Board President

Garee Gasperian grew up on the Westside of L.A. where he also started his legal career. He completed his undergraduate education at UCLA and earned his legal degree from U.C. Hastings College of the Law in San Francisco.

Several years ago Garee changed the focus of his law practice and opened his own law office in Hermosa Beach. He is devoted to providing legal services in the areas of estate planning, probate, and trust administration. As a former litigation attorney, Garee continues to appear “in-court” representing seniors and other clients on matters pertaining to trust litigation, elder abuse and conservatorships.

Garee is a resident of the South Bay where he lives with his wife Karen and their two college age children Alec and Shay. Garee has a strong belief in volunteering his time and service. In addition to serving on Haven’s board, Garee is on the Board of Directors for Cancer Support Community Redondo Beach where he chairs the planned giving committee. He is a Deacon for his Church and donates pro bono legal services to various non-profit organizations.

Maria Farrante is a Director and Senior Wealth Strategy Associate with UBS Financial Services Inc.'s Private Wealth Management division. She has over 18 years of financial industry experience, which encompasses all aspects of client servicing and private banking for high-net worth families and foundations. She and her husband, Fabio live in Del Aire with their two children who attend Juan de Anza Elementary School in the Wiseburn School District. Maria is the President for the Juan de Anza Elementary School PTA. Both of their children are enthusiastically involved with Haven and she is excited to contribute to increasing children's access to Art Education through the wonderful program at Haven Academy of the Arts.

Jerry Heuer lives in Hermosa Beach with Leanne his wife of 35 years. Jerry and Leanne have 3 adult children and 2 grand babies (Yahoo!!!). Jerry has a B.A. in Business Administration from California State University Fullerton. Jerry has over 35 years of business experience and has been owner and/or president of over 50 different companies in both the private and public sectors. Jerry was a founding board member for Hermosa Beach Education Foundation and currently serves as a board member on Hermosa Beach Youth Basketball and Heartlight Foundation. Jerry and Leanne have been keenly interested and excited about Haven from the very beginning. Jerry is honored to be a part of such a great organization that is touching and developing so many kids and families in such a positive and creative way.

John Ludwig is a business executive who lives in the South Bay with his wife, Jen, and his two school-age children Lane and Ryan. John came to know Haven Academy through the enthusiastic involvement of his children in productions over the last seven years. A Southern California native, John received his B.A. from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and his M.B.A. from Pepperdine University. John currently works as SVP of Kids & Family Marketing for Bullpen Integrated Marketing in Encino. Prior to joining Bullpen, John worked at Mattel, Inc. for 15 years in a variety of Marketing positions both at their headquarters in El Segundo and in Europe as part of the Executive Leadership Team. John is an active member of Oceanside Christian Fellowship, where he has served in the areas of stewardship, worship, and small groups. John has a passion for seeing kids flourish to their full potential, which is why he is honored to be able to serve as a member of the Haven Academy for the Arts board.

Ryan Rowles comes to Sustaining Sound with a diverse background in arts and arts education. As a producer he has successfully staged numerous productions for high school theater students (Les Miserables, Fiddler On The Roof, My Fair Lady) and has collaborated with several Los Angeles area directors including Thom Babbes, Shauna Markey and Ronnie Sperling. Ryan currently serves as the Program Director for Education Through Music-Los Angeles, a non-profit organization whose mission is to provide comprehensive, sequential music education to every child in disadvantaged schools as part of the core curriculum. Ryan has also been able to contribute to the Haven Academy of the Arts with sound and other production needs. His main job, however, is husband to the beautiful and talented Kristin and dad to Ryanna, Makayla and Amelya.

Andra Taylor is the mother of four children, all of whom are active with Haven in varying degrees. She is also a Sunday school teacher, home economics teacher, and aerospace engineer. She has been a vocal advocate for Haven in her work with the PTAs in the Wiseburn school district, seeking to enrich the children's access to arts education wherever possible, and enjoys continuing that advocacy in her role as a board member.

Rebekah Kellaway has been directing youth theatre productions for fifteen years and has directed over twenty musicals. She received a B.A. in Elementary Education and a teaching credential from Biola University. In 2008, Rebekah combined her love for education and the performing arts and established Haven Academy of the Arts. She believes strongly in applying educational theory and child development to the directing process. Favorite directing projects include Beauty and the Beast, South Pacific and The Sound of Music. Her work as co-director for Sustaining Sound's Little Women received a five star review in Broadway World and earned an Eddon Award for Best Production. She is consistently blessed by the amazing opportunities God has given her to work with these talented young people. When she's not wrangling young performers, Rebekah enjoys singing on her church's worship team and trying out new Paleo recipes in her attempt to make gluten-free delicious.