The Los Angeles Opera has announced the election of Janet J. Ciriello, William Chase Hodge-Brokenburr, and Shirley Starke-Wallace to its Board.

Ciriello is a clinical psychologist and author who, together with Nicholas Ciriello, formed the Janet and Nicholas Ciriello Endowed Scholarship Fund to help a student with financial need gain access to a Sarah Lawrence education. She is also an advisory board member of The Opera Buffs and serves on the board of The Reiss Davis Graduate School.

Hodge-Brokenburr is a Los Angeles Native who works in the media finance department at Creative Artists Agency and serves on the board of the Junior Hollywood Radio and Television Society.

Finally, Starke-Wallace has worked for 42 years at the Los Angeles Unified School District in a number of capacities including teacher, health coordinator, head counselor, and principal. She has received seven awards for her leadership and service to the community between 1994 through 2018.

“I am absolutely thrilled to welcome to our board three prominent community members who share my passion for opera as well as my pride in our world-class opera company,” said Marc Stern, chairman of LA Opera’s board of directors, in a press release. “In an era when so many arts organizations are struggling to survive, I’m truly grateful that we’ve been able to add a total of five terrific new board members since the beginning of the pandemic. Our new directors have longstanding close ties to the company, and they are exceptionally well equipped to help us navigate these unprecedented times.”