Our incredible staff consists of educators and working artists who come from all around the region and the country to teach at arts-X-press. Many have been with the program since its earliest years and continue to bring creativity and magic to each summer. Meet several members of our senior staff.
Leslie Benjamin (arts-X-pansion)
Leslie Benjamin currently teaches choral music and classical guitar at Savanna High School, in the Anaheim Union High School District. He has also taught at Santa Margarita Catholic High School and began his teaching career in the Santa Ana Unified School District. Leslie has worked for Pacific Symphony for the past fifteen years as the vocal music instructor for arts-X-press. In addition, both his sons were arts-X-pressers, and have returned as a counselor and as an accompanist. Recently, Leslie was invited to be a presenter for Pacific Symphony’s Class Act program. Leslie and his wife of twenty-five years have two boys. Evan, who is 21, is studying computer science, and Matthew, who is 18, attends Foothill High School. Leslie enjoys cooking, reading, going to the gym, and various home improvement projects.
Stephanie Coghlan (Vocal Music)
Classically trained lyric soprano, Stephanie Coghlan, holds a B.A., Master's and teaching credential from Chapman University, and was honored as one of the “150 Faces of Chapman” for the University’s 150th anniversary. During her college years, she was awarded over $27,000 in scholarships and the title of Miss California 2001 through the Miss America Organization. Stephanie received the 2007 Andy Anselmo Outstanding Achievement Award for emerging artists in New York City and debuted her one-woman show, “Stephanie Sings Stage to Screen” at The Laurie Beechman Theatre. She has also been singing on cruise ships since 2004, and regularly performs onboard Regent Seven Seas Cruises as a Guest Entertainer. Stephanie teaches private voice lessons for all ages and is very proud to teach vocal music for the Pacific Symphony’s arts-X-press program since 2013!
Shanti Harter (Dance)
Danashanti Harter began dancing with the New Jersey School of Ballet, then later at the Los Angeles High School for the Arts. There, she excelled at multiple dance genres and was awarded merit awards each year. To continue her academic and dance education she went on to attend the University of California, Irvine; graduating with a B.F.A. in Performance and Choreography with honors. Upon graduation from UCI, she danced professionally throughout the Southern California area. Harter was a principal dancer with various companies such as Southern California Dance Theatre, Anaheim Ballet, the Gallimaufry and Greene Dance Company and the Lehman Dance Ensemble. She also performed as a freelance guest artist with California Riverside Ballet, the Carlos Jones Ensemble, Fullerton College and others. Harter returned to the University of California, Irvine and completed her Master of Fine Arts in 2010 and returned once again to complete a certificate in Arts Management. Harter began teaching throughout Southern California in 1997 and frequently guest teaches in multiple dance genres such as modern, ballet, partnering, social dance, and a variety of lecture courses. She has taught at numerous schools such as the University of California, Irvine, Fullerton College, Saddleback College, the LA County High School for the Arts, Laguna Beach High School, Southern California Dance Academy, and Anaheim Ballet amongst others. Most recently she’s taken a leadership role in creating a thriving dual enrollment program at Fullerton College, teaching middle school and high school students in both lecture and technique courses. Her choreography has been featured at Saddleback College, Fullerton College, the University of California, Irvine, the Young Choreographers Festival, LACHSA, arts-X-press, International Theatre Company, the UCLA Theatre Summer Intensive, and the Festival of the Stars in Palm Springs. Harter has been a dance instructor with arts-X-press since 2007. She loves getting an opportunity to experience the joy that is cultivated during this fabulous summer workshop every year.
Adam Kirchoff (Administration)
Adam Kirchoff (he/him) is the Social Media Content Associate at Pacific Symphony, where he covers all concerts, special events, and education & community engagement programs to convey the organization's story through digital media. Born and raised in Southern California, Adam's love for the arts began early, shaped by his exposure to Pacific Symphony. Graduating from UC Davis in 2022 with a B.A. in Psychology & Professional Writing, Adam continues to showcase his passion for visual storytelling through his work in photography, graphic design, and video production. His journey with Pacific Symphony started as a Communications Intern for arts-X-press in 2020, where he helped re-imagine the program during the pandemic. Since then, he has served as the Content Producer for arts-X-press, where he has formed some of his favorite memories and lifelong relationships. Adam feels honored and grateful to uplift the story of this one-of-a-kind program, which he considers his #1 highlight of every summer! Beyond Pacific Symphony, Adam has contributed to digital storytelling for organizations such as the NBA Summer League, Latiné Musical Theatre Lab, and the California Aggie. He is dedicated to storytelling that uplifts identity, celebrates culture, and fosters connection. In his free time, Adam enjoys music, running, watching & playing basketball, exploring new cities, going to concerts, and spending time with his closest friends and family.
