The five-member Arts Commission meets on the second Thursday of the month, at 6:00 p.m. in the City Council Chambers, 1st floor of City Hall, 23920 Valencia Blvd., Santa Clarita, CA. (view map). Members of the public wishing to address the commission regarding an agenda or study session item may do so by completing a speaker’s slip upon arrival at the meeting. There is a three minute time limit per person. For more information, contact the Commission Secretary at (661) 250-3787.
Dr. Michael Millar, Chair
Term Expires: December 2026
Michael Millar has been a member of the Cal Poly Pomona music faculty since 2004 and is a past Director of the University’s Center for Community Engagement. He served as the founding Chair of the Arts Commission from 2009-11 and previously served as Director of the Entrepreneurship Center for Music at the University of Colorado. In addition to performance degrees from the University of Colorado, Boulder and California State University, Los Angeles, he holds the degree of Doctor of Musical Arts, with concentrations in Performance and Arts Administration, from Claremont Graduate University, where he studied management and leadership with Peter F. Drucker and Jean Lipman-Blumen.
A freelance bass trombonist, Dr. Millar’s credits include performances with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Tony Bennett, Keith Emerson, Harry James, Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons, Kenny Rogers, Barry Manilow, Artie Shaw, and Ray Charles. He performed on the 2004 Grammy Award-winning CD “Carlos Chavez: Complete Chamber Works, Vol. 2” (Best Small Ensemble, Classical Field) as a member of Southwest Chamber Music. Michael Millar is an artist/educational clinician for Conn-Selmer, Inc. and has presented numerous workshops in entrepreneurship, community engagement, and professional development at universities and conferences. He is a voting member of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences.
An active arts advocate since moving to Santa Clarita in 1993, Dr. Millar served with the City’s Arts Advisory Committee and with the Santa Clarita Symphony. Michael and his wife Dava live in Valencia. Their adult children Emily and Matthew benefitted from the excellent music programs at Meadows Elementary, Placerita Junior High School, Hart High School, and College of the Canyons.
“Through the arts, we are committed to developing meaningful contributions to the quality of life and to the economic vitality of Santa Clarita. We welcome a dialogue with all of our citizens whose lives are touched by the arts.”
Susan Shapiro, Vice Chair
Term Expires: December 2026
Susan came to Santa Clarita in 1993 to manage the local public television channel, SCVTV. Susan designed and equipped the SCVTV Media Center in Newhall, developing it into a communications venue showcasing the talents and activities of the City, local schools, and a variety of nonprofit arts, music, and community service organizations.
After graduating from Stanford University in the 1980s with a degree in English literature with an interdisciplinary emphasis on art, Susan earned a teaching credential from Arizona State University. She taught video production, broadcast television, mass media, and film aesthetics to high school students in Phoenix, developed educational programs for television networks (Bravo, NBC Universal) and worked in production and post-production for Tri-Star Pictures, ABC International, and others.
As the cable company’s Community Television Manager in Santa Clarita from 1993 to 2007, Susan developed and provided support for hundreds of individual programs and series related to the visual and performing arts. Early on, she fostered relationships with video production instructors in the William S. Hart Union High School District and COC, turning SCVTV into a classroom laboratory for students.
Today Susan lives in Santa Clarita and produces a live daily television program for Time Warner Cable’s Southern California viewers. Local public service positions include the Santa Clarita Repertory Theatre board (2003-04), Newhall Redevelopment Committee (2002-09), City of Santa Clarita Citizens Public Library Advisory Committee (2010-11) and William S. Hart Union High School District ROP Advisory Committee (2000-present).
Patti Rasmussen, Commissioner
Term Expires: December 2026
Patti Rasmussen is a freelance journalist who has resided in Newhall since the mid-70s. She has a great respect for the arts – performing and visual – and has focused her philanthropic efforts on cultural arts and youth programs. Several local groups have benefited from her donations of time and talent, as well as the fundraisers she has hosted at her home.
Patti worked as the Education Reporter for The Signal newspaper and has served on various school committees as president of the Peachland PTA and chairman of the Newhall Site Council. She was the co-founder/president of Theatre Arts for Children Foundation that raised funds for the restoration of the historic Newhall Elementary School auditorium. She also served on the board of the SCV Historical Society as the Educational Outreach Chair and was an original member of the Arts Alliance. The Rasmussen backyard was also used as theater space after the 1994 Northridge earthquake while Hart High repaired its auditorium.
