Camerata Pacifica Appoints Three New Board Members

Camerata Pacifica, considered one of the nation’s leading chamber music collectives and noted for its musical versatility and bold programming, has appointed three new members to its Board of Directors, announced Board Chair Kimberly Valentine. They include Dr. Paula Levy, D.D.S. (Santa Rosa Valley), a retired orthodontist; Natalie N. Schnaitmann, LSCW, (Glendora), executive director of the Department of Supportive Care Medicine at City of Hope National Comprehensive Cancer Center; and Felicia Yang (West Los Angeles), a materials engineer specializing in satellite development. Each will serve a three-year term. 

“We are delighted to welcome Paula Levy, Natalie Schnaitmann, and Felicia Yang to Camerata Pacifica’s Board of Directors,” says Valentine. “Each of them brings a wealth of business experience to the organization. They are also relationship builders and passionate advocates for music and the arts. Their inspired leadership, deep dedication, and keen critical thinking will help ensure Camerata Pacifica’s continued fiscal and artistic vigor and propel its forward momentum.”

Levy practiced Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics in Camarillo and Simi Valley, for 36 years. An amateur pianist, she has always been passionate about classical music and has attended Camerata Pacifica concerts for decades. Paula and her husband Miguel live in the Santa Rosa Valley area, just north of Thousand Oaks, where they raised their family. 

Schnaitmann, in her executive role at City of Hope, leads the vision and development of a unique, fully integrated, interdisciplinary Department of Supportive Care Medicine comprised of multiple divisions and specialties, including Palliative Medicine; Interventional Pain Management; Psychiatry; Psychology; Clinical Social Work; Spiritual Care; Patient Navigation; Child Life; Patient, Family, & Community Education; Volunteer Services; Interpreter Services; and Research and Training. In addition to overseeing the department’s $25 million annual budget, Schnaitmann is leading City of Hope’s system-wide Supportive Care integration, including operations, finance, clinical departments, research operations, philanthropy, and marketing/communications. She also helped develop and implement an internationally recognized innovative staff leadership model focused on systematic approaches to elevating leadership at all levels. Schnaitmann has co-authored numerous scholarly articles and has given scholarly presentations around the globe. Schnaitmann was instrumental in implementing Camera Pacifica’s Nightingale Channel at City of Hope. This landmark resource for hospitals provides music programming, drawn from Camerata Pacifica’s extensive video library of performances, delivered via iPads to patient bedsides, outpatient treatment areas, and care teams. The program is based on the well-documented positive effects of music in healing.  

Yang, in addition to her highly successful career as a materials engineer specializing in satellite development, is a music and sport enthusiast. In 2019, she founded the first professional women’s ultimate frisbee league on the West Coast and served as its executive director for four years. Building the organization from nothing, she delved into the business operations of a nonprofit, including fundraising, marketing, sponsorship, accounting, game-day event production, and online streaming. The league now boasts eight teams across the West Coast and has live-streamed more than 50 games over two successful seasons. Yang began studying piano at age six. In middle school, she joined the school orchestra and learned to play viola. She won a number of concerto competitions and performed as a soloist with youth and All-State orchestras. Although she decided to pursue engineering in college, Yang stayed involved in music. 

For information on Camerata Pacifica, please visit www.cameratapacifica.org.