager, McMinnville Downtown AssociationViewpoints Editor, News-RegisterBanking Officer, Business Owner, Real Estate BrokerVolunteer:President-Elect: McMinnville Kiwanis FoundationFormer Chair, Art Harvest Studio TourFormer President: McMinnville City ClubFormer Director: Visit McMinnville
Mike Santone - Secretary
Chair for Membership and Communications
Mike Santone (he, him, his) loves long walks with life partner of 56 years. He has served on the Boards of Yamhill County Cultural Coalition, Friends, McMinnville Public Library, McMinnville Community Media, and Arts Alliance of Yamhill County.
A clay artist, Mike did the Art Harvest Studio Tour and gave workshops in grade, middle, and high schools. Elizabeth and Mike Santone owners of Meadowlake Studios produce cultural focused videos.
Since 2005 Mike has been committed to the Arts Alive TV show and continues to produce and direct Arts Alive. He is a published author, coordinates the Public Poems Project, and is involved with film and writing groups. Mike’s advice for living: stay engaged, and keep pushing the boundary of who you are.
Courtney Terry, Board Member
Chair, Grants and Scholarships
Courtney Terry (she/her) is an Adult Services Librarian at McMinnville Public Library. Since 2013, she has coordinated and hosted a monthly Poetry Night through the Library. She has served on the board for AAYC since 2019, coordinating the Arts Education Grants and Scholarship program. Her experiences funding amazing artistic projects for students across Yamhill County has been one of the many rewarding reasons she loves being part of AAYC. She also loves reading (or listening to) a good sci-fi or fantasy novel and spending time with her many animals.
Courtney lives on the stolen traditional lands of the Yamhill Kalapuya, one of the many bands of Kalapuya people who lived throughout the Willamette Valley. In 1855, The Treaty with the Kalapuya, etc ceded tribal lands to the United States. Members of at least 27 different tribes were forcibly removed to the Grand Ronde Reservation. Today, an estimated 4,000 Kalapuya descendents are members of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde. Learn more here: www.grandronde.org/history-culture/
Donna Sires, Board Member
Donna Sires is a pastel artist and retired art director, illustrator and graphic designer. She has lived in Yamhill County for over 18 years and participates every year in the Art Harvest Studio Tours, the Willamette Valley Lavender Festival, and the Chehalem Mountain Art Affair. She is passionate about promoting the arts in Yamhill County, and enjoys painting (both plein air and in the studio), traveling and being with her husband and family.
Beth Caster - Board Member
Amanda (Mandy) Gronich - Board Member
Amanda grew up in Wales, and - long story short - ended up in Newberg, Oregon, via California and Yorkshire, UK. Along the way she acquired a BA in Education and Art, and an MS in Curriculum and Instruction. She taught many subjects at the seventh and eighth grade level - mostly language arts, math, and always an art elective - until retiring in 2011, when she moved on to private teaching, tutoring and pursuing her passions.
Those passions? Art, pretty much everything outdoors, gardening, travel, activities dedicated to social and spiritual awareness and action, especially with youth, community building, and of course family.
Kyle Dauterman - Board Member
Kyle is a Digital Art, Filmmaking and Podcasting teacher at McMinnville High School. He is passionate about teaching the various forms of digital expression that are available. He formerly worked at McMinnville Community Media in downtown McMinnville, supporting local producers to create public access television shows. He directed a short film in 2019 titled "East of a Dream" that was showcased at the McMinnville Short Film Festival. He has edited and worked on other local films.
Kyle loves spending time with his wife Katie and their two cats, Clementine and Olive. In his free time he plays as much chess as he can and studies the great masters of the past. If you come to a McMinnville High School Baseball game, you will hear him on the microphone announcing the game. He has also taken up the growing sport of Disc Golf and frequently travels around the valley to play at new courses with his friends.