Board of Directors
Diane Robertson, Chair
Diane Robertson is an attorney with years of experience at major entertainment studios handling legal affairs for scripted and unscripted television programming, advising and counseling internal clients on a range of matters, and evaluating legal risks in alignment with creative and business objectives.
Diane demonstrates her genuine passion for giving back through her dedication to community and civic engagement. She embodies the concept of servant leadership, which is part of her definition of a purpose-driven life.
Currently, Diane serves on the Board of the Los Angeles Conservancy, a nonprofit member-based organization that works to protect historic places throughout L.A. County, and is the Board Representative on its DE&I Task Force. She is an Advisory Committee Member of the African American Historic Places-Los Angeles Project, a collaboration between the Getty Conservation Institute and the Los Angeles City Planning Office of Historic Resources, which aims to identify, protect, and celebrate the city's rich Black history. Diane is among a group of homeowners leading an effort to have the Leimert Park community in South L.A. placed on the National Register of Historic Places. Diane was appointed as a Commissioner to the Los Angeles City Commission on Civil Rights for the June 2023-June 2027 term.
Known for her community advocacy, Diane is dedicated to effecting positive change. She has led numerous initiatives to address pressing issues affecting stakeholders, including organizing town halls on housing development legislation in California, candidates' forums for local elections, Covid-19 Vaccine Equity events in South L.A., and community clean-ups. In 2015, a year after moving to Leimert Park, Diane organized a block party with the sole purpose of bringing neighbors together. Over a five year period, the block party grew organically into the Leimert Park Jazz Festival.
Diane recently dusted off an old goal of completing a marathon on each continent. She is training for the Nagoya Women’s Marathon in Japan on March 10, 2024, which will mark her 3rd continent.
A native of Brooklyn, NY, Diane relocated to Los Angeles in 2006. She holds a J.D. from New York Law School and a B.A. in Business Journalism from Bernard M. Baruch College.
Venus Lindo, Secretary & INTERIM TREASURER
Ever since she was a young girl, Venus Lindo had a passion for working with children. She went on to embrace that passion and love by becoming an elementary school teacher in the Compton Unified School District. During her nine years at Compton, she successfully raised the level of learning for her students by motivating, inspiring, and building relationships that helped to change the lives of many of her young charges. She took great joy in watching them thrive and grow as individuals. It was also while she was at Compton, dealing with many children who came from broken homes, low income, and living in various stages of poverty, that she had an epiphany which led her to pursue a path to become a counselor.
Venus earned her B.A. in Child Development and M.S. in Marriage, Family and Child Counseling. She has been a Middle School Counselor for 23 years in LAUSD and recently accepted a BSAP (Black Student Achievement Program) School Counseling Position, which she is very excited about.
Holly Wallace, member
Holly Wallace is a seasoned marketing and public relations specialist with a passion for crafting impactful communications that enable organizations to build meaningful connections with their audiences.
She spent nearly a decade as administrative director of the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz (formerly the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz), based at the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music and Loyola University New Orleans, where she also played a key role in communications and outreach for UNESCO’s International Jazz Day global celebrations. Previously, Holly served as marketing director at San Jose Jazz, producer of Summer Fest, Silicon Valley’s premier annual jazz event.
A veteran of the performing arts and entertainment industries, Holly has managed publicity for the LA Phil and UCLA’s Center for the Art of Performance (CAP UCLA), and held senior creative services positions at Universal Studios and Warner Bros. Home Entertainment. She currently works at a philanthropic foundation dedicated to improving the quality of life in communities worldwide.
Curt Flood, Jr., member
Curt Flood, Jr. is a career strategic communications professional, who has successfully driven corporate & crisis communications campaigns across entertainment, sports, emerging media, technology and cause-related practice areas for nearly four decades.
A serial connector and business relationship builder, Curt has a passion for pro bono major gift fundraising on behalf of children's health & wellness-related issues, as well as fundraising and friendraising for cost-free youth education, enrichment, and sports programs.
A native of St. Louis, Missouri, Curt was raised in South Los Angeles, California, and is the son of former St. Louis Cardinals center fielder, Curt Flood.
"The Leimert Park Jazz Festival exemplifies the very embodiment and spirit of the arts, community, and culture, and it is my honor and privilege to serve on its Board of Directors."
Dr. Ronald C. McCurdy, member
Dr. Ronald C. McCurdy is Assistant Dean of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, and Professor of Music in the Thornton School of Music at the University of Southern California (USC) where he served as chair of the jazz department for six years (2002-2008). He has served as a consultant to the Grammy Foundation and the Walt Disney All-American College Band. McCurdy continues to tour the Langston Hughes Project. This multimedia presentation is based on Hughes’ poem, Ask Your Mama: 12 Moods for Jazz. In 2008 he premiered the orchestral version of The Langston Hughes Project with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra with rapper and television actor, Ice-T. McCurdy has also created or co-created two other interdisciplinary productions including, Letters From Zora (Hurston) and Shanghai Jazz: A Cultural Mix.
McCurdy is the co-author of The Artist Entrepreneur: Finding Success in a New Arts Economy (Rowman & Litterfield Publication 2019). He is co-author of a vocal jazz improvisation series titled Approaching the Standards, (Warner Bros. 2011). McCurdy authored, Meet the Great Jazz Legends (Alfred Publishing, 2010). He contributed chapters to two publications: Teaching Music in Performance Through Jazz: Vol. I (Gia Publication) and African Americans and Popular Culture (Edited by Todd Boyd, 2008).
Dr. McCurdy is a performing artist for the Yamaha International Corporation. (beyondcategoryproductions.com)
“I am excited to join the newly formed Board spearheaded by Diane Robertson. Los Angeles and specially Leimert Park has a rich history that has played a major role on the furtherance of jazz!”