Leadership

As Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, Jonas Wright leads SFCM’s academic vision, overseeing curriculum, faculty, and the continued evolution of the student experience. He is guided by a commitment to the student population, who represent some of the finest musicians in the country, with a focus on academic achievement, student engagement, and efforts to attract new students of the highest caliber to SFCM. By ensuring that the Conservatory continues to meet the standards for accreditation, he is committed to the success of students, faculty, and administrative staff.

While serving as Registrar, Wright successfully led the initiative to move the Conservatory to online registration and grade reporting, creating a more user-friendly experience. He launched the Student Academic Enrichment Center (SAEC) in the fall of 2014, which centralized all tutoring services into one location, and expanded support services for the Conservatory’s diverse student population. He was promoted to Associate Dean of Academic Affairs in 2015.  

Before joining SFCM, Wright served first as Operations Manager, then as Registrar, at the Presidio Graduate School, where he established the school’s first Registrar’s Office. He’s also held positions at the American Film Institute, supporting a student population consisting of the most driven, focused, and talented aspirants to film and television production.

Since September 2016, Wright has served as Board Chair for Little Opera, an after-school arts and music program. Additionally, he’s volunteered at College Track, advising, mentoring and inspiring at-risk San Francisco high school seniors as they apply for college.

Originally from Buffalo, New York, Wright received his Bachelor of Arts in film studies from the University of Buffalo and now lives in San Francisco with his amazing wife. When not at 50 Oak, you have an equal chance of finding him at War Memorial Opera House, SFJAZZ, or the Great American Music Hall, inspired by all the great music the city has to offer.

Samantha Leo is a values-motivated arts and culture executive with more than 20 years of leadership experience driving transformational revenue growth, brand evolution, and community engagement for leading cultural institutions. As Vice President of Advancement at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, she leads a 20-person team across fundraising, marketing, and communications, building the philanthropic support and audience engagement that advance SFCM’s students, programs, and future.

Prior to SFCM, Samantha spent more than a decade at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA), ultimately serving as Chief Philanthropy Officer. There, she led the museum’s philanthropy program and annual revenue goals of more than $30 million, developing new approaches to donor and corporate engagement and launching initiatives including the Art of Today Annual Exhibition Fund and Next Generation Art Bash. Earlier in her career, Samantha held fundraising and corporate partnership roles with the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, Los Angeles Opera, and San Francisco Opera.

Across every initiative, Samantha pairs entrepreneurial vision with strategic partnership to amplify impact, deepen audience connection, and build sustainable futures for organizations. At SFCM, she brings that perspective to an institution preparing students for a changing musical world while expanding what a conservatory can make possible. Through fundraising, marketing, and communications, she builds support and visibility for scholarships, future-focused programs, and opportunities created through SFCM’s Global Creative Alliance, helping ensure that students have the resources, experiences, and professional connections to build meaningful lives in music.

Regina Lee is an accomplished finance executive with leadership experience spanning nonprofit organizations, emerging businesses, and major financial institutions. As Vice President of Finance & Administration and Chief Financial Officer at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, she leads the financial and administrative operations that advance SFCM’s educational mission, support its students and programs, and position the institution for continued growth.

Regina brings expertise in financial strategy, planning and analysis, accounting, budgeting and forecasting, audit oversight, financial reporting, and organizational systems. She also has more than two decades of experience in corporate real estate and has supported acquisitions, complex transactions, and organizations undergoing significant growth and transformation. Throughout her career, she has led systems implementations and process improvements that strengthened internal operations, enhanced financial decision-making, and built greater organizational capacity and scalability.

A PricewaterhouseCoopers alumna, Regina has held leadership and finance roles with Wells Fargo Bank, Bank of America, Chela Education Financing, GATX Capital Corporation, PeoplePC, and Pacific Financial Companies.

John M. Anderson, in memoriam
Edward W. Beck
Didi Boring
William K. Bowes, Jr., in memoriam
Ava Jean Brumbaum, in memoriam
Mrs. A. Barlow Ferguson, in memoriam
Mrs. Harold B. Getz, Jr.
Bruce W. Hart
Warren R. Hashagen, Jr., in memoriam
Michael J. Savage
John B. Stuppin, in memoriam
Michael R.V. Whitman