Healdsburg Jazz Announces New Executive Director

Healdsburg Jazz is pleased to announce the appointment of Gayle Okumura Sullivan as Executive Director effective immediately. Gayle has been in Healdsburg for 19 years and is acknowledged as an important and active leader in the community. She has built a strong reputation as co-owner of nationally recognized Dry Creek Peach. Prior to which, she spent over 15 years in San Francisco and Silicon Valley leading marketing efforts for technology firms ranging from Fortune 500 companies like Hewlett-Packard to Advent Software. In the non-profit sector, Gayle was the first dedicated marketer for LINES Ballet in San Francisco. She has also taught at Golden Gate University.

Gayle brings business management, marketing expertise, organizational skills, financial experience, creativity, and a love and appreciation of jazz and the arts to Healdsburg Jazz. She looks forward to working for this world-class organization as it heads into its 22nd season and expands in the future. She is a firm believer in the transformative power of music and jazz.

“I have known Gayle almost since the festival started and I look forward to collaboratively working with her. I appreciate her business acumen, drive, entrepreneurial energy, and commitment to service,” states Healdsburg Jazz Founder and Artistic Director Jessica Felix.

“We are thrilled to have someone in the ED role with Gayle’s business background in both the profit and nonprofit sectors, her standing in the Healdsburg community, and her passion for jazz,” said Board Chair Jack Raineault.

About Healdsburg Jazz

The Healdsburg Jazz Festival is a celebration of the indigenous American art form known as Jazz. Over the past two decades, the festival has become a favorite local tradition with a growing national reputation. The 10-day festival of public performances by world-renowned musicians in diverse settings, including the historic Raven Theater, the glamorous Hotel Healdsburg, the Jackson Theater in Santa Rosa, and local boutique restaurants and wineries, has grown into one of the North Bay’s most celebrated annual musical events.

In addition to the annual festival, May 29-June 7, 2020, the non-profit 501(c)(3) organization offers numerous music education programs in the Healdsburg area schools for primary and secondary school students, and presents a series of Jazz Masters concerts throughout the year.