PAI Board

Dave is a serial entrepreneur and executive with 30+ years of experience
in business development, sales, marketing, and business management. Dave worked at Insitu for more than 13 years and was instrumental in Insitu’s move into commercial and civil operations. Dave left Insitu in 2014 and has since been working as an independent consultant helping a variety of firms to grow and find new market niches. Dave has attended training seminars on the proper management of non-profit boards. He has served for many years on the board of Columbia Gorge Art in Education, and is currently on the board of the Oregon Aviation Industry coalition (ORAVI).

Before retiring in 2015, Mark Steighner was the choral and instrumental music director at Hood River Valley High, a position he had held since the early 1980s. In 2015, he received the  “Outstanding Educator of the Year” award from the Oregon Music Educators Association, recognizing his long service to music education.  Mr. Steighner is also a composer, playwright, and director of over 60 musical theatre productions around the Columbia River Gorge. Mark is one of the founders and artistic director/conductor of the Columbia Gorge Orchestra Association, where he directs the Sinfonietta Orchestra. In his spare time, Mark is a technology writer for a number of online publications and has written thousands of video game and technology reviews, features, and interviews.  
 
“The Gorge has the opportunity to be positioned as an epicenter for the performing arts. Our audiences are excited about both local and visiting professional music, theatre, dance, film, and spoken word performances, and a new large venue will give us a means to attract outside talent and further nurture our own. For literally decades, people have been asking for this, and PAI is dedicated to making the dream a reality.”

As an entrepreneur, Duncan has started and run multiple LLC’s in real estate and high tech.

He is experienced in business and market development, including program delivery, event planning and coordination, executive-level presentations, business management, and sales.

His international business experience includes logistics, dealer support, competitive market analysis, and product line management. Duncan is active in the community and is a former board member of the Ainsworth Foundation and a former advisory member of the Atkinson Graduate School of Management.

Tracy has been active in the financial services industry since 2000 and, since that time, has held positions in a range of departments, including Capital Markets, Commercial Banking, and several positions within Community Development , including Low Income Housing Tax Credits investments, private equity, and equity-equivalent investments to non-profit organizations. She is a graduate of Wells Fargo’s Wholesale Banking Credit Management Training Program and a recipient of the Golden Spoke award.  In 2022, she was featured in the Top 100 People in Finance publication for her work in community development finance. 

Tracy holds a Master’s in Business Administration from Columbia University and the University of California, Berkeley. She received a Bachelor of Science in International Business and a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish at the University of Denver. 

Tracy is passionate about building community. She is on the Board of Directors of Black Rock Arts Foundation (“BRAF”), the subsidiary of Burning Man Project, tasked with bringing the Burning Man method of creating and coexisting with art to the world. 

Carrie is a general business and nonprofit attorney who has lived in the Gorge since 2008.  She focuses her practice on outside general counsel services and commercial transactions. She previously served as senior attorney to Target Corporation.  Carrie is president of the Gorge chapter of Oregon Women Lawyers and also serves on the board for Arts in Education of the Gorge. Her active family includes two boys, a husband, and two cocker spaniels.

“I am passionate about the power of the performing arts to transform lives and cultivate community.  In my own life, my love for choral music and particularly my time singing with the Dale Warland Singers is part of the fabric of my being.  So when I learned about PAI, I jumped at the chance to get involved. Our community is bursting with artistic talent and energy, and a state-of-the-art performing arts center will be a jewel in this beautiful region.  I’m honored to play a part in realizing the PAI vision and supporting the cultural vibrancy of the Gorge community for generations to come.”

Robin McConnell is the newest member of the PAI board and brings with her a unique background and life experience. She still has a childhood memory of the time her Dad took her to see Waiting for Godot at Oregon State Theater. They were both so moved by the performance that it sparked a meaningful conversation afterwards. As a retired educator, she sees enormous potential for a performing arts center to cultivate new lifelong lovers of the arts and to offer training for children in all the arts. Robin has a personal “soft spot” for spoken word arts like poetry and literary readings.

Robin sees the PAI project as a community anchor for our diverse population and the design potential as an iconic showpiece we will all be proud of. Her enthusiasm is already being channeled into our fundraising and development efforts. She will also help us be intentional in our community outreach as we prepare to open our exciting Capital Campaign.