Administrative

Alicia Tos rejoins Smuin after having served as Development Manager from March 2016-January 2020. Originally from Buffalo, NY, Alicia has a BA in Arts Management from Purchase College and focused in marketing and development for dance companies. She has worked with Garth Fagan Dance, Lar Lubovitch Dance Company, and Ellen Jacobs Associates in New York City. She loves baking and soaking up the sunshine in Northern California’s wine country in her free time.

Mariana Carrillo, originally from Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, graduated from the University of Southern California Kaufman School of Dance with a BFA in Dance and a minor in Business Entrepreneurship. Her professional dance experience includes dancing for Ballet RED, Barak Ballet, and Festival Ballet Theatre. Additionally, Mariana is a recognized founding artist of Gala de Danza Mexico, which started with performing annually since its inception in 2013 and ultimately progressed to being involved in the year-long planning, execution, and oversight of Gala de Danza. Prior to joining Smuin, Mariana also served as Director of Grant Programs for ASSE International Student Exchange Programs. Mariana is thrilled to join Smuin for its 30th anniversary season.

Originally from the Bay Area, Ellen Gaintner worked at Nashville Ballet and San Angelo Civic Ballet before joining Smuin in 2016. A classically trained ballet dancer, she was a member of Nashville Ballet 2 from 2008-2010.

A former dancer with Smuin, Benjamin now has multiple roles behind the curtain. As Community Engagement Manager, he oversees the programming of Smuin Center for Dance. As Rehearsal Assistant, he teaches, stages, rehearses, and coaches the Company Artists. Benjamin teaches ballet around the city and in the East Bay, and acts as creative producer and art director on various projects outside of Smuin. Benjamin holds a M.A. in Arts Administration from Goucher College.

Jason Hertenstein comes to Smuin after completing six seasons with the Oakland Athletics’ Box Office Department. Previously, in East Central Illinois, Jason had accumulated over 25 years of “customer first” sales experience in varying fields. Jason has also been a local volunteer with West Contra Costa School District, Boy Scouts of America, and briefly with YSA Tiny House Empowerment Village. In Jason’s free time you find him traveling, eating, and celebrating with his family four pack and friends.

Sonja is a Berkeley native with a background in contemporary and classical ballet. She danced professionally in the Bay Area and New York from 2016 to 2023, dancing for some wonderful companies, including Sharp and Fine, Liss Fain Dance, and The Mark Foehringer Dance Project. She got her first job in marketing in 2021, and is now thrilled to be putting her marketing talents to use for Smuin Contemporary Ballet.

A native of the San Francisco Bay Area, Ben Estabrook specializes in translating dance to the screen. He has directed and shot dance films that have screened at Cinedans, Dance on Camera, Dance Camera West, and other festivals across the globe. His collaborations with Amy Seiwert include the dance films Organized Hope, Just So, and Veronica & Vincent. During the pandemic, he brought ballet to the screens of dance lovers as the digital content producer at San Francisco Ballet.

He has taught screendance at UC Berkeley, Saint Mary’s College, and the University of Utah, and has given guest lectures and workshops at Stanford University, Young Artist Platform of Dance in Beijing, Southwest University in Chongqing, Mills College, and Brigham Young University. As co-founder of the San Francisco Dance Film Festival, he also serves as its technical director.

His interest in screendance led him to the University of Utah, where he studied under Ellen Bromberg and graduated with an MFA in Film & Media Arts and a Graduate Certificate in Screendance in 2014.  He is thrilled to once again be living in San Francisco where he cheers on the Warriors with his wife and immerses himself in VR in his spare time.

Annika Presley, originally from the Netherlands, has over 18 years of experience in non-profit arts administration. She has been a crucial member of the senior leadership teams of esteemed companies such as AXIS Dance Company, Noorani Dance, and Amy Seiwert’s Imagery.

With an M.A. in Sign Language Linguistics and ten years of experience bringing dance to people with disabilities, Presley brings a deep commitment to accessibility to the organization. As Operations Manager, she is responsible for the day-to-day operations and serves as a bridge between the artistic and administrative side of Smuin, allowing her to combine her passion for management and coaching to build a work environment and company culture where everyone can thrive.

Coral is a self-proclaimed CRM whisperer with a love for clean data and well-organized spreadsheets. As Development Operations Manager, she manages the team’s tech stack, streamlines workflows, and makes sure donor engagement isn’t just efficient but meaningful. With a background in fundraising, communications, and nonprofit technology, she’s worked in the nonprofit space since 2014 for organizations like the Junior League of Dallas and Educational First Steps, handling everything from major fundraising events to behind-the-scenes systems that keep nonprofits thriving.

When she’s not crunching numbers at Smuin, she volunteers her expertise to help other nonprofits get their data, systems, and donor outreach in top shape. She firmly believes that a little organization (and a lot of tea) can make the nonprofit world go round.

She holds a BA in Sociology from the University of Texas at Arlington and is a native of the Rio Grande Valley area in Texas.