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Santa Barbara, CA…November 4, 2025… Ensemble Theatre Company (ETC) of Santa Barbara proudly announces the appointment of six outstanding community and business leaders to its Board of Directors: Adam Berger, Dan Burnham, Dan Cerf, Gary Justice, Ellen Robinson, and Helene Segal. Each new member brings decades of leadership experience and a deep passion for the arts, strengthening ETC’s commitment to presenting bold, thought-provoking, and artistically excellent theatre in Santa Barbara.
Adam Berger is a Managing Director at Insight Partners, a New York-based global software private equity firm. Adam joined Insight in 2018, serves on its Investment Committee, chairs several Insight portfolio company boards, including Diligent, DistroKid, PDI Technologies, Optimizely, CivicPlus, and Rithum. Before joining Insight, Adam was President and CEO of several private and public companies, including Digital Room, Spark Networks, WeddingChannel.com and The Franklin Mint. He began his career at Procter & Gamble and then joined The Boston Consulting Group. Adam holds a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from UC Berkeley and an M.B.A. with distinction from Harvard University. A Santa Barbara resident, Adam shares his love of live theatre and music with his wife Susan, who serves on the board of the Music Academy of the West. The Bergers are also active supporters of the Santa Barbara Symphony, where Adam serves on the board.
Daniel Burnham is the retired Chairman and CEO of Raytheon Company, where he served from 1998 until 2004. Prior to Raytheon, he held senior leadership roles at AlliedSignal, Inc., including Vice Chairman and President of AlliedSignal Aerospace—the world’s largest supplier of aerospace equipment at the time A respected business leader with a career spanning over three decades, Burnham has served on numerous corporate and nonprofit boards, including FleetBoston Financial, First Data Corporation, and the Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation. He has also chaired national organizations such as the Aerospace Industries Association and President’s National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee. Locally, Dan serves on the Santa Barbara Center for the Performing Arts board and is a past Chair of the UC Santa Barbara Foundation. He holds a B.A. in Economics from Xavier University and an M.B.A. from the University of New Hampshire
A lifelong entrepreneur, Dan Cerf served for 40 years as President and CEO of Kindel and Graham Inc., a national wholesale and retail distribution company. A native of San Francisco, Dan has combined his business acumen with a deep commitment to environmental conservation and community engagement. Dan has served on several Santa Barbara nonprofit boards, contributing his expertise to initiatives supporting the arts, education, and community safety. Alongside his wife Robin, he is also an avid contemporary art collector. Known for his enthusiasm for fitness, travel, and lifelong learning, Dan brings an energetic, forward-thinking perspective to ETC’s board.
A retired partner of the international law firm Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP, Gary Justice spent more than three decades as a trial lawyer before retiring to Santa Barbara. He has been a passionate supporter of ETC since before its move to the New Vic Theatre. Gary’s dedication to environmental causes is reflected in his seven years as Board President of the Reef Check Foundation, a global nonprofit advocating for the health of ocean reefs. In addition to his professional achievements, Gary is a committed patron of live theatre, particularly Shakespeare, and has supported multiple regional theatres throughout his life. He and his partner, Terry Bickmore, reside on the Santa Barbara Riviera, where they enjoy sailing, scuba diving, and traveling.
Ellen Robinson has long been a civic leader and advocate for the arts. Before relocating to Carpinteria in 2013, she served as President of Tampa Preservation, Inc., where she helped lead a $10 million redevelopment project in Tampa Heights—a model replicated in cities nationwide. Her extensive leadership experience includes roles with the Tampa City Ballet Company, St. Mary’s Episcopal Day School, and the H.B. Plant Museum Society. Since moving to the Santa Barbara area, Ellen has served on boards including Carpinteria Beautiful, the Santa Barbara Maritime Museum, and the Santa Barbara Club, where she is currently Vice President. A lifelong lover of the theatre arts, Ellen attributes her passion to her Florida upbringing, where her family regularly attended productions across the state. “Being a member of the Ensemble Board is a natural extension of my desire to see top-quality productions onstage in Santa Barbara,” she says.
A longtime Santa Barbara resident and UCSB graduate, Helene Segal brings to the ETC board a deep commitment to the arts and philanthropy. She has served as a two-term President of the Santa Barbara Museum of Art Ambassadors and has been active in arts fundraising, development, and community engagement with ETC for many years. Beyond her arts involvement, Helene serves as Vice President of the ASAP Cats Board of Directors, where she focuses on fundraising and legacy initiatives. A former publishing professional with ABC-CLIO, Helene’s career in editorial project management and her lifelong passion for literature and theatre enrich her contributions to ETC’s mission. “I am honored to join the board of Ensemble Theatre Company,” Helene shared. “Live theatre has the unique power to connect and challenge us, and I look forward to contributing to its continued success.”
A Collective Vision
“We are absolutely thrilled to welcome this powerhouse group of visionaries to our Board of Directors,” said Scott DeVine, Executive Artistic Director of Ensemble Theatre Company. “Their passion for the arts is matched only by their proven track record of excellence. As we welcome these dynamic leaders, we also honor the extraordinary contributions of our departing board members—Kathy Weber, Mike Gray, Gabriella Little, Alan Heeger, and George Konstantinow—whose dedication and vision have been instrumental in shaping ETC into what it is today.
ETC Board President Jon Kechejian added, “Once again, we are very fortunate to have such a talented group of individuals join the Board of the Ensemble Theatre, each bringing with them skillsets necessary to help the Ensemble Theatre continue to succeed and grow. I am heartened by our community’s commitment in general, and to the arts specifically. The Ensemble Theatre is a much more vibrant, interesting, and compelling space for professional theatre because of the support we get from our board and our community.”
About Ensemble Theatre Company
Founded in 1979, Ensemble Theatre Company (ETC) is Santa Barbara’s sole professional Equity theatre company, producing high-quality, thought-provoking performances at The New Vic Theater. ETC is dedicated to enriching the community through compelling storytelling and world-class artistry that inspires, entertains, and connects audiences.
For more information, please visit http://www.etcsb.org.
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