Ensemble Theatre Company at the New Vic, Santa Barbara’s professional, resident theater company, has announced additions to its board of directors: Susan Case, Laini Melnick, Deb Pontifex, Chuck Sheldon, Robert Turbin, Tony Vallejo and Kathy Weber.

With a lifelong love of the arts, Case integrated theater into her curriculum as a teacher of high-school and community-college English. Living in Phoenix for 40 years, she ran a family business while teaching and raising three children.

Case also was involved with nonprofits including the Phoenix Library Foundation, Social Venture Partners, Homeward Bound, and Women Living Free, which worked with females transitioning out of prison.

Since moving to Santa Barbara, with her husband Claude, she has been active with the Santa Barbara Art Museum, Music Academy of the West, and serves on the Library Foundation Board.

The Cases started a branch of Social Venture Partners in Santa Barbara, and serve on its board of directors.

Melnick grew up in the United Kingdom She was introduced to the world of theater from the Royal Shakespeare Company. Married for 30 years to a theater composer, she saw the development of new works up close and personal.

Melnick has lived in Santa Barbara for some 20 years and is actively involved in the Jewish community. She is board president of Santa Barbara Jewish Federation, has served on the Santa Barbara Hillel Board for 10 years, three as president).

She was inducted into the Hillel Hall of Fame in 2012.

Professionally, Melnick has been in law as a solo practitioner for some 20 years, practicing exclusively in the area of appellate criminal defense.

She was a judicial law clerk for Judge Warren G. Ferguson, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit of Los Angeles; and litigation associate for Kaye, Scholer, Fierman, Hayes, and Handler in Los Angeles.

Melnick is on the appointments panel for the Second District Court of Appeals. She received her B.A. in government and M.A in American government and politics from University of Essex, Ph.D in sociology from University of Surrey, and J.D from Northeastern University School of Law.

Pontifex spent most of her professional life as a program manager for Science Applications International Corp. She received her B.A. in philosophy from UC Berkeley, an AS in oceanography from Florida Institute of Technology, and a MS in ocean systems management from MIT.

Pontifex volunteers as a youth mentor with the Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse, is on the board of Friends of the Santa Barbara Public Library, and tutors through the Library’s Adult Literacy Program.

Sheldon founded Curvature, a supplier in network equipment, in 1986. In 1996, the company opened its first office in Goleta. During Sheldon’s tenure, Curvature’s revenue exceeded $20 million in 2000, which led to its debuting on Magazine’s Inc. 500 list of the Fastest Growing Privately Held U.S. Companies.

Sheldon served as mayor of Hermosa Beach from 1987-91.

Turbin, a native of Los Angeles, received his architectural degree from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, and was involved in the real estate development industry dealing with commercial, residential, and master planned community projects for some 40 years.

He was a volunteer with his therapy dog, Rigley, at St. John’s Hospital in Santa Monica prior to moving to the Santa Barbara area, and now at Casa Dorinda in its memory-care and assisted-living units.

Turbin is on the advisory council to the Williamson Gallery at Scripps College; is a founding member and on the board of the Photographic Arts Council Los Angeles; and co-chairs Photofutures, the photography council, at Santa Barbara Museum of Art.

Vallejo was appointed to the Goleta City Council in 2014, and elected mayor pro tempore in December 2015. He was born and raised in Carpinteria, graduated from UCSB with a degree in business/economics, and earned his CPA license in 1993.

He has worked for two local accounting firms, served as CFO for an area company, and owns his own accounting firm. He serves on city committees including Finance and Audit Standing, Naming Standing, and Ordinance Review Standing.

Vallejo has served as a board member/volunteer for the Goleta Chamber of Commerce, Santa Barbara Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, St. Raphael’s Church, Dos Pueblos Little League, Goleta Boys Club, and Santa Barbara Food Bank.

Weber grew up in Pasadena where she learned to love live theater at the Pasadena Playhouse. She earned a B.A. and MALS from the University of Wisconsin. In 1969, she moved to Ann Arbor, Mich.

At the University of Michigan, she headed the technical library at the Transportation Safety Research Institute, and later directed its Child Passenger Protection Research Program. After retirement, Weber and her husband moved to Santa Barbara.

Weber was editor of the monthly newsletter for SB Newcomers and its database manager. She joined the Santa Barbara Museum of Art Women’s Board in 2007 and became its webmaster.

She has served as a secretary, co-chaired Mystery in Masterpieces 2015, and currently serves as treasurer.

Weber has been a member of the Women’s Fund of Santa Barbara since 2009. Since coming to Santa Barbara, she and Bill have been dedicated supporters of Ensemble Theatre Company, the Santa Barbara Maritime Museum and Santa Barbara Symphony.

For more information about Ensemble Theater and  its upcoming season, call the box office, 965-5400, or visit etcsb.org.

— Charlie Rohlfs for Ensemble Theatre Company.