Dawn E. Bell, CMP

Dawn has been in event planning and fund development for  more than 25 years.  Her career began in Sacramento planning conventions for lobbying groups, associations and AIDS organizations.  "Planning fund raising events for AIDS organizations became a passion and one that I put my heart into", says Dawn.  Moving to Sonoma County in 2004, Dawn took the helm of the Russian River Chamber of Commerce where she remained for nearly two years. Now, she is thrilled to be working with the arts, planning events and activities around Sonoma County artists.  Art Direct Sonoma is filling the gap between her expertise as a special events planner and her love of fund raising.

Bette Meritt

Bette has lived and worked in West Sonoma County for more than 25 years.  Her work in sales of all kinds including real estate, gives her a strong insight into the needs of people, their interests and economic wishes.  "I've always had a strong interest in the arts and have even dabbled from time to time in different mediums", claims Bette.  Art Direct Sonoma is answering a lot of her personal goals and desires to work in the arts and to use her considerable skills in sales and marketing to bring the arts to as many people as possible.

came into being as a response to a long winter and several glasses of wine.  Bette and Dawn had long understood their wish to work together on "something" and after many hours of hashing out the pros and cons of each idea, something began to become clear.  Art was the constant in all of these conversations. 

Art Direct Sonoma was born out of those discussions and came into being as a way to satisfy their desire to work together, share their mutual love of art and their appreciation of the beauties of Sonoma County. With Dawn's background in events and fund-raising and Bette's complementary skills in sales and marketing, it all came together on a shoestring budget during a long winter of rising gas prices, a Presidential campaign and a few more glasses of wine.