MEET OUR BOARD
Marc McIntosh | President
Marc has lived in the Spokane area all but the first 5 years of his life.
He grew up on north side of Spokane graduating from Shadle Park in 1969, EWU in 1973, and Gonzaga Law School in 1977. He has lived in the Foothills are since 1979 where he operates Marcinda Kennels.
Between his wife and himself, they have 6 children. One of which was in a car accident and suffered a traumatic brain injury who Marc works for as a caregiver. He is retired from the USPS as a rural carrier and assistant state steward. Marc also has seven rentals and also rents condos mainly on the Oregon coast.
Hobbies include golf, fishing, traveling (owning 32 weeks on the Oregon coast), collecting art, and keeping up with family activities. He is a long-time board member on the Foothills Rural Association.
I donate blood and platelets regularly. I am at 18 gallons of whole blood and 270 units of platelets. Marc has been a board member of SVAC for just under 15 years.
Russell Braymen| Vice President
When Russell was in college studying to be a Mechanical Engineer, taking the required "Art History" elective that started the spark and his interest in Art and Architecture. Later, when he traveled internationally on business, that spark turned into a flame seeing everything he studied in "Real Life". It would be no wonder he went on to marry an Interior Designer, who has 2 sisters and a brother in law that are professional artists. It must of have been his destiny in life to go from putting calendars into frames to have Art on the walls, to being part of this great organization supporting Artists and being part of the process bringing "Larger than Life" art to the public.
Gail Bongiovanni
Over 40 years ago in Spokane Valley, I opened Gail’s School of Dance in September 1980 as a small, private business dedicated to giving personal attention to students and assisting in their overall personal development. My goal has been to bring fun, fitness and appreciation of dance by sharing my own love of dance and dedication with students ages three to adult, with all level of skills and abilities.
I am active in our non-profit community, serving as president of the board of Inland Northwest Dance Association and as secretary of the board of ValleyFest. Beginning in 2002, I served on the Arts and Culture Transition Team (ACTT), whose purpose was to establish the Spokane Valley Arts Council. I served as performing arts committee chairperson for SVAC prior to joining the SVAC board in 2007.
Jim Harken
Dr Harken was born and raised in Eastern Montana. After high school, he attended one year at the University of Montana, then moving on to the University of Washington where he obtained a four year degree from their dental program. After graduating, he and his wife, Joanne, moved to Spokane Valley and opened his dental practice in 1960. Jim and Joanne had 5 children. Joanne was a registered nurse, returned to school and received her dental hygienist degree from EWU.
Jim first began collecting art in 1968 which quickly grew into a passion. When his wife passed away in 2002, his collection had grown to 1,800 pieces. In 2003 he married Pauline Brayman. The following year, Jim helped start the Spokane Valley Arts Council, which he became the president and art director of in 2006. He continued in this role until 2015 when he stepped back to focus on the SVAC annual auction fund raiser which started in 2008.
PJay is a nurse who attended Art Schools for over 5 years. She took every class she could to find which medium allowed her to express her creative talents best. PJay is still trying to figure that out. Currently she is working in many mediums, playing with acrylics, watercolor and clay. Pjay says she just can't decide!
Rob McKirdie | Scholarship Chair
Rob McKirdie is a mixed media sculptor who works with wood and metal, integrating found and fabricated objects together. His artistic practice encompasses mold making, fabrication and metal casting. He completed his undergraduate studies at Portland State University where he received his BFA in Studio Practice and Bachelors of Science in Sculpture. Rob went on to receive his MFA in Sculpture from Rhode Island School of Design in 2014. After a brief stint in Scranton Pennsylvania Rob moved to Spokane in 2015 to become a member of the faculty at Spokane Falls Community College.
Gretha Lawrence
Born in Washington state & raised by her Grandparents from Norway. The old world values are deeply influenced in Gretha's lifestyle. Gretha has been involved in the medical, dental, music and art world for 30+ years. Gretha has & continues to volunteer with the Red Cross community outreach & the SVAC.