About Us
Sandler Center Foundation (SCF):
Coastal Virginia's Premier Server and Funder for the Arts
Fueling Passion & Culture For The Arts
The Sandler Center Foundation is the only philanthropic organization associated with the public/private partnership that built the Sandler Center for the Performing Arts in 2007, having initially raised $15M.
Since that time, SCF contributes $500,000 annually in either direct or in-kind support to children’s arts education in Coastal Virginia, the Sandler Center for the Performing Arts’ nine resident companies and other local arts organizations, and great performances at the Sandler Center.
It is the premier funder of the arts in Coastal Virginia, and the provider of the largest children’s literacy-focused arts education initiative in the Commonwealth of Virginia, having served more than 45,000 children, their teachers, and families since 2021 through the Sandler Center Virtual Academy.
SCF exists in three places: the world-class performance venue, the Sandler Center for the Performing Arts; the Coastal Virginia community; and the digital space.
What We Do
We advance children’s education through the performing arts and help fund community arts organizations including great performances at the Sandler Center.
Who We Serve
- Underprivileged Communities
- Hampton Roads Children in K-12th Grades
- Sandler Center Resident Companies
- Local Arts Organizations
- Fine Arts Audiences at the Sandler Center
SCF areas of impact
OUTREACH & CHILDREN'S EDUCATION
Helping to improve children's literacy and learning and connecting communities in need through the performing arts.
GREAT PERFORMANCES & SHOWCASES
Helping to bring top performers into the Sandler Center and showcasing great artists.
These areas could not be impacted without the help of our volunteers, members, donors, and partners.
SCF LEADERSHIP
Lisa Baehre
Executive Director
Lisa is the chief executive of the premier funder for the in Coastal Virginia – the Sandler Center Foundation. She is a passionate grantmaker and principal level gifts fundraiser specializing in organizational change, transformational philanthropy, and innovation.
Lisa moved to Virginia Beach in 2015, becoming the Sandler Center Foundation’s first executive director, from San Diego where she was head of development and philanthropy for the pre-eminent Birch Aquarium at Scripps Institution of Oceanography (ranked #2 in oceanographic institutions in the world) at UC San Diego (ranked #14 among top public universities in the world). Lisa has worked on major projects with renowned philanthropists such as Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation (founder of Intel), Rod Roddenberry (son of Eugene Rodenberry, the creator of Star Trek), the Dalai Lama, the Scripps family, the Walton Family Foundation, and James Cameron (filmmaker and historic dive to the Marianas Trench) and some of the nation’s oldest and most established philanthropic families.
She has taken the Board of Director’s vision of growth and is growing community outreach programs, developing partnerships, working to enhance TC and HR through the arts, and turning the Sandler Center Foundation into a nationally recognized arts program. During COVID, she launched the highly popular – Virtual Stage Coastal Virginia, which has attracted more than 55,000 individuals through it’s online programming. She also launched the Virtual Academy to help address the losses in learning experienced by area children. The Virtual Academy has helped to positively affect literacy levels for more than 35,000 children. It is the largest digital arts education program of its kind in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
She was unanimously selected in 2019 as one of Hampton Roads "Top 40 Under 40" by Inside Business. Lisa is committed to lifelong learning. She is currently enrolled in Harvard Business School’s Executive Leadership program. She speaks regularly on a variety of topics, including an upcoming presentation to her alma mater Penn State and the Smeal College of Business on the current trends affecting nonprofit organizations.
When she isn’t tackling fundraising, organizational growth, sponsor partnerships, member relations or marketing, you can find her enjoying the spectacular entertainment at the Sandler Center, happy hour at Ruth’s Chris or one of the other amazing restaurants in Town Center, or enjoying the ocean breezes from her home in the Vibe Creative District of Virginia Beach. She loves a good glass of wine, recreating a meal from one of her many travels with her boyfriend Marc Bernarducci, and burning off all the calories in a variety of athletic sports.
"I am impassioned to impact the lives of others leveraging my position as the chief executive officer of one of Coastal Virginia's most prominent arts and culture foundations, the Sandler Center Foundation. We advance children’s education and are the connector for the needs of the community with local arts organizations and great performances."
SCF TEAM
ArLynn Parker
Programs Coordinator
ArLynn Parker is the Programs Coordinator with the Sandler Center Foundation. She extends her love for the arts and arts education to focus on the development of the Foundation’s premier programs, including Virtual Academy and The Excellence Project: Leveling the Performing Field.
Born and raised in coastal Virginia, she ArLynn is passionate about the local community of arts organizations. She grew up dancing in recitals held at the Sandler Center for the Performing Arts and immerses herself in the surrounding community theatre scene. She has a strong background in customer service, having previously worked in administrative roles and with the public. A skilled writer, she also lends herself to supporting the Foundation’s marketing strategies.
ArLynn holds a Bachelor of Arts in Creative Writing from Old Dominion University and a Master of Fine Arts in Playwriting at Hollins University. She hopes to continue involvement with the theatre and entertainment space while working to make the arts more accessible throughout Hampton Roads.
