Esther Netter
Chief Executive Officer
esther@zimmermuseum.org
(323) 761-8999

Esther Netter is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of the Zimmer Children’s Museum.  As Founder, Esther developed a community of supporters and contributing artists, the Museum’s Board of Directors, initial funders and a revenue strategy to support the growing fledgling institution.  As the museum expanded its reach over time, Esther  launched  youTHink, a California arts education initiative which uses the power of art to foster critical thinking, engage diverse learners, promote literacy and serve as a tool for social change.  With the creation of the youTHink arts education outreach programming, the museum's reach extended from birth through high school. 

Esther graduated UCLA with her BA and earned her Master’s degree in Education from the JTS in New York.  Esther's graduate research and thesis focused on "synectics," an approach to creativity and problem-solving.  Esther's work has built on the knowledge that the creative process can be taught and encouraged. She currently lectures and teaches about museum education, informal education and creativity in North America, Europe, and Israel.

Childhood hero: My grandfather, Rabbi Marcus Breger

Museum Staff

Julee Brooks
Museum Director
julee@zimmermuseum.org
(323) 761-8998

Julee Brooks has spent her career dedicated to cultural programming for young people. Julee joined the Zimmer in February 2011. Before moving to LA, Julee served as Director of Education at Nashville Children’s Theatre, where she developed an inclusive, process-based theatre curriculum for ages 3-18, job corps and internship programs for high school and college students, and professional development programs for educators and teaching artists. In her six years with NCT, educational programs grew four-fold with demand greatly exceeding capacity. Additionally, Julee has directed dozens of shows for professional and educational theatre across the country and has developed arts programming for organizations in Massachusetts, North Carolina, Kentucky and South Dakota.

Childhood hero: Punky Brewster

Maria Palazzolo
Associate Director, Play and Learning
maria@zimmermuseum.org
(323) 761-8994

Maria completed her Bachelor's degree from California State University, Long Beach in the field of Family Studies, with a specialization in Child Development. She received her Master's degree in Early Education in 2008 from California State University Long Beach. Maria has worked in both private and public schools, as well as nonprofit organizations. This unique background has provided a foundation for best practice in working with children of all ages. Maria’s passion for helping children to realize their full potential and access their strengths drives her to become a better human being!

“My passion in life is to inspire parents to be their child’s number one advocate! I strongly believe in the power of love, positive guidance and a free-mind spirit. My number one priority is to create a partnership between parents and educators to insure that children get the best education experience possible”.

Childhood hero: My mom

Belinda Vong
Education Program Manager
belinda@zimmermuseum.org
(323) 761-8912

Belinda received a BA in Sociology and a BA in Studio Art with a minor in Digital Arts from the University of California, Irvine, and continues to study Early Childhood Education at East Los Angeles Community College.  Previously, she has worked as a Program Coordinator at the UCI Cross-Cultural Center and as an elementary after-school teacher in the Mountain View School District where she created and facilitated arts-integrated programs. Belinda has also volunteered with the Orange County Children’s Therapeutic Arts Center and with the Tuesday Night Project, an art+community space in downtown Little Tokyo. She is a freelance graphic designer and has her own line of stationary. Belinda is particularly committed to creating programs for underserved communities and creating access for young children to learn about the world around them through creative and interactive play. 

Childhood hero: Sailor Moon, Martha Stewart, and my mom

Farzaneh Neman
Community Relations Manager
farzaneh@zimmermuseum.org
(323) 761-8910

Farzaneh received a BA in Fine Arts from UCLA and has a background in fashion and her family’s textile business. She was a stay at home mom while she raised 3 children, all grown now. She always loved working with people and kids and starting volunteering with nonprofit organizations like Aish, where she helped raise money for young adults to visit Israel. Farzaneh also volunteered with the Skirball Cultural Center and eventually worked as the assistant to their volunteer desk. Farzaneh’s love of people and children has always led her, and now she is so happy to have found a new home at the Zimmer for herself and her future grandchildren.

Childhood hero: My mom and dad

Sasha Karlova
Visitor Experience Manager /
Arts Educator
sasha@zimmermuseum.org
(323) 761-8973

Sasha received a BA in fine art from the University of California, Santa Barbara. However, she started her art education at the age of eight and continued taking art classes at Pasadena Art Center while attending Fairfax High School Visual Arts Magnet. During her stay at UCSB she participated in several group art shows and was head curator of the 2009 Undergraduate Art Show in which she also exhibited her work. She has been a yearly muralist at the Pasadena Calk Festival since 2005 and interned with the Light Bringer Project, a non-profit arts organization. She continues to make art and exhibits her work whenever she gets a chance. An alumni of the Zimmer’s arts education outreach program, youTHink, Sasha loves sharing her enthusiasm for art with children and families here at the Zimmer.

Childhood hero: Darkwing Duck

Christine Barber
Director of Finance & Administration
christine@zimmermuseum.org
(323) 761-8993

Christine Barber is the Director of Finance and Administration.  In her native United Kingdom, she received a BA in Business Administration and a Master’s in Psychology and was employed in HR Management, prior to traveling to the U.S. on an extended vacation. 

When she chanced on employment with the New Zealand Embassy, her ‘vacation’ trip to the US became permanent residency.  Based in Los Angeles, she was employed to promote New Zealand as a tourism destination to Americans.

After several years of this fun lifestyle she decided it was time to join the American workforce. She obtained Certificates in both HR Management and Accountancy at UCLA and has for the past 12 years been employed in non-profit management, the last 7 with Zimmer. In addition to the UK and US, Christine has lived in Spain and New Zealand and traveled through much of the world.  Exploring foreign lands and foreign cultures is an on-going passion and is only curtailed by work and financial restrictions.

Childhood hero: None. She was too busy playing.
Adult hero: Nelson Mandela

Rebecca Bernard
Development & Communications Manager
rebecca@zimmermuseum.org
(323) 761-8992

Rebecca Bernard was born in San Jose, Costa Rica and came to Los Angeles at the young age of two. As a product of a multicultural family, she has always had an affinity for cross-cultural exploration and has made it her life mission to inspire children with a sense of love, respect and appreciation for our cultural differences. She has a "thing" for languages and was raised bilingually. She currently speaks Spanish fluently and Italian and French conversationally, but is ready to add more languages to her belt! Rebecca obtained her Bachelor of Arts degree from UCLA in World Arts and Cultures, with a Minor in French. She also holds a Masters in Communication Management from the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Southern California, with a specialization in digital communication and arts journalism. Rebecca brings over a decades worth of  Business Development experience in the Localization industry, having helped Fortune 500 companies tailor their products and messaging for the international marketplace. She has also spent the last four years blogging and writing articles on parenting, culture, travel and the arts. When she is not working valiantly to grow the Zimmer through her fundraising efforts, you can usually find her hanging out in the exhibits with her two young children. 

Arielle Sherman
Development & Communications Coordinator
arielle@zimmermuseum.org
(323) 761-8141

Arielle was born and raised in the Los Angeles area, but it’s been quite a while since she’s lived here. After attending the University of California at Davis, where she earned her BA in Art History, Arielle moved up to Eugene, Oregon to begin a Master’s program in Arts Management with emphases in both Community Arts and Media Management. Most recently, Arielle worked as the Community Outreach Coordinator for the Cinema Pacific film festival in Eugene.

Now, this Valley Girl is back. Her position at the Zimmer combines her passions for the community engagement through the arts, youth learning, and- let’s be honest- social media. When she’s not working, Arielle can be found traveling the world (and capturing every moment of it on camera), watching the Food Network, geeking out over marketing blogs, playing on one of her many iSomethings, wandering into a(nother) museum, or waiting in line at a coffee shop.

Childhood hero: Bobby Flay

youTHink Staff

Shifra Teitelbaum
youTHink Director
shifra@youthink.org
(323) 761-8988

For over 25 years, Shifra has worked as an educator with youth and adults in schools, universities, businesses, camps and a range of co-curricular settings.  She has been the director of youTHink, a program of the Zimmer Children’s Museum, since its inception in 1999 and has developed it into a comprehensive education and youth development program anchored in social justice.

Shifra served as adjunct faculty at Antioch University, Los Angeles from 2005-2009 in the graduate Education Department.  Prior to her work at youTHink, she directed OPTIONS, a wellness and leadership program at California State University, Long Beach.  Shifra has a doctorate in education (EdD) from Fielding Graduate University, a Master’s degree in Educational Psychology from UCLA, and a Bachelor’s degree from Antioch University, Los Angeles.

Carla Ching
Program Administrator
carla@youthink.org
(323) 761-8311

Carla was born and raised in LA, but moved to NY to go to Vassar College, and then to get an MA in English Education from Teachers College at Columbia University. She taught English at JHS 117, Elisabeth Irwin HS and Hunter College HS. Then she shifted gears and became a theater Teaching Artist, working for organizations like The New Victory Theater, Theater Development Fund and Lincoln Center Institute, going into NYC public schools to do everything from clowning to dance to Theater of the Oppressed work. She also taught Playwriting at Pace University and is a working playwright.

Childhood hero: Spike Lee

Tasha Johnson
School Services Coordinator
tasha@youthink.org
(323) 761-8914

Tasha Johnson was born and bred in Sacramento, California. She attended college at Grambling State University in Louisiana earning her BA in English. Always up for an adventure, she moved to Washington DC where she worked in politics for a while before discovering she wanted to effect change in another way through teaching. After teaching 7th grade English for 5 years, she and her family moved back to California. Tasha’s passion for youth continues both as a mom of 3 adorable boys and now as the School Services Coordinator of youTHink. When she’s not working, she enjoys riding bikes on the beach, reading and dancing to old school hip-hop.

Childhood hero: My brother, Autroy Graves stood tall above buildings and when he picked me up it felt like I was flying high in the sky.

Carolina Couto
Program Specialist, Youth Services
carolina@youthink.org
(323) 761-8356

Carolina Couto graduated from California State University, Dominguez Hills in 2007 with a B.A. in Psychology. She is the Program Specialist for Youth Services with youTHink. Carolina loves to be able to work in the community and empower our youth to create change. In her free time she loves to dance, go to concerts, and bake cupcakes.

Childhood hero: Frida Kahlo