In the light-filled conference room of the Herb Alpert Foundation headquarters, Rona Sebastian, who graduated in 1972, surveyed the extraordinary paintings and sculpture that surrounded her. The walls fairly shook with color.

“Few people know that Herb Alpert has also been active as a visual artist for the past 40 years,” Sebastian said of the famed trumpeter, co-founder of A & M Records.

The Herb Alpert Foundation supports a kaleidoscope of programs that include compassion and well-being, arts and arts education.

“It’s wonderful to share in the amazing generosity and spirit of Herb and Lani Alpert,” said Sebastian, who became the foundation’s president in 2004. “They are true philanthropists and the impactful spirit of their generosity is reflected in the foundation’s strategic funding and program development.”

For Sebastian, who served as vice president of the University of the Arts in Philadelphia and spent 15 years in a variety of senior leadership positions at the J. Paul Getty Trust, each job has provided her with a exceptionally diverse skills set.

“At The Getty, particularly, when I was associate director of the Getty Conservation Institute, I learned to think strategically and create partnerships throughout the art world,” said Sebastian. “In each work environment you enter, there are new and different challenges. My experiences at The Getty were invaluable at the University of the Arts, where I was once again required to create strategic plans but in a completely different context.”

At the Herb Alpert Foundation, Sebastian has maximized its goals by building a network of colleagues at other philanthropic foundations.

“Getting a pulse on the philanthropic community is imperative,” she said. “You begin to recognize the potential for collaboration among grantees.”

A sociology major at Cal State Northridge and a classically trained pianist, Sebastian is fascinated by societal values and the link between culture, politics and music.

“CSUN was a godsend for me as I imagine it continues to be for people who are working on a college degree while holding down a fulltime job,” said Sebastian, who ran two Yamaha Music Schools while pursuing her degree at Northridge.

Arts education is essential, she believes, for young students. “Keeping the arts alive and available is critical to the future of our children,” she said. “It is an avenue to a different way of being where there are no right or wrong answers, just different ones.”

— Julia Venkateswaran

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