Anastacia Powers Cuellar

Anastacia (Stacie) Powers Cuellar 
Executive Director

Anastacia (Stacie) Powers Cuellar is Executive Director at Brava. Stacie manages the team at Brava to produce and present thought-provoking and exhilarating productions and works diligently to grow Brava as a center for ignite social change and build community.

Stacie began her career in  non-profit arts at the San Francisco Mime Troupe. During her eight year tenure she worked as Stage Manager, Tour Manager, Production Manager, Booking Agent and Community Liaison. After leaving the Mime Troupe, Stacie joined Dr. Loco’s Rockin’ Jalapeño Band as Business Manager, Booking Manager and Tour Manager, booking over 100 performances a year for the band during her tenure. In her roles at both the San Francisco Mime Troupe and Dr. Loco, Stacie toured extensively throughout the United States, Nicaragua, Canada, Mexico and Cuba.

In 2001, Stacie accepted a role as  bookkeeper for Media Alliance, a media resource and advocacy center. She later moved to the Other Minds Music Festival as Business Manager and co-produced three of the organization’s annual music festivals at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts. In 2005, Frameline, the largest International LGBT Film Festival, brought Stacie on as Finance Manager where she worked for nearly four years.

Stacie continued to grow her career by joining the Board of Directors for Dance Brigade. This role soon grew to Managing Director as she worked  alongside the Artistic Director to manage the expanding programs at Dance Mission Theater. Stacie also served as Financial Consultant to Round Whirled Records, CubaCaribe, Queer Women of Color Media Arts Project, Freshmeat Productions, Patchworks Film Production, The Luggage Store, Galeria de la Raza, Queer Cultural Center, Yerba Buena Gardens Arts and Events, Young Audiences of Northern California, A+D Architecture Firm, Film Arts Foundation and Latino Arts Network.

In 2012, Brava’s Board of Directors appointed Stacie to the position of Executive Director. With 30 years of arts administration and production experience in San Francisco, Stacie ushered in a new era of stability for the organization. During her tenure at Brava, she has revitalized Brava’s long-standing youth program San Francisco Running Crew, revived the capital project to renovate the building’s three storefronts to create necessary office and performance space, and launched Brava Presents to deliver an eclectic array of music, theater, dance, visual, and media art works in collaboration with local artists and arts organizations.

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Theresa Pasion
Operations Director

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Marco Flores
Facilities Manager

Marco Flores is a San Francisco native, who has worked all of the Bay Area implementing and maintaining building and safety compliance. Marco worked for two major furnishing companies where he specialized in product display and seasonal walk thru presentations. Marco joined Brava in the winter of 2017 and immediately set about fixing the leaky roof, patching walls, and building out the dressing rooms in Brava’s Studio, among a litany of daily fixes and maintenance. 

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Lottie Pacheco-Lobatos
Production Manager

A San Franciscan-native with roots in the film industry, Lottie is a multidisciplinary artist with a concentration in film directing, acting, and assistant directing. They first started at Brava straight out of university, as a contract House Manager in 2022. Through this, she discovered a different sense of collaboration for the arts through the stage.

Lottie’s ethos in their work aligns directly with Brava’s values of uplifting women in the arts and providing them with the proper resources in an accessible and unifying manner. 

She currently works as the Production Manager at Brava and can usually be found curating new Spotify playlists, dancing, and napping in their free-time. 

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Jocelyn Thompson-Jordan (Jojo)
Lead House Manager 

Jojo, a native of San Francisco, developed a passion for music and theater during her childhood. Prior to joining Brava, she gained a diverse range of experience, including working as an office manager, high school teacher, and even performing on the Brava stage. These experiences have led her to believe that Brava is the ideal workplace where she can utilize her skills while also being part of a talented, women-led team.

When not at work, Jojo indulges in her favorite activities such as spending quality time with her partner DaSean and her two beloved dogs at home, watching anime, drawing and crocheting, to unwind and relax.

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Saoirse-Naomie Weaver
Technical Director

Saoirse-Naomie Weaver is a versatile and multidisciplinary artist from the Mission district. In their capacity as Technical Director at Brava, they are excited to continue contributing to the thriving performing arts community of the Bay Area. Following the completion of the Afro Urban Society's Stage Lighting Fellowship in 2019, Saoirse discovered a profound affinity for using light as an expressive medium. They have lent their expertise to an array of distinctive performance venues throughout the Bay Area. In their spare time, Saoirse finds solace in exploration and travel, spending time with loved ones, and continuing the pursuit of their many interests.

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Edith Castorena
Marketing & Development Manager

Edith Castorena is a queer Chicana writer, storyteller and actor, with a background in marketing strategy, institutional communications and project management. Edith is an eldest daughter and a long-time scholar of grief and love. Born and raised on the unceded territory of the Ramaytush Ohlone, they are deeply passionate about land sovereignty, feminist praxis and accessibility across personal, academic and professional settings. When not behind the computer, you might find Edith co-facilitating free ¡Dale! Improv bilingual workshops, writing sketches with her group Industry Outsiders, or catching a movie on Discount Tuesday with her friends and family.

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Ben Reese
Lead Sound Engineer/Assistant Technical Director

Ben Reese is a Bay Area native who works as a live sound engineer for theaters and clubs around San Francisco. He became interested in sound while attending an LA music school as a performance major. Years later, he became connected with SFBATCO which then propelled him into the eye of multiple theaters. The beginning of his career consisted of designing sound cues, shadowing senior engineers in concert and musical productions, and working with bands in houses of worship. Now he works freelance around the city for various venues. He is excited to join the tech team at Brava to help foster an environment that allows artists to create and thrive among the community.

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Kiana Nguyen
Marketing & Development Associate

Kiana Nguyen is a queer Vietnamese-American writer/director and producer. San Diegan-bred and San Franciscan-loved, Kiana’s main mission is to amplify queer and POC voices through their work. They received their B.A. in Film from San Francisco State University in 2023 and have prior experiences in Marketing and Promotion of multiple films and short form videos. Kiana’s hopes for their work is to reflect on relating identities to theirs and inspire and heal generations to come. As the Marketing and Development Associate at Brava, they hope that their dogma translates into the theater industry.

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Marigold Sargento
Brava Production Assistant

Song writer and playwright

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Isis Castillo
Youth Program Director

Isis is a Latina/Black Artist and Educator and a native of SF. They received their BA in Applied Theatre and Education from the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama in London. After graduating in 2019, they worked in a self-esteem building program for disadvantaged youth in Santiago, Chile and then went to Madrid, Spain to work as a teacher. Now she is back in her hometown of San Francisco and joins Brava's staff as Youth Program Director. Isis is passionate about the arts, human rights and education and tries to combine these to the best of her abilities.

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