Meet The Board
Samantha Ince, Board President
Samantha Ince joined the Friends of the Heritage Theatre in 2016 after responding to a request for volunteers to help with concessions at performances. Sam's interest in community theater goes back to her high school days on the East Coast where she appeared in several productions at the North Folk Community Theater on Long Island. A Bay Area resident since 1997 and a Campbell resident since 2009, Sam's affection for the Heritage Theatre was cemented when she appeared onstage as the Scarecrow in a 2006 production of The Wizard of Oz.
Nandini Acharya, Board Vice President
Nandini Acharya joined the Friends of the Heritage Theatre in 2022 because she has a passion for the arts and music. She is a vice president and deputy general counsel at VIAVI Solutions. Prior to joining the legal team at VIAVI, Nandini served as in-house corporate counsel at several tech companies, including Oracle and Hortonworks. She also worked at the SEC for several years in the Division of Corporation Finance. Nandini began her legal career as an associate at Jenner & Block in Chicago and Fenwick & West in Silicon Valley. She holds a law degree from Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law and a Master of Law from the London School of Economics and Political Science. Nandini previously served as a board member of the Evening Associates of the Art Institute of Chicago and Junior Achievement of Northern California and has volunteered as a member of the Junior League and Las Madres.
Suzanne Rodrigues, Board Treasurer
Suzanne Rodrigues has been active on the Friends of the Heritage Theatre since 2011. She is a lifetime resident of the local area and a graduate of the Campbell High School District. She was active in the theater arts during her early years and has always had a passion for all aspects of the theater, whether it be acting, stage management, set design, lighting or sound. Suzanne has been volunteering in the Campbell community since 1997. Her contributions include working on the Summer Concert Series and serving on the Board of the Historical Museum and Ainsley House Foundation. Suzanne is a business and technology executive who specializes in harmonizing projects, people and technology to accomplish tasks on time and within budget.
Yvette Huygen, Board Secretary
Yvette Huygen has been a part of the Friends of the Heritage Theatre since 2011. She grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and could frequently be seen acting in local theatre productions in her youth. Yvette is passionate about the arts and travel as a way to encourage cross-cultural understanding. Yvette has her own business coaching professionals and leaders who want to build satisfying careers that align with their values, vision and voice. She also partners with corporate organizations to develop communications that engage employees and customers. Before becoming a certified professional coach, Yvette led public relations, internal communications, community outreach, and diversity and inclusion for multi-national technology and healthcare companies. She previously served on the Boards of the Women’s Initiative and Bay Area Video Coalition (BAVC).
Chris Bracher, Board Member
Chris Bracher is a third-generation resident of Campbell who joined the Friends of the Heritage Theatre in 2013. He is active in City government, including serving as a volunteer on the committee that updated the Campbell General Plan 2040. The City Council appointed him as a commissioner on the Civic Improvement Board in November 2020. Chris previously worked in entertainment and owned a vending business. He was instrumental in revitalizing the concessions program, which contributes to the majority of the Friends' fundraising and enabled the creation of a Theatre endowment fund. Chris has been a member of the Peninsula Banjo Band since 1977 and has held various positions on its board such as president, booking agent, communications director, and membership director (current). Chris also serves on the boards of the Campbell Police Foundation and St. Andrews Episcopal Church in Saratoga.
Ed Gordon, Board Member
Ed Gordon joined the Friends of the Heritage Theatre in 2022. He is a lifetime resident of the Bay Area and has lived in Campbell for more than 24 years. Ed was raised in a musical household, an interest that continues to this day through his work on the history of the Hawaiian guitar and its impact on American music. Ed was inspired to join the Friends after seeing multiple shows at the Heritage Theatre, especially Jake Shimabukuro. He is a former software engineer whose recent theater experience is teaching kids how to walk on stilts.
Lee Kopp, Board Member
Lee Kopp joined the Friends of the Heritage Theatre in 2016. He has spent his entire working life in the arts world. He started acting professionally at the age of 16, and is a member of the Actors’ Equity Association, the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, and the Screen Actors Guild. He has performed in hundreds of stage productions, films, TV programs, commercials, industrials, and live corporate events. He owned and operated a children’s theater company for more than 20 years and is a working musician and script writer. Lee currently serves with Symphony San Jose as a publicist and as the educational outreach director for ArtSPARK, the company’s renowned field-trip program for elementary schools. He also manages arts messaging for sjDANCEco, Steinway Society – The Bay Area, and San José Chamber Orchestra.
Heather McAllister, Board Member
A fifth-generation Californian and San Jose native is the newest member of the Friends of the Heritage Theatre board. Heather McAllister attended schools in the Moreland Elementary School and Campbell Unified High School districts. She has a bachelor's degree in theater arts from San Jose State University. After working with theaters in Los Angeles, Colorado, and New York City and running her own theater company, McAllister returned to San Jose in 2017 and began working for Santa Clara's Mission City Center for the Performing Arts. Currently, she is the seventh-grade resource specialist teacher for Moreland Middle School. When asked why she chose to apply to be a Friends board member, McAllister replied, "Art brings people together, helps inspire thought, connection, creativity and joy. As for the Heritage Theatre, it is so beautiful, and it is a link to our heritage, from when Silicon Valley was the Valley of Heart's Delight."
Join the Board
The Campbell Heritage Theatre is a local gem that has been home to performances and celebrations for more than 80 years. When you join the Board of the Friends of the Heritage Theatre, you become a member of a group of people who are dedicated to supporting the arts and ensuring our historic theatre continues to serve the community for many years to come. To learn about Board responsibilities and talk with a current Board member about joining the FOHT, please e-mail us here.