Board of Directors
Elaine Cofrancesco, Ph.D.
Chairman
Poway Unified School District, Retired
Elaine’s career has evolved from early work in the mental health field, and included Marriage, Family, and Child Counseling at Poway Counseling Services; Mercy Mental Health; and the Escondido Youth Center. She recently retired from the Poway Unified School District after 36 years, serving as teacher, counselor, and administrator.
Her passion has always been working with students and families to provide a variety of services to support the health, safety, and welfare of students.
Qualifications include a B.A./Music; M.A./Music Education; M.A./Counseling Psychology; and Ph.D./Psychology. She has always been a supporter of the arts and is Nationally Board Certified in Music Therapy. In her elementary years, she started playing the string bass and has a long history of playing in orchestras and jazz ensembles.
She and her husband, Roger Nedrow, reside in Rancho Bernardo.
Daniel Krall
Vice Chairman/Outgoing Chairman
Financial Advisor
Dan serves as a financial advisor to a number of local firms and non-profits, following his retirement from Francis Parker School where he served as Chief Financial Officer and Head of Operations.
Prior to this role at Francis Parker, he served as CFO of Girl Scouts San Diego and in a variety of financial management roles at high technology firms in San Diego and San Jose. His move to the non-profit world has afforded him the opportunity to apply his financial vocation while helping lead these organizations focused on developing today’s youth into tomorrow’s leaders. He enjoys bringing both his financial and non-profit background to Poway OnStage, assisting the organization in achieving its goals of offering great live performances and its Arts in Education Initiative.
Dan was raised in western New York and northern California, moving south to attend San Diego State University. He and his wife, Bunny, have resided in Poway for over 20 years, and live within walking distance of the Performing Arts Center. They have two married daughters, Katy (Ben) and Michelle (Aaron) and a granddaughter, Isabelle, all living in Seattle..
He is actively involved in the Poway High School Grad Nite, Poway High Hall of Fame selection committee and Girl Scout volunteer activities. He previously served on the Poway Girls Softball League Board and as Treasurer of the Rancho Bernardo Sunrise Rotary Club. His hobbies include bicycling, hiking, gardening and honing his handyman skills.
Dan is thrilled to serve on the Board of Directors of Poway OnStage and have the opportunity to join the community’s premiere arts association.
Wayne Hamburger
Treasurer
Computer Software Consultants, Inc., Retired
Wayne was born and raised in New York City, where a common school trip was to go “into the City” to watch live musical or theatrical performances at Lincoln Center or the multitude of Broadway theaters.
Wayne left New York to attend college at MIT in Cambridge, MA where he graduated with a degree in Math & Computer Science. During his time in Boston, Wayne maintained his love for live theater and the arts, attending concerts at Copley Hall and enjoying Arthur Fiedler and the Boston Pops outdoor concerts during the summer.
After graduation, Wayne worked on Magnetic Fusion research at the MIT National Magnet Lab as a scientific programmer. Two years later, after experiencing the Blizzard of ’78, he decided it was time to head to balmier climes and he headed to the Left Coast to San Diego. Wayne has spent the last 43+ years developing software for a variety of different disciplines and businesses.
After moving to Poway in 1995, Wayne created Computer Software Consultants, Inc. (CSC), to provide professional computer support and guidance to small businesses. Wayne has sold CSC to a local IT support business and is now enjoying retirement.
Wayne’s interests include baseball – Go Padres! Live theater and music – he has been an avid fan of Poway OnStage for many years and also attends many classic rock concerts; traveling – with his amazingly supportive significant other, Sharon – having been to such diverse locales as the Amazon, Pantanal, Mt. Everest and the Serengeti; hiking, golfing and spending time with his two wonderful adult children, Kyle and Ariel.
Wayne joined the Poway OnStage board in February 2016 and is working with the local community to create an exciting future for world-class live performances in Poway!
Leah McBride
Secretary
Finance of America Mortgage
Leah was born and raised in San Diego and graduated from Poway High. She received her Bachelor’s Degree from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, in Business Administration with a double concentration in Finance and International Business. She then went on to receive her Master’s Degree in Commerce from the University of Adelaide in South Australia, where she lived with her husband for three years.
Leah is a Senior Loan Officer and Mortgage Advisor at Finance of America Mortgage (formerly Skyline Home Loans) in Rancho Bernardo. Finance of America is a direct mortgage banking company, offering a wide variety of products for both purchases and refinances, including Jumbo options, 30/15 Year Fixed, FHA, VA, USDA, Hybrid ARMs, and Reverse Mortgages. Leah finds fulfilment in the unique combination of personal connections and financial strategy with her role as a mortgage advisor.
Leah now lives in Poway with her husband, Ben, their daughter, Bailey, and their two dogs. She is an active member of the Rady Children’s Hospital Auxiliary, Poway Unit, involved in the Rancho Bernardo Business Association, and also Poway Real Estate Professionals. She enjoys hiking, water and snow sports, and spending time with her family.
Merle Brodie
Philanthropic Advisor
Merle Brodie has been a leader in the San Diego philanthropic community for 40 years.
