Event Organizers
Jeanette Yoffe
Organizer & Founder of Celia Center
Jeanette Yoffe M.A., M.F.T., is the Executive Director and Founder of Celia Center. Celia Center connects all those will lived experience by Foster Care and Adoption and all those who serve the community of Foster Care and Adoption in Los Angeles and beyond.
Before dedicating her life as an adoptions and foster care psychotherapist, Yoffe was a dancer and actress. Yoffe’s desire to become a therapist with a special focus on adopted and foster care issues derived from her own experience of being adopted and moving through the foster care system. And now, after founding Celia Center two years ago, Yoffe wants to merge her background in the arts with the mission of Celia Center.
In 2006 she won Los Angeles Foster Care Hero Award for her dedication to children and families in foster Care.
She has appeared on the OWN and TLC Network, as a Psychotherapist teaching about Adoption in the shows Raising Whitley and Long Lost Family. in 1999 she wrote a one-woman play about growing up in foster care and adoption called, “What’s Your Name, Who’s Your Daddy?” and was accepted into the Los Angeles Women’s Theater Festival.
She is also the clinical director and founder of Yoffe Therapy, more info at YoffeTherapy.com
Leigh Chapman
Curator
Leigh Chapman is an Artist and Therapeutic Educator, Event Curator, Illustrator, Author and Adoptee in Reunion and has created greeting cards, illustrated note cards and books. One of her books is about her North Country Childhood summers. It is a memoir that she published widely as a grant recipient in Potsdam throughout he arts council.
She also completed her teaching certification through SUNY Potsdam. Her books are and cards are available through her website heartfirstgreetings.com. She began creating her cards with the encouragement of her parents at Christmas when she was in the 1st grade. They bought all the materials and she wrote and illustrated and original one for each person on the list. By third grade she was exhibiting art with her mother at local County Fairs.
In college she graduated with a BFA from FIT in NYC and designed for Radio city and artist Peter Max Studio. She then created murals for 3 Borders Books stores and exhibited 2 more times with her mother as part of an independent art society. A North Country Winter horse drawn sled from a family photo was on display in her grandparents home, that she later repainted from her Mom’s art and is published on the pages of her Memoir. As a gift she bought her Mom a series of paint classes along with her and they both painted a tree in the forest, inspired by the beauty of the woods. Mother and daughter, artists, two peas in a pod.
Brian Stanton
Performing Arts Programming
Brian Stanton is honored to lead the performing arts programming at the Celia Center Arts Festival. Brian wrote the play BLANK had its World Premiere in Los Angeles, CA in April of 2010. The production has since visited Off Broadway New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Boston, D.C., Vancouver, Dallas, Kansas City, Aspen, Orlando, and San Diego, garnering critical acclaim along the way. Among its accolades, BLANK received a “Best Solo Actor” award at the United Solo Theatre Festival in New York City and two StageSceneLA awards: “Outstanding Actor in a Solo Performance” for Stanton and “Outstanding Director of a Solo Performance” for McKerrin Kelly.
Stanton’s compelling performance and the powerful narrative of BLANK have been praised for their emotional depth and raw honesty. The production explores themes of identity and belonging, resonating deeply with audiences across diverