BOARD OF DIRECTORS

jesse dill, treasurer

Jesse is a biologist with a background in new therapies for rare diseases and sustainable solutions in food and agriculture. Jesse lives in DC with his partner and two hounds. He likes to spend his spare time tending to an increasingly baroque backyard garden, volunteering to support young entrepreneurs working in sustainable biotech, and using microscope photography to explore the world around him.

JEANNE PFEFFER, President

Jeanne Pfeffer is a dancer, writer, and arts producer. Since relocating from Minneapolis to the Bay Area in 2009 she has worked with dozens of artists and cultural organizations to realize projects ranging from her own solo performance work to intercontinental dance production to the opening of a 10,000 sq ft performance space in the heart of San Francisco's Tenderloin district. She traveled as a U.S. culture representative throughout Russia in 2012 with FACT/SF and then again to Serbia in 2018 on behalf of CounterPulse. She lives in San Leandro with her family and writes fiction when her expertise is not otherwise engaged.

LizAnne Roman Roberts
Photo by Robbie Sweeny

LizAnne Roman Roberts, dancer representative

LizAnne fell in love with dance at age four after seeing Giselle on TV in her hometown Tulsa, Oklahoma. Honored to have been working in the profession of her dreams for over twenty years, LizAnne began her career with Tulsa Ballet while finishing high school and earning a BFA at the University of Oklahoma. She has worked with various artists throughout the Bay Area, including collaborating with FACT/SF since 2012. LizAnne has appeared internationally in Avignon and Claremont-Ferrand, France; Belgrade, Serbia; and Sofia, Bulgaria as well as across the United States. LizAnne is the mother of two, and lives in Oakland, CA. She is also a certified Pilates instructor.

MARYAM ROSTAMI, secretary

Maryam Farnaz Rostami (AIA, LEED AP) is an architect and artist based in San Francisco. She is currently an Associate Principal at TEF Design and leads the JEDI (Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion) Agenda Committee at the firm. Maryam also writes and creates performance art, and is a co-founder of Nicole Kidman is Fucking Gorgeous. Her last solo show, Untitled 1396 played at Counterpulse as part of HMD's Bridge Project.

Zaquia Mahler Salinas

Zaquia Mahler Salinas, is a Chicana/Palestinian dance artist invested in movement-art as an act of reclamation and world-building. She dances at the intersection of live performance, film and installation work, social practice, education, and advocacy; Zaquia finds joy in cultivating community, and lives for the magic inherent in collaboration. In 2018, Zaquia co-founded DISCO RIOT, a nonprofit organization that supports radical dance and creative possibilities in San Diego. She has been awarded various artistic residencies, including a 2019 residency in Bethlehem, Palestine with Diyar Dance Theatre where she deepened her understanding of dance as a form of cultural, embodied resistance. In 2023, Zaquia was a recipient of San Diego’s inaugural Far South/Border North grants for artists working in socially engaged practice. She currently lives in Boston, and is serving as Resident Curator with ODC Theater in San Francisco. Zaquia is honored to have the opportunity to serve on the board of directors and support the good work of FACT/SF.

CHARLES SLENDER-WHITE

Charles Slender-White (he/him) is a queer contemporary dance artist of mixed European and Roma descent. He is a choreographer, teacher, performer, and organizer, and the Artistic Director of FACT/SF. Slender-White has worked in more than fifty cities across twelve countries on four continents. He began his career in 2006 as a dancer with Provincial Dances Theatre in Yekaterinburg, Russia, and has since created more than 30 original works. His choreography has been commissioned by ODC Theater, CounterPulse, the US Department of State, and numerous others. Slender-White is one of 58 Countertechnique Teachers worldwide, and he completed his undergraduate degrees in Dance & Performance Studies and English Literature at UC Berkeley.

Banner Image Kegan Marling