Governor Doug Ducey has appointed Phoenix residents Lisa Gray and Ben Baer as Commissioners for the Arizona Commission on the Arts and reappointed Patricia Kaufman and Ruben Alvarez to new terms. The Governor also reappointed Mark Feldman as Chair of the Arts Commission.

Gray and Baer will replace departing commissioners Victoria Boyce and Phyllis Bunch, both of whom completed terms this past summer.

The Arizona Commission on the Arts is a 49-year-old agency of the State of Arizona charged with supporting a statewide arts and culture sector. The agency’s mission is to imagine an Arizona where everyone can participate in and experience the arts.

Commissioners are appointed by the Governor to serve 3-year terms on a 15-member governing commission in support of the agency’s mission.

Members are selected for their demonstrated ability, good judgment and experience in arts-related fields. In addition, Commissioners are appointed to provide diverse cultural, gender, experiential, generational and geographic representation. Commission members attend board meetings, participate on committees, chair review panels, award grants and formulate policy consistent with enabling legislation.

Newly appointed commissioners:

Ben Baer (Phoenix) completed his Bachelor of Music Theory at Ohio University. He continued his studies at the University of Kansas and with Frank Morelli at SUNY Stony Brook, where he taught courses in music technology and appreciation. Baer worked as a freelance bassoonist in New York before relocating to Arizona in 2011. He currently works in education and community engagement with The Phoenix Symphony. He is also active as a volunteer mentor with Free Arts for Abused Children of Arizona and volunteers in various capacities with his local church.

Lisa Gray (Phoenix) has a degree in Graphic Communications Arts and has been a freelance graphic designer since 2003. She currently works for the Arizona Registrar of Contractors and is both the Assistant to the Director and the Agency Administration Coordinator. Gray is a graduate of the Dodie Londen: Excellence in Public Service Series, has been involved in grassroots politics and serves on the board of directors of Arizona School Choice Trust (ASCT), which provides hope and opportunity to low-income children awarding tuition scholarships.

Reappointed commissioners:

Ruben Alvarez (Phoenix) is the co-founder and managing partner of Molera Alvarez, a government and public affairs firm. Ruben currently serves as Chairman of CALA Alliance, as Board Member and Treasurer of the Washington, DC based Latino Leaders’ Network, as Board Member of Valley of the Sun United Way, as Member of Arizona State University President’s Minority Advisory Council and is Past Chairman of the Arizona Chapter of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and the Arizona Chapter of the American Lung Association.

Mark Feldman (Scottsdale) serves as a Chief Executive Officer and Managing Partner for Miller Russell Associates. Recognized multiple years as a Barron’s top independent financial advisor, he possesses extensive credentials in the wealth management industry with more than 25 years of experience. Feldman currently serves on the Board of Directors for Arizona Community Foundation, the Board of Trustees for the Phoenix Art Museum (Vice Chair Finance Committee), Valley Beit Midrash (Chairman), and Temple Chai (Vice President). He is the past Chairman of the Board for Free Arts of Arizona, a past Board and Executive Committee member for the Arizona Science Center, past member of Greater Phoenix Leadership, past Chairman of the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Southern and Central Arizona, and a past Trustee of the Desert Botanical Garden. He was recently named a Phoenix Five Star Wealth Manager for 2014.

Patricia “Pat” Kaufman (Scottsdale) retired from 17 years as a successful business owner in 2006. She serves as Chairman of the Regents Program for the Arizona Federation of Republican Women and is a charter member of the Lincoln Republican Women (LRW), for which she currently holds the position of Membership Chairman. Kaufman is on the board of directors of the National Federation of Republican Women and is a member of the ASU Gammage VIP program. She is widowed with two grown children living in Scottsdale.