Volunteers At Work

Event Staff

Keeping our patrons safe

so everyone will have

a great time

Ticket Takers - Trolley Host

Parking and Traffic Control

Helping patrons get into and

out of the venue safely

Ushers

Helping patrons find their seats

and settle in for the show,

answering questions and gently

enforcing venue rules

Gift Booth, Artist Merchandise, Ice Cream Sales

Chair and Cushion Rental

Providing treats, souveniers, and other

concert enjoyment essentials

Clean Up

Ensuring a clean environment

for all Britt Festival patrons

to enjoy the show

Meet the Board

Jim Early

President

As a native Oregonian, I appreciate all that Oregon is and the abundance of recreational activities we have. Britt is unique to Southern Oregon and one of the best experiences visitors and locals have to sample during the summer. Deb and I have been attending Britt performances for over 20 years and have seen some amazing shows. We have also met amazing people through Britt. Britt is the highlight of our summer and something we share whenever we can. I began volunteering for Britt when I went on the Britt Festivals Board in 2008. It was a difficult time financially for the organization and as a board, we had to come up with solutions. Fortunately, the board was experienced and composed of members who knew how to improve a business. The changes that occurred during the 9 years I was on the board resulted in what you see on the hill today. As a 501 C 3 nonprofit, volunteering and providing financial support is a fundamental way that the community can keep this organization alive into the future. I have been accused of owning too many guitars, but how can I pass up guitars that are autographed by so many outstanding performers?

Kathy Bachtel

Treasurer

Steve Sincerny

Recording Secretary

Having started this life in Minnesota, I grew up in New England, Ohio, New Jersey, and attended college in Pennsylvania. I settled in the Applegate Valley in 1974 and lived on a commune there and in the Illinois Valley. It was the old back to the land movement, and turned out to be a great way to live and raise a family. Homesteading is a tough job, and does not pay very well, so I worked as a tree trimmer, forest worker and did some construction. I also worked as a beekeeper, following the springs from Modesto to North Dakota. When my children started to require more resources, I realized it was time to embrace a career, and became a middle school teacher. I have been a teacher for twenty-seven years at Pinehurst School on the Green Springs and at Talent Middle School. Teaching a variety of subjects, I taught mostly Tech Ed (shop, engineering and design) and eighth grade science. I have lived in Ashland since 1988 and am blessed with three beautiful children and two grandchildren. You will often see me riding my motorcycle to Britt on summer evenings, or perhaps in a national park, or on some remote logging road. I enjoy playing and listening to music and living life fully in whatever form appears. I started coming to the Britt in the late seventies, and became a volunteer in about 2000. My life is enriched by being exposed to a wide range of music and artists both familiar and new. Britt volunteering has filled my summers with hundreds of enchanting nights. I love socializing with Britt volunteers and patrons, and helping make sure that folks have a safe, fun and inspiring evening. I have worked mostly in event staff and as a security captain. I love being a part of the Britt team and my intention is to support this awesome organization in whatever way I can and the volunteers who contribute so much to create the magic called Britt Festivals.

Christi Siedlecki

Director

Like so many others who live around here, I was born and raised in the Los Angeles area. I became a nurse while living in Riverside, CA, then moved to Southern Oregon in 1985. Soon after, I discovered Britt Festivals. I have spent many years enjoying the magic of the Hill as a patron and a volunteer. I have two sons and four other grown “kids” I call mine. My family is my greatest passion and joy. I also volunteer for a dog rescue organization and my state and national professional associations. If you want to strike up a conversation with me, just ask me about my pets or healthcare policy. I do an annual St. Jude fundraiser in honor of someone who helped me achieve my dream career. Currently, I work as a healthcare executive for a clinic in Grants Pass. I am excited to be one of Britt Society’s newest board members. Britt volunteers are the best kinds of folks.

Dennis Colbrese

Director

I was born and raised in Glendive, Montana. I spent the first twenty-two years of my life there. In 1972 I married my wife, Sonja, and we left Glendive in order to go back to college and finish our education. I graduated from Eastern Montana College in 1974 with a degree in Secondary Education. In the fall of 1975, I began my career in education. I spent the first seventeen years teaching English and Social Studies. Toward the end of those years, I earned a Masters Degree in School Counseling. I left the classroom after seventeen years and spent the next twenty-three years as a School Counselor. During all those years, I also coached. Most of my coaching involved girls and boys basketball. I also spent time toward the end coaching girls and boys track. I managed to spend a few years as an Activities Director as well. In 2015, having reached my goal of forty years, I retired. Shortly after that, my wife and I left Montana and moved here to be near our two daughters and their husbands. Just after we moved here, we found the Britt. Both of us and our youngest daughter are Britt volunteers. My wife and daughter are Hill Ushers and I am part of the Event Staff. Finding the Britt was huge for me. It allowed me to be involved with something I love, music. I keep trying to find more ways to be of help on the hill. I’m truly grateful for all the opportunities the people of the Britt have allowed me. If you can’t find Sonja and I on the “Hill”, we are probably walking or hiking with our pup, Bella, somewhere in or around the valley. Occasionally, you might find me on some river or stream bothering but seldom catching fish.

Jill Eversole

Director

I came to Rogue Valley in 2010 with my husband Jean-Claude Beauvalet (yes, he is French born and raised) when he retired from a long career as an hotelier. I first worked for Asante in their Nursing Professional Development department. Currently, I am a nurse educator at OSHU School of Nursing Ashland Campus in the BSN program. Jean-Claude and I came to Medford after living in Memphis TN for nearly 20 years where I worked as a surgical nurse. Previously, we lived in overseas for ten years in Freeport, Grand Bahama, Bahrain, then to Malta before returning to the US. We have four children; the oldest boys Jean-Marc and Yannick live in Ottawa Canada, daughter Laura still lives in Memphis and Ivan Beauvalet, a local artist known for his Old Master glazing technique oil paintings of modern subjects. I have been a volunteer at Britt for 10 years. I appreciate how important it is to maintain this excellent venue for highlighting music for our whole region. We have something so special in the Britt Festival and the Britt Symphony Orchestra each summer. My mission and vision fits very well with the Britt values. Everyone has a good experience.

Terri Staab

Director

My parents moved to Jacksonville in 1996, and Jacksonville has been our family hometown ever since. My first Britt experience was hearing the music from the balcony of The Orth House, the home my parents bought and ran as a bed and breakfast for 12 years. After experiencing a day in Jacksonville and hearing the music from the hill I fell in love with the town and Britt Festivals. I was blessed with the opportunity to move to Jacksonville in January of 2023, and retired from Washington state service in January 2024, having worked with the WA State Department of Licensing for 16 years. Prior to Washington state service I was the Center Director for a large child development center. My first step in joining and supporting the Jacksonville community was to become a Britt volunteer. During my first year as a volunteer I made many new friends and helped with a variety of volunteer opportunities. I love the Britt volunteer experience and am excited with this opportunity to provide deeper support to Britt and the Britt volunteers by joining the Britt Society Board. There’s nothing like an evening at Britt, and I look forward to many, many more!