Merle is recognized for bringing dynamic insights, in depth knowledge and effective leadership and experience that embraces a team empowering approach to every project she undertakes.
She has extensive background in all aspects of development with significant achievements in planning and directing major gift, planned giving and capital campaigns.
With a development career that began with the Scripps Foundation in La Jolla, CA, Merle was highly effective in securing numerous major gifts as a part of Scripps $100 million capital campaign. After Scripps, she served as vice president at The San Diego Foundation, where she led the North County business development initiative and CEO of the Alzheimer’s Association, where she revitalized the community presence. Other organizations where Merle held senior development positions include the Jewish Community Foundation, where she conceived and helped implement the Endowment Leadership Institute and the Palomar Health Foundation. Before her retirement in 2021, Merle provided major gift and gift planning services to Girl Scouts San Diego.
As a sought-after consultant, Merle assisted clients with development audits, feasibility studies, board development, specialized major gift, capital campaign and planned giving programs. These include the ARC of San Diego, San Diego Center for Children, Neighborhood Health Centers, North Coast Repertory Theatre, Heritage Pointe and the University of California San Diego Extension’s Fundraising and Development Certificate Program, Rady Children’s Hospital and Ronald McDonald House.
Through her career, Merle demonstrated a strong commitment to community service as well as to guiding, educating and mentoring young professionals. Merle is past president and a current executive committee member of Women Give San Diego; and served on the the Advisory Board and faculty of UCSD’s Fundraising Certificate Program. She also served on the boards of the Alzheimer’s Association and Girl Scouts San Diego.
In service to her profession, Merle was a board member and past president of the Association for Fundraising Professionals (AFP) which recognized her with their highest award, Development Executive of the Year. Merle also served on the boards of the Partnership for Philanthropic Planning and the North County Philanthropy Council and was a member of the Estate Planning Council.
Audrey Denham
City of Poway
Audrey grew up in San Diego dancing and performing on stage to her favorite dance styles – jazz and contemporary. After obtaining her bachelor’s degree in business management from National University, Audrey began her career working for a non-profit teaching and managing after-school aerobic dance programs all over San Diego County. This sparked her love for recreation programs and her passion for public service.
Audrey has more than 17 years in the parks and recreation field. Prior to “coming home” to the City of Poway as the Director of Community Services, she served as the Recreation Superintendent for the City of National City. From 2007 to 2014, Audrey held supervisory roles in the City of Poway specifically at Old Poway Park, Lake Poway, Community Park, and the Poway Center for the Performing Arts. When given the chance to manage the Poway Center for the Performing Arts on two different occasions, she jumped at the opportunity and loved working behind the scenes.
Audrey believes in the mission of the Community Services Department: to enrich the community through an exceptional blend of recreation, arts, leisure, and cultural programs. She is especially committed to bringing the arts to Poway residents and seeing the Poway Center for the Performing Arts succeed.
Rachel McCarthy Henneforth
Dressed 2 Dance, McCarthy Family Foundation
Rachel and her family moved to Poway in 1979 and she graduated from Poway High School in 1991. After graduation Rachel attended UC Irvine, earning her Bachelors of Science in Social Sciences with a minor in Psychology. She then returned to Poway to raise her own family.
Rachel’s philanthropic career started early on with the mentorship of her parents, Tim and Jane McCarthy, who founded the McCarthy Family Foundation in 1989. Past philanthropic participation has included the San Diego Youth & Community Services Auxiliary Board, the San Diego HIV Funding Collaborative, Funders Together to End Homelessness, and multiple PTSA boards.
Rachel is married and has six children/step-children. Rachel and her husband Jeff started two local businesses in the last six years. Rachel is a partner of Dressed 2 Dance in Rancho Bernardo, a local dance wear store offering the latest in dance apparel. Jeff is the owner of Triton Water Renewal, specializing in reverse osmosis for pool water purification and whole house/business systems for clean, pure water.
Rachel is proud to serve on the Poway OnStage board and continue her family’s 32 year tradition of supporting the local performing arts community.
Kayla Warren
Poway Unified School District
Kayla Warren currently serves as the Visual and Performing Arts Specialist for Poway Unified School District and provides oversight and support for the implementation of the District’s Strategic Arts Plan. She develops, directs, monitors, and promotes Visual and Performing Arts programs and serves as a liaison between the District and community partners to maximize participation in the Arts. Previously, her 15 year career with the San Diego Unified School District included such roles as Video Production Teacher at Creative Performing Media Arts Middle School and Manager of their Performing Arts Center. She was a member of the Instructional Leadership Team and worked with the SWFIT Grant and Integrated Multi-Tiered System of Support Department of SDUSD to define equity on campus and break down barriers for all students.
She loves to go mountain biking and hiking with her boyfriend, Andrew, and their two shepherd mix dogs, Lady and Abby. She loves to cook, bake and attend as many musicals as she can!
Kayla is excited to serve on the Board of Poway OnStage to continue supporting the Arts in Education Initiative. She believes Arts Education is critical to student’s development and every student should have access to arts instruction and the opportunity to see live performances. Poway OnStage is doing an amazing job of bringing the arts to students all over San Diego and she’s excited to be a part of the amazing work happening!