Portsmouth Music and Arts Center (PMAC) is proud to announce the addition of four distinguished community leaders to its Board of Directors: Brooks Jalbert, Beth Wagner, Rick Wallis, and Susan Wolowitz. Their collective expertise spans education, business leadership, professional development, and the arts, bringing new perspectives to help PMAC continue its mission of building community through the arts.
Brooks Jalbert serves as the Vice President of Operations and Business Development at C&J Bus Lines, Beth Wagner brings 25 years of professional development experience, Rick Wallis is a retired CEO of Piscataqua Savings Bank, and Susan Wolowitz is a retired educator with 30 years of teaching experience.
“We are thrilled to welcome Beth, Brooks, Rick, and Susan to the PMAC Board,” says Lisa Shawney, chair of PMAC’s Board of Directors. “Their passion for the arts, combined with their impressive professional achievements, will be instrumental in advancing PMAC’s vision. We look forward to the fresh insights they will bring to the board.”
PMAC CEO Russ Grazier expressed his excitement about the new board members: “Bringing Brooks, Beth, Rick, and Susan onto our board is a boon to PMAC. Their diverse professional expertise, strong ties to the Seacoast community, and deep commitment to the arts will help expand PMAC’s reach in the community, with the ultimate goal of increasing community access to high-quality arts education programming.”
ABOUT THE NEW BOARD MEMBERS
Brooks Jalbert is a third-generation family business leader at C&J Bus Lines, where he focuses on employee coaching, business system development, and opportunity identification. Brooks is dedicated to maintaining C&Js service and family oriented culture. He is passionate about creating and playing music, as well as the outdoors.
Beth Wagner has a passion for the arts and understands the critical importance of arts education in the well-being of people of all ages and abilities. Beth brings 25 years of experience in professional development, as well as a degree in theater with a focus in education from Syracuse University. Her career has emphasized leadership and management development, organizational process consultation, corporate training and facilitation, public speaking, and non-profit executive leadership. Currently Beth enjoys her role as a stay-at-home mom, living in Dover with her husband, Adam, their two-year-old daughter, Lauren, and two energetic German short-haired pointers.
Rick Wallis had a 39-year tenure with Piscataqua Savings Bank, including 9 years as CEO before retiring in 2021, where he helped guide the institution through significant growth. Rick has served on numerous nonprofit boards, including the Children’s Museum of Portsmouth, Gather, NHBA, NH Real Estate Appraisal Board, CDFA, Federal Reserve Bank of Boston CDIAC, Veterans Count, Dover Economic Loan Commission, and the Hospice Help advisory committee. Rick lives in Dover with his wife, Karene.
Susan Wolowitz taught elementary education in public schools for 30 years, including 25 years in Concord, where she was honored as a Distinguished Educator of the Year. Susan was also the first elementary teacher to be awarded the National Law Education Award from the American Bar Association for her development of an early education law curriculum (1999). Susan has served as a trustee of the New Hampshire Supreme Court Society, a board member of the Children’s Museum of New Hampshire, and is a founding and current trustee of New Hampshire Civics. Susan lives in Greenland with her husband, David, and is currently taking piano lessons at PMAC so that she can accompany her more accomplished piano-playing grandchildren!
Photo: From left to right are new PMAC board members Rick Wallis, Susan Wolowitz, and Brooks Jalbert. Not pictured: Beth Wagner.