Most recently Patti served as President of the Board of Directors of the Santa Clarita Shakespeare Festival and was the President of the SCV Senior Foundation.
“You can tell a lot about a community that values art,” Rasmussen said. “Just look around. The placement of artwork throughout the valley draws in businesses and enhances neighborhoods. We have live theater and concerts in the park. It’s a great place to live and raise a family.”
Patti and her husband Charlie have four sons and two grandchildren.
Jeri Seratti, Commissioner
Term Expires: 2028
Jeri Seratti Goldman, along with her husband, Carl Goldman, moved to the Santa Clarita Valley in 1990. She has two children; both were raised in Santa Clarita. Kyle Goldman and Ryan Van Wie who is a graduate of the United States Army Academy at West Point, New York (2010) and currently an Army Ranger Major. They have two grandchildren. Jeri has over 45 years of major market radio experience. She began her career in radio in 1979 at the Los Angeles radio station, KZLA/KLAC. In 1986 she became the Director of Finance and Human Resources at the Westwood One Radio Networks.
In 1990, Jeri and Carl purchased the only radio station in Santa Clarita, California, AM-1220, KBET. In 1995, Jeri left Westwood One to take over the daily management at KBET, while her husband Carl, moved over to start up radio stations in Oxnard/Ventura and Lancaster/Palmdale. She remained KBET’s General Manager until the station was sold in 1998 to Clear Channel Communications. She was instrumental in launching Gold Coast and High Desert Broadcasting, serving as Co-owner/Controller for those eleven radio stations, and instrumental in staffing the two companies throughout their startup and initial growth.
In 2003, the Goldman’s re-purchased AM-1220 from Clear Channel, turning on KHTS AM-1220, as Santa Clarita’s “Hometown Station” on October 24, 2003, as the Simi Valley fire was threatening homes in Stevenson Ranch. KHTS, which the Goldman’s still own and manage, continues to serve Santa Clarita with local news, traffic, sports, and other information impacting our valley. The Goldman’s added 98.1FM in 2018, as a simulcast of AM-1220.
Since 1990, Jeri has been an active member of the Santa Clarita community. In 1994, the radio station served as the information conduit during the Northridge Earthquake and the many months of recovery. Jeri guided the full-time emergency broadcast. Later that year, Jeri and Carl, along with Sue and Chris Hoefflin, created the Michael Hoefflin Foundation as a local resource and research non-profit organization for children’s cancer. Jeri chaired the Child & Family Center’s major fundraising event, Taste of the Town for two years. She co-chaired the Santa Clarita Valley’s Youth project fundraiser, Sweet Charity Cake Auction for three years.
In 2004 Jeri was instrumental in creating the Santa Clarita Valley Disaster Coalition. In 2005, Jeri was named Santa Clarita Valley’s Woman of The Year. That same year, the couple created along with then Assemblyman Keith Richman the KHTS Sacramento Road Trip which is still a major event. The trip features 110 local community leaders traveling by bus to our State Capitol for two days of advocating on behalf of issues impacting the Santa Clarita Valley.
In 2006, KHTS was named California Small Business of the Year by Assemblyman Keith Richman for his Assembly District. In 2007 Jeri and her husband Carl received the Zonta Tribute Award.
In 2012 Jeri and Carl created “SCV Habitat for Heroes” with the Southern California Gas Company under the umbrella of San Fernando/Santa Clarita Valley Habitat for Humanity. It’s the first veteran’s village of its kind built with 78 homes for veterans. The station also received the Santa Clarita Chambers Small Business of the Year award.
Jeri has served on the committee for the annual Boy Scout Leader of Character dinner for four years. Previously the couple had received the award.
In 2013, under the vision of local veteran Chuck Morris, Jeri was instrumental in creating a four-day event bringing the Vietnam traveling wall to Santa Clarita. While working on the Habitat project, Jeri became aware Vietnam Veterans were still feeling slighted by our country. The Vietnam Wall project was Jeri’s inspiration to pay tribute to our Vietnam Vets.
Jeri also chaired the Santa Clarita Boys & Girls Club annual event, Festival of Trees.
Jeri has served on the Foundation Board of Directors for Providence Holy Cross Hospital after watching the incredible care, Jeri’s Mom, Jean Seratti received at Providence Holy Cross during her battle with ovarian cancer. In 2007, Jeri created the Art of Healing Project which partnered Santa Clarita elementary students with Providence for an art project that is still on display throughout the halls of the Providence/Facey building on the corner of Valencia Blvd. and McBean Pkwy.
Jeri received the prestigious Mother Gamelin Award from Providence for exceptional volunteerism.
Jeri has served on the boards of the Child & Family Center and she was Vice President of the local ROTC Booster Club. She served on the Sulphur Springs Elementary School district site council (in an elected position). She has also served in the past, on the Sulphur Spring’s PTA, serving as its Treasurer and on the boards of Carousel Ranch and the Santa Clarita Theatre Project.
In 2010, Jeri and Carl launched the annual KHTS Home and Garden Show. The event takes place the last weekend in April at Central Park, with over 400 vendors and 25,000 residents attending, including over 100 Arts & Crafts vendors.
Jeri chaired the Action Family Foundation Board in the pursuit of fighting drug usage among teens in the Santa Clarita Valley.
In 2015, Jeri was named Woman of the Year by the California State Assembly for our Assembly District.
The Santa Clarita Coalition was created by Carl and Jeri as an organization with a number of components. The Santa Clarita Disaster Coalition was established in 2004 to assist Santa Clarita families who have been impacted by a disaster. Santa Clarita Grocery serves as a free food bank for hundreds of less fortunate families in Santa Clarita.
The Coalition has been instrumental in assisting Santa Clarita victims of disasters, including fire and flood victims, valley residents injured at the Las Vegas concert shooting in 2017, assistance for the Evans family after resident, Katie Evans, mother of six, was killed by a drunk driver, the Saugus High school shooting in 2019, the stabbing of Santa Clarita resident, Michelle Dorsey, and most recently the 200 Afghanistan refugees relocated from Army bases to Santa Clarita.
In January 2020 Carl and Jeri cruised on the Diamond Princess. Carl was one of the first Americans to come down with Covid-19. Jeri never came down with COVID-19, despite being exposed to thousands of victims and serving quarantine for 4 weeks onboard the Diamond Princess and CDC’s headquarters at Nebraska Medicine in Omaha.
In 2022, Jeri joined the Sebastian Velona Foundation as Treasurer. Jeri’s passion is giving back to our valley. She has been doing so through her ownership of Santa Clarita’s only commercial radio station and news outlet, https://www.hometownstation.com/.
Tracey Thompson, Commissioner
Term Expires: 2028
Tracey Thompson has lived in Santa Clarita since 1989, drawn to the valley’s beauty and welcoming community while working as an actress and dialogue coach. With over 40 years of experience in the entertainment industry, she has worked both in front of and behind the camera, lending her expertise to commercials, television shows, and feature films.
Her greatest accomplishments have been raising her son Wyatt and being active in the city programs with youth sports, arts, and public schools. Tracey spearheaded the “Celebrate Uniqueness” school assembly, a program she co-created with her husband to inspire students to embrace their individuality. This initiative provided a safe and inclusive environment for personal expression and left a lasting impact on many young participants. Her leadership extended to serving on the board of the Parent-Teacher Committee, where she organized educational assemblies, talent shows, and fundraising efforts for teachers, student field trips, and extracurricular activities, ensuring that every student had the opportunity to grow and succeed.
Tracey is also a best-selling author of My Journey to Endor, a hero’s journey chronicling her husband’s experiences as an actor in Return of the Jedi. The book celebrates overcoming obstacles and embracing uniqueness—values that define Tracey’s life and work. She and her husband continue to promote diversity and inclusion through public appearances, book signings, and community events.
A passionate advocate for the dwarfism community, Tracey played a pivotal role in increasing membership for the Little People of America nonprofit and organized events for thousands of attendees worldwide. She has served on the Executive Board on a National, District, and Chapter level.
Presently Tracey is serving as the Liaison for The Painted Turtle Camp founded by the late actor and philanthropist Paul Newman. Tracey raises funds to ensure children with skeletal dysplasia can attend this life-changing summer camp for those with serious illnesses.
Tracey is honored to serve as an Arts Commissioner for the City of Santa Clarita. She hopes to promote diversity and creativity through arts initiatives that bring people together and celebrate the unique stories that make the community vibrant.