Alison Levinson (Administration)
For the past ten years, Alison Levinson has led a portfolio of community-based art programs for Pacific Symphony, designed to actively engage people with music, art, and culture. Alison has always been interested in how community, identity, and art come together in both public and private settings. She double majored in Sociology/Anthropology and Art History at Denison University, where she studied contemporary African art. In addition to her arts experience, Alison also has a background in education and non-profit management at City Scholars Foundation in Los Angeles, where she served as Associate Director, working with after- school program CEOs to more effectively run their organizations, and at Exploration Summer Programs based in Boston, where she managed and served as an Assistant Dean for their high school program based at Yale University, which served 1,400 students from around the world each summer. Her goals for all of us at arts-X-press are that we can be free to be ourselves and that we can carry the arts- X-press spirit back into our communities after we leave. Alison is a mom of two kiddos and counting down the years until they're eligible to attend arts-X-press.
Alyssa Maddock (Creative Expression)
Alyssa, born and raised in Orange County, CA, was a camper at arts-X-press during its founding year in 2001. She has held various roles within the program, and since 2018, has been teaching Creative Expression. She enjoys introducing students to fresh forms of self-expression, including poetry, journaling, and storytelling, that they may not have tried before. Alyssa also brings a musical background, having sung professionally for 10 years and performed in local community theater productions. Apart from her involvement with arts-X-press, she teaches elementary school in Los Angeles. In her free time, she enjoys reading, playing the ukulele, traveling, and attending concerts and musicals.
Melinda Malher (Dance)
Melinda S. Malher (she/her) has spent the majority of her life training in western dance styles and holds a Bachelor’s degree in dance with an emphasis in modern dance and ballet. She has been teaching dance since 2009, particularly focused on training students in creative movement techniques. In 2015 Melinda was honored to join the founding team at Segerstrom Center for the Arts in the creation and curriculum design of Studio B, an inclusive dance education program. Melinda taught adaptive dance at Segerstrom Center and in other adaptive programs for many years. Currently, she lives in San Francisco where she works as a danPICTURE ATce/movement therapist and Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor. For fun, Melinda continues to take dance class, recently joined Crossfit, reads books and makes plans to travel the world.
Deana Occhipinti (Theater and Dance)feels blessed to be a part of the arts-X-press family. Her passion for telling stories through song and dance has led her to both perform and teach for over 25 years. Deana holds the prestigious BFA in Musical Theatre Performance from California State University Fullerton. Performance experience includes many reviews, industrials, musicals, dinner theatres and theme parks throughout the Southland. Leading roles in Annie, West Side Story, The Pajama Game, Steppin’ Out and Cabaret, have earned her many rave reviews. “Her energy and charisma are a standout” (OC Register). Along with being a faculty Director and Choreographer at Irvine Valley College, Deana currently is the Performing Arts Director and ASB Advisor at Red Hill Lutheran School (a Pacific Symphony Class Act School!) in Tustin, as well as, resident Director/Choreographer for Trinity United Presbyterian Church. Deana is PROUD to have BOTH her daughters dancing thru life and making beautiful music with her, enjoys cooking and playing with her rescue dog, Rocky.
Eddie Oliver (Instrumental Music)
Born in South Georgia, Eddie Oliver began playing music in his high school marching band. He was a U.S. Army Bandleader and has performed in The Rose, Orange, and Cotton Bowl parades. Eddie has taught music for over 30 years in public schools, summer arts programs, and private music lessons. He taught music in the Boston Public School system. During this time, he was the Director of The Boston Public Schools All-City Bands and The Boston Police Cross Town Band. He has been a member of the Boston Symphony Orchestra’s Days in The Arts (DARTS) faculty since 1991. Eddie contributed to creating arts-X-Press, modeled after DARTS, for Pacific Symphony in Santa Ana, CA in the summer of 2001. Throughout this time Eddie has been an active member of his local congregation by leading Sunday morning a cappella song services. Eddie and Betty Oliver have been married for 59 years. They have two daughters and two grand cats.
Eileen Regullano (Administration)
Eileen Regullano (she/her) first began her career in arts education during her undergraduate studies as a private piano teacher, while earning her Bachelor of Music in both Piano Performance and Keyboard Collaborative Arts from Chapman University. She continued her arts career and musical studies in graduate school at University of California, Riverside, where she taught college students in non-western and popular music courses. Eileen graduated with her Master of Arts degree in Ethnomusicology from UCR, focusing on issues of race and access for Asian Americans in music. Eileen’s dedication to arts education grew from there, as she served several schools as an accompanist in Santa Ana Unified School District and began working at Pacific Symphony, promoting arts and culture to diverse audiences. Eileen is currently the Senior Manager of Arts Engagement for Pacific Symphony, where she continues to bring arts education and engagement to communities throughout Orange County through a portfolio of art programs. She was thrilled to become part of the arts-X-press administrative team in 2021, and has also enjoyed serving as accompanist for the Vocal Music workshops for several years. In her spare time, she continues to teach private piano lessons around Orange County.
Katie Rotolo (Creative Expression)
Katie Rotolo (she/they) is an animal lover, teaching artist, storyteller and Co-Founder of the production company Paper Ball Pictures, best known for female & LGBTQIA+ driven stories as well as their work to make sets more sustainable. Katie is a mental health advocate who created Set Intentions to bring creative mindfulness & peer groups to film sets in 2016. Katie has a unique background integrating mental health awareness and trauma informed mindfulness with creativity including meditation, asana, dance, functional movement, writing and other inner child practices. Katie is also a state judge for Directing Change, (student film contest) part of statewide efforts to prevent suicide, reduce stigma and discrimination related to mental illness, and to promote the mental health and wellness of students. Katie began dancing at the age of three, first ballet and later expanding focus on the arts to include acting and musical theatre. Katie’s theatre studies include Florida Atlantic University as well as improvisation with The Groundlings and UCB. Katie’s professional acting career began in Miami, Florida before relocating to the West Coast in 2009. Katie joined arts-X-press in 2023!
James Suazo (Program Director)
James Suazo (he/him/his) is an avid reader, writer, artist, and community organizer who was born and raised in Santa Ana, California. James participated in arts-X-press in 2002 (the second year of the program) where he experienced a Broadway show and symphony concert for the first time. He has since come back to arts-X-press as a counselor, coordinator, creative expression instructor, and now director. Outside of the weeks of arts-X-press, James is Associate Director at Long Beach Forward, a nonprofit organization in Long Beach that supports community development, where he oversees programming, communications, and learning & evaluation efforts for the organization. James graduated from California State University, Long Beach with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Education with an emphasis in Language and Linguistics and a minor in Comparative World Literature.
Michal Yadlin (arts-X-pansion)
Michal Yadlin has been a Creative Expression teacher at arts-X-press for over ten years, first joining senior staff in 2008. She was also an arts-X-press counselor for four years in high school and college. When not having a magical summer, she lives in Idaho and teaches history, culture and humanities at the College of Western Idaho and globalization at Boise State University. She is a ten-year member of the Meridian Symphony, playing in the cello section and loves the camaraderie of playing in an ensemble. Outside of work and music, she loves to travel around the world, read, go hiking in the Boise foothills and camping in the mountains, and enjoying all the coffee shops that Boise has to offer.
Joan Zamora (Visual Art)
Joan Zamora is a mixed media artist who came to the United States at eight from Mexico. She earned a bachelor’s degree from San Francisco State University with an emphasis in painting and photography. In 2016, she helped cofound Ni Santas, an all-women of color art collective. She has been making her artwork, creating collaborative art, and conducting free workshops with Ni Santas since that moment. Joan's art has appeared in the television show Insecure (season 4, episode 8), and PBS’s Craft in America featured one of her altars in a web episode. She is also a teaching artist for Self Help Graphics & Art’s Barrio Mobile Art Studio and currently lives in South Central Los Angeles, CA. Since 2022, she has looked forward to teaching visual arts at arts-X-press every summer.