Opera Santa Barbara (Opera SB) has added Karen Knight and Gregory McMurrray to its Board of Directors; they were elected in October.
“Our Board of Directors bring a wealth of expertise and dedication to supporting our performing arts community,” said Joan Rutkowski, Opera SB Board chair. “Karen and Greg are both very familiar with the company and we’re excited to channel their talents and energy into furthering Opera SB’s mission during this pivotal period in our history.”
Knight is a longtime Santa Barbara resident who returned two and a half years ago after a 16-year hiatus in the Temecula, California, area. Since returning, she has volunteered for Opera Santa Barbara, Ensemble Theater Company, and United Way of Santa Barbara County. She currently serves on the Board of Wood Glen Hall as co-chair of the marketing committee.
Knight retired after helping start City Commerce Bank in 1978, where she served nine years as the bank’s vice president of business development, marketing, and training. She rejoined the workforce in 1993 after raising her children to serve as the United Way of Santa Barbara County’s major gifts officer and coordinator of the Red Feather Ball.
Having graduated with a BA from UCLA, McMurray earned his JD at William and Mary School of Law in Williamsburg, Virginia. He served as a deputy public defender in Kern and Ventura counties, where he handled misdemeanor, felony and juvenile cases.
McMurray has served as a judge pro-tem in Santa Barbara, and currently teaches community property law at the Southern California Institute of Law. He is a member of the California State Bar.
Opera SB has been a provider of professional musical theater for the Central Coast since 1994. The company continues its five-production season Jan. 14 and 16 with its first opera by composer G.F. Handel: “Semele,” starring Santa Barbara native Jana McIntyre. For more, visit operasb.org.