Sacramento Performing Arts Recognition Gala II

Michele Hillen-Noufer is the Executive Director of NorCal Arts (https://www.norcalarts.org), a nonprofit arts education organization that provides school outreach, expanded learning, camps, and performing and visual arts programming for youth. While creating paid internship opportunities for future arts educators, Michele has authored cross-sector arts curricula and provides professional development for educators throughout California. Initiating NorCal Arts community partnership with Sacramento State University, she has fostered a pipeline of future arts educators. Her commitment to arts advocacy is

evident as a founding board member of the Sacramento Alliance for Regional Arts (SARA). She is also a Turnaround Arts CA (TAACA) Coach and a member of Actors' Equity Association and SAG-AFTRA.

Alyssa Paoletti was born and raised in Sacramento. She began studying ballet at the

age of seven under Founding Artistic Director Barbara Crockett before joining the

Sacramento Ballet Company, where she performed under Crockett and Artistic Director

Ron Cunningham.

After leaving Sacramento for school and a career, Alyssa returned to raise her family.

Her lifelong passion for the arts naturally led her back to Sacramento Ballet. She joined

the Board of Directors in 2017 and served as Co-President and then President from

2018 through 2026. Her commitment and leadership helped the company thrive through

periods of unprecedented challenges. She continues to serve on the Board as

Immediate Past President.

For more than four decades, Alyssa and her family have generously supported

Sacramento Ballet as devoted patrons and donors. She remains dedicated to ensuring

that future generations can experience the joy and inspiration of dance

An alum of Sacramento State, Assistant Corps Director of the Mandarins, and Director of the Mandarins Music Academy, Santi has already left his ‘mark’ of excellence on a number of schools and organizations. He currently serves as the Bella Vista HS Band Director; their marching band is the 2025 Western Band Association Class 2A NorCal Regional Champion. He is a recent recipient of the CMEA Outstanding Music Educator Award (Capitol Section).

• Former Mayor, Sacramento

• As Mayor of Sacramento, Darrel Steinberg committed himself to the support of the arts and culture sector in Sacramento. He launched a study of the status of the sector and retained a firm to guide the city in the development of “The Creative Edge,” a five-year plan for arts education and support for the arts. He championed the complete renovation of the City’s Community Center Theatre (SAFE CU Center for the Performing Arts) and exerted forceful leadership to see that it opened in time for the inaugural tour of “Hamilton.” Perhaps most importantly, he provided attention and resources to arts and culture organizations throughout the COVID shutdown, and when the pandemic passed, he devoted more of the federal relief funds received by the City to the arts than any other mayor in the country.

James Wheatley was born in 1940 and grew up one of seven kids in Los Angeles, where his mom was a homemaker, his dad a mail carrier, and his grandfather worked for the city in street maintenance. Wheatley was steeped in artistic opportunities, from community dance classes to the church choir, and like many others in the city, the arts was his passion. In his formative years, he trained as a professional dancer, learned piano and harmonica, and earned a graduate degree in vocal arts from USC’s School of Music.

Sacramento got lucky the day James Wheatley moved to town in 1972 to take a job as an administrator with the State of California. He followed the family tradition of working a government day job like his dad and his grandfather. In 1976 he founded Celebration Dance Company, and the troupe was invited to audition for a government-sponsored goodwill tour to the Philippines. They got the gig, flew to Manila and were enthusiastically received. Upon their return Wheatley learned that the incorporation papers he had filed prior to the trip had been approved, and the non-profit organization Celebration Arts was officially born in June 1986.

As a theatre arts organization, Celebration Arts is the premier black theater in the Sacramento region, and a training ground for artists that have gone on to have great success in television, film, theatre, and dance. It is also credited with helping increase the diversity of casts and programming at other Sacramento-area theater companies. In addition to founding Celebration Arts, James Wheatley has garnered profound accolades as an actor, a director, choreographer, songwriter and playwright, including 6 Elly awards for acting, and an Elly award for his play Petra. He acted in plays not only at Celebration Arts, but in all the Sacramento theatres, gaining a large following and the respect that that ensues from fellow artists.

James Wheatley retired as Artistic Director of Celebration Arts in December, 2023, and at age 83, traded in the boards for a proverbial "walk in the woods", retiring to his forested property in Auburn. He is the proud father of one, and grandfather of two.

Paul Zimny is an educator, conductor, choreographer, and performer with more than 50 years of experience in the marching arts and over 40 years of teaching ballroom dance at American River College.

He has taught ballroom dance movement, theory, choreography, and performance while performing internationally at both the amateur and professional levels. A longtime show designer, music conductor, and clinician,

Paul has also served for more than 20 years as an adjudicator and clinician for the Northern California Band Association. His dedication to excellence in music, movement, and education has positively influenced generations of performers and educators.