Officers
Dr. Joan Ortega-Cowan
President
Joan was born in New Jersey, and moved with her family to Cocoa, Florida when she was a young teenager when her father took an engineering position at Cape Canaveral Space Center (now Kennedy Space Center). She earned her Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees from Rollins College, with focus on history, political science and foreign languages. She earned her Doctoral Degree from Florida Atlantic University in Higher Education Management. She first discovered opera in Paris at a performance of Tales of Hoffmann at the Opera Comique. "My husband, Román, actually introduced me to the world of opera since he is an operatic baritone and knows practically every opera written," she says. "We have attended opera performances all over the world." In 1988, Rosemary Gagliardi asked them to become involved in the Vero Beach Opera Guild which they did. Joan has served as a Board Member, President and Executive Director during the past 21 years. She has sung in the choruses of Carmen, Madama Butterfly and La Traviata. "La bohème is my favorite because of the music but also because it takes place in one of my favorite cities – Paris. I speak several foreign languages so attending operas gives me an opportunity to enjoy operas even more."
Kendra Haines
Vice-President
Kendra has lived in Vero Beach for 30 years. She has volunteered for her children’s school, St. Edwards, and served on the board for Highlands-Cashiers Chamber Music Society in North Carolina. Her role on the VBO board is fundraising and supporting the VBO Piano Scholarship program. This program is now in its 15th year. Kendra works closely with Dr. Marcos Daniel Flores, an accomplished concert pianist, as the Maestro for the program.
Ed Halsey, CPA
Treasurer
Thank you, Ed!
Carol Palowich
Corporate Secretary
Carol started her musical life at 4 years of age, taking piano lessons from a lady who had been a student of Arthur Rubenstein. Music was a large part of her early years – piano, clarinet and the pipe organ which she loved. Her parents spent many summers in Cooperstown attending the classics and Operas where she heard Deborah Voight. After graduating from college Carol taught music in the schools, gave piano lessons and played at various local churches. Her love of music always stayed with her, but she branched out into new work areas building out offices in the US and Canada as a Facilities Manager for a couple of IT companies and a large Philly law firm. At the same, time she belonged to the Philadelphia Symphony and Opera Companies, enjoying many conductors and operatic singers including Luciano Pavarotti who she met at her friend’s Italian Restaurant for his pre-concert dinners. After moving from the Northeast, she and Joseph moved to Vero Beach in 2006 and the first thing they found was a newspaper article about the beginnings of the Vero Beach Opera Company which they both joined and became the first organizers/coordinators of the Community Development group. For several summers, in Rhode Island, Carol and Joe attended great memorial concerts given by Eva Franchi in honor of her deceased, and loved husband, Sergio Franchi. 19 years later, Carol is pleased to continue to be involved with such a great organization as the Vero Beach Opera.