Members
The Commission is designed for a 15-member capacity. The Commissioners, all volunteers, are appointed by the Mayor of Richmond with the concurrence of the Richmond City Council to serve four-year terms. New applicants who wish to become active advocates for the arts in the Richmond community are encouraged to apply for vacant seats. Commission meetings are also open to the public.
Members of the Richmond Arts and Culture Commission are also members of the Public Arts Advisory Commission.
Staff Liaison: Winifred Day
Current Commissioners
| Name |
|---|
| Arleide Santos, Vice Chair |
| Kiara Kempski |
| Carole J. Porter |
| Ted Bell |
| Yeymi Perez |
Arleide Santos
Arleide is a proud Afro-Latina and passionate educator originally from Brazil who has been living in the Bay Area since 2017. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Education and a Postgraduate specialization in Educational Psychology and Education Management.
Learning about arts and other cultures is Arleide's favorite hobby. She is ready to empower the diverse community in Richmond through the Richmond Arts & Culture Commission.
Ted Bell
Ted Bell was born and raised in the East Bay, specifically Berkeley. His parents are Ted Sr. and Beverly Bell. His grandparents, Rev. Edward and Lillian Bell Stovall, were longtime residents of Richmond. Ted attended Berkeley High School and pursued an Art Major at St. Mary’s College in Moraga, CA. Additionally, he obtained Graphic Art and Computer Animation Certifications from the California School of Arts and Crafts. For the past 20 years, Ted has dedicated his career to customer support and success. Presently, he works at Syndio, an organization focused on assisting companies with pay equity and disparity issues, particularly those affecting women and people of color.
Carole J. Porter
Carole J. Porter is a Bay Area native by way of Oakland, raised in Berkeley. Her mother is from Salem, MA, a Navy nurse, and her father is from Hattiesburg, MS, an Air Force medic. Carole's parents met at Highland Hospital in Oakland and never looked back. Carole has three sisters and one brother, all still in the Bay Area. She also has three children: a son and two daughters. They live in the Austin and DC Metro areas.
Carole has been with Kaiser Permanente for the past 18 years managing vendors and SW/HW/Cloud & Infrastructure engineers in IT Operations. The arts, visual, musical, dance, and theater are her happy places and a big part of her joy. Having the opportunity to work with colleagues who share the same passion is extremely rewarding for Carole, and being able to support and spread art in Richmond is absolutely an honor!
Kiara Kempski
Kiara Kempski has been a Bay Area local for 21 years, graduating from the University of San Francisco with a Bachelor's Degree in Art History and currently resides in the wonderful city of Richmond with her husband and two dogs, Coconut and Bella. A passionate art advocate and volunteer mentor, Kiara has served over the years with the SF arts commission, college chapter director for the Delta Zeta Sorority at USF, and now as a commissioner with Richmond’s Art Commission. Professionally, Kiara is the Vice President of Consumer Marketing for the Knot Worldwide, the global wedding brand, and previously was the award-winning Sr. Director of Brand and Global Programming for Ancestry.com for eight years.
Yeymi Perez
Yeymi, a dedicated resident of Richmond and committed community organizer, channels her passion for social justice and the arts into empowering her local community. She pursued a double major in Sociology and Criminology and Criminal Justice at Sonoma State University. Yeymi's efforts center on amplifying the voices of marginalized groups, including the undocumented, unhoused, and Black and Brown communities, through mediums such as podcasts, photography, and graphic design. As a digital creator and photographer, she draws inspiration from her community to challenge systemic injustices and foster healing. Yeymi is deeply committed to leveraging the power of art for social justice and collective empowerment.