Board of Directors

Board of Directors
The New Bo board meetings will be on the THIRD TUESDAY of the month at:
Metro High School - Media Center
1212 7th Street SE, Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Jim Jacobmeyer
Community Leader, Educator & Artist

Over the past 35 years of teaching, I've worked with over 5000
students and continue to enjoy the challenges of building
relationships in the education and arts communities. As president of New Bohemia, it has been gratifying to see the growth of the district. We have a very talented group that continues to advocate for change and improvement. Our vision is to provide Cedar Rapids with an authentic arts and cultural district that encourages creativity, innovation, and celebrates our diverse cultural heritage.

Randa K. Cherry
Business Person, Neighborhood Advocate

Randa K. Cherry spent her childhood on the north edge of Linn County and received her Associate in Fine Arts Degree from Columbia College in Columbia, Missouri. In the late 80’s, Randa moved back to Iowa to receive specialized training in Massage Therapy, and went on to found Synergy Massage & Healing Center. Randa moved Synergy to New Bohemia because she was drawn to one of its historic buildings, the JG CHERRY BUILDING. The Cherry Building is especially close to her heart as her great-great uncle John George Cherry built it for his flourishing dairy container business. Synergy Massage has been in the Cherry Building since ’03, and Randa watched from the sidelines as The New Bohemia Group worked diligently, providing the footwork for the changes that will be occurring on 3rd Street very soon. Randa has served as Secretary for the New Bohemia Group since joining the board in the winter of 2007 and comes with BOD experience having served in many capacities on the state and national levels for her professional association, The American Massage Therapy Association. Randa is a musician and artist who works and lives in New Bohemia. She is very pleased to be back in her neighborhood again after being displaced in home and business due to the flood of 2008, and has a strong desire to see New Bohemia, as Cedar Rapids Historic and Cultural District, receive its much deserved due.

Michael Richards
Social Entrepreneur

Michael Richards is a lifelong social entrepreneur and community innovator. Richards' entrepreneurial efforts have included restoration of historic sites and artistic production of music and theatre.

With his current venture, Soyawax International, Richards invented a new bio-based replacement for petroleum wax that's bringing about a major revolution in the global candle and wax industry. Richards has trained more than 300 community based entrepreneurs to operate cottage industry for rural economic development.
Michael Richards is very active as a conference presenter and consultant working with communities to build sustainable local economic systems. This work has taken him to 25 nations on four continents during the last few years.

Debbie Brooks
Business Owner, Artist, Musician, Author

Debbie Brooks is a homegrown Cedar Rapids girl. She graduated from Jefferson and didn't even leave CR to do her undergrad work at Coe. She taught music in the CR Community Schools for over 20 years. When she lost most of her hearing, she went back to school an now owns and operates a pain relief clinic in Walford. She is a musician, painter, businesswoman and she loves to cook! She serves on the editorial board for Training & Conditioning magazine, is a reviewer for W.W. Norton Publishers, writes for several journal and magazines, and is now working on a children's book. She chaired Obnova, an arm of New Bo to serve as an advocacy program immediately after the CR flood and is on two other boards in Cedar Rapids. She is also in Who's Who in Medicine
& Healthcare and Who's Who in America and was the
Mentor of the Year for Waypoint (YWCA).

Scott Anderson
in his dreams.....

Scott Anderson is a sign painter, folk artist, gadfly, collector of kitsch, and a P.H.D. (post hole digger). A proud member of the ACLU, Freakbike Militia, numerous blues societies, and the AshCan and Walden Schools of thought. Scott helps out with the ongoing New Bohemia ArtBikes project and the Creative Bike Racks project in association with the Linn County Trails Association. He resides
in Northwest Cedar Rapids with his lovely wife Carrie, and
two above average kids, Nolan and Rosalyn.

Laura Burke, born and raised in Cedar Rapids , graduated Jefferson High School , class of 80. B.A. Comparative Literature University of Iowa , Dec. 85. MBA in International Marketing May 1990, Binghamton University. Worked in New York and Chicago for a paper company until 1998. Took over sole ownership of Marram Publishing, from 2003 to 2008. This company was created in 2000 by Laura and Patrick Burke, her husband. In 2002 Marram published his first (and only) book, The Lazy Bachelor’s Cookbook, www.lazybachelor.com.
In the past ten years – 1999 to present - focused on volunteer work, including school festivals, and silent auctions, as well as church activities including a grief support group for children and religious education.
In 2008, just after the flood, Laura returned to Cedar Rapids to be closer to family and friends.

Jesse Martinez
Humanitarian

Jesse Martinez is 45 and works for Yellowbook Publishing in Cedar Rapids and is married to Genia; legally 12 years and a total of 26 years. Jesse is step-father of two sons, Patrick, 31 and Trence, 29 and "Umpa" to two grandchildren, Kiria, 9 and Patrick II, 11months.
Jesse has been a resident of Cedar Rapids for nearly forty years and has lived most of his life in the Oak Hill Jackson, South West Area Neighborhood and Wellington Heights Neighborhoods. Jesse is a 1983 graduate of Metro Senior High where he first met fellow board member Bill Graham as his high school teacher; who knew over twenty years later Jesse would still be learning from him! Metro High School also helped form another friendship with another fellow board member Jim Jacbomeyer, joining forces in the restoration of the Paul Engle Center mural a few years ago.
Jesse is very active in the community and serves on, or has served on many boards and committees including:

	Board of Directors & Rental Coordinator of the Paul Engle Center for Neighborhood Arts
	Board of Directors ACLU of Iowa State Affiliate
	Site Committee Chair and State Committee Member of Justice For Our Neighbors
	ESL Tutor/Spanish Interpreter/Translator

" I have a strong affection to this community in particular for its vibrant mix of history and culture, knowing that I too am, in a small way, part of that same history and I'm proud to serve with the board of directors of the New Bohemia Group."