Who we are
WHO WE ARE
OUR MISSION
PACE’s broad mission is to transform lives and enrich our community by presenting artistic, cultural, educational, and entertainment experiences of the highest quality to all within its reach.
OUR VISION
The Eastside is the home of innovative thinking and the new technologies that are changing the world. Drawing inspiration and expertise from our community, PACE will develop and launch a performing arts center as the first true Cultural Hub of the 21st Century’s “Experience Age”, and create the new model for the rest of the world to follow.
OUR HISTORY
Several years ago, a group of idealistic Eastside community leaders had a vision to build a conventional multi-purpose performing arts center for the Eastside. That vision has been updated recently to reflect the area’s remarkable population growth, emergence of industry-leading technology companies, and the burgeoning international community. We are seizing the potential and opportunity to realize the convergence of art, culture, and technology in an innovative new venue that breaks down barriers to widespread access and engagement with the arts.
LEADERSHIP
RAY CULLOM, CEO
Since his arrival to Bellevue in summer 2018, Ray has been the catalyst for PACE’s new vision: bringing together arts, culture, and technology to create a unique 21st century cultural arts hub to serve Eastside residents and their families for generations. He has an extensive history working on the development of new performing arts spaces, both commercial and not-for-profit, and on the programming of exciting arts and cultural events all over the world.
Ray’s work in the development of innovative performance spaces ranges from small Off-Broadway Theaters on 42nd Street in New York City, to the recently opened 650,000 sq. ft. Zorlu Center for the Performing Arts in Istanbul, Turkey, to a new 2000-seat theater designed specifically for Broadway productions located in Shanghai’s North Bund neighborhood. Most recently, as the Senior VP for International Projects and Development for Nederlander Worldwide Entertainment in New York City, Ray worked on innovative theatrical productions and new arts buildings throughout Europe and Asia in developing markets for the arts.
Earlier, Ray held positions in General Management and Production with several major touring Broadway musicals; served as Director of two major regional theaters, including the Tony Award® winning Long Wharf Theatre in New Haven, Connecticut; and has directed performing arts series programming for major arts organizations in the USA and internationally.
Ray holds an A.B. in Anthropology from the University of Chicago and lives in Clyde Hill with his wife Meryl, a distinguished arts education professional, and their 3 children. He was recognized as Not-for-Profit Businessman of the Year by the NYC/Queens Chamber of Commerce in 2013.
OUR BOARD
PACE Board Leadership
Chair: Alex Smith, Kaye-Smith Enterprises*
Vice Chair: Cathi Hatch, Cathi Hatch Associates*
Vice Chair: Eric Stelter, ESMB, Inc., PACE Building Chair*
Secretary: Bonnie Towne, Community Volunteer*
Treasurer: Edward Springman, CES Properties, Inc.*
Alka Badshah, Community Volunteer*
Maxine Barnard, Community Volunteer
Carl Behnke, REB Enterprises*
Doug Boyden, Mercer Consulting, Retired
Alex Cai, Cai & Associates
Trish Carpenter, Community Volunteer*
Jane Cui, Leica Cameras
Ray Cullom, Ex Officio*
Jenni Flinders, VMware
Rosemarie Francis, Francis Developments, Etelu
Betty Freeman, Kemper Development Co.*
Kemper Freeman, Jr., Kemper Development Co.*
Ann Gores, Professional Artist
Jane Hague, Community Volunteer*
Jim Hebert, HR2 Research and Analytics
Anu Jain, Viome
Afshan Lakha, Community Volunteer
Susan Liu, Community Volunteer*
Chuck Lytle, Lytle Enterprises*
Karen Lytle, Lytle Enterprises*
Beth McCaw, WA Women’s Foundation, PACE Governance Chair*
Anastasia Miles, Coldwell Banker Bain*
Janice Olson, Paramount Hotels
Jeff Richey, Puget Properties
Pamela Rolfe, Career Specialists
Skip Rowley, Rowley Properties, Inc.
Brad Smith, Microsoft
Ally Svenson, MOD Pizza
Betty Tong, BML Development Corporation
Brian Vowinkel, Coldstream
Scott Wallace, Retired
Sandy Walsh, RE/MAX Metro Realty, Inc
David Wasielewski, Din Tai Fung
* Denotes member of Executive Committee
EMERITUS COUNCIL
Dennis Conrad, Sweeney Conrad
Janine Florence, Fortin Group
Pat Herbold, Community Volunteer
Sally Jarvis, Community Volunteer
John Matheson, Retired*
Sally A. Nordstrom, Community Volunteer
Craig Shrontz, Perkins Cole
Ron Smith, Array Acquisitions, LLC
ARTS & COMMUNITY PARTNERS
Bellevue Arts Museum, Ben Heywood
Bellevue Boys and Girls Club, Tim Motts
Bellevue LifeSpring, Jennifer Fischer
LEAP/GOAL, Stanko Milov
Pacific Northwest Ballet, Peter Boal & Ellen Walker
Seattle Opera, Aidan Lang
Seattle Symphony, Leslie Chihuly, Board Member
Seattle Theatre Group, Josh LaBelle
The 5th Avenue Theatre, David Armstrong, Bill Berry & Bernie Griffin
U.S. Trust Bank, Joel Petersen
Village Theatre, Robb Hunt
ADVISORY
COUNCIL
Masayo Arakawa, T-Mobile
Patty Barrier, Community Volunteer
Renee Behnke, Community Volunteer
David Brown, Community Volunteer
Lida Buckner, Community Volunteer
Mary Pat Byrne, Byrne Arts Consulting
Dorothy Fluke, Community Volunteer
Michelle Foreman Barnet, Columbia West Properties
AG Gao, Community Volunteer
Lynn Garvey, Saltchuk
Carmen Gayton, Windermere Real Estate
Christine Gilbert, Northwest Vision Institute
Paige Green, MOMentum
Barbara Hodgson, Community Volunteer
Austin Huang, Merit Engineering, Inc.
Laura Hurdelbrink, Tateuchi Foundation
Moe Krabbe, Community Volunteer
Suzy Krabbe, Community Volunteer
Diane Kuenster, Community Volunteer
Cherie Lang, Avenue Properties
Benjamin Lee, Hong Kong Business Association of Washington
Christine Lee, Great Wall Mall
Ike Lee, Lee Technology Consultants
Meng Lo, Aegis Gardens
Paul Manfredi, Pacific Lutheran University
JJ McKay, JJ McKay & Co.
Christine Miller, Miller Real Estate Group
Karin Mital, Community Volunteer
Barbara Morgan, Community Volunteer
Susie Naficy, Community Volunteer
Sheryl Neupert, Microsoft, Retired
Scott Rabinowitz, Herd Freed Hartz
Kartik Ram, Fashion Fund
Jan Rogers, Community Volunteer
Alesha Shemwell, Rouse Properties
Cal Shirley, Community Volunteer
Judi Spencer, Community Volunteer
Peggy Swistak, Inaugural Founders Society Co-Chair
Randall Talbot, Talbot Financial
Chaitra Vedullapalli, Meylah, Inc.
Joan Wallace, Wallace Properties
Camille Winter, Community Volunteer
TJ Woosley, Hal Woosley Properties
Arlene Wright, Community Volunteer
Lawrence Yang, Valve Software
Qi Zhang, Leonine Technologies, LLC
OUR STAFF
CAMPAIGN COMMITTEE
Joan Aquino, The Boeing Company
Amy Farrier, Development Resources, Inc.
Kara Hobbs, Davis Wright Tremaine
Brandon Krabbe, US Nutrition
Molly McConkey, Community Volunteer
Susan Neumann, Inaugural Founders Society Co-Chair
Elaine Pagones, Avenue Properties
Michael Pearce, Focused on Revenue
Amy Pellegrini, Community Volunteer
Sonja Richey, Community Volunteer
Michael Steele, Private Investor/Community Volunteer
Okhee Suh, Community Volunteer
Shanika Weerasundara, Community Volunteer
Jim Zogg, Community Volunteer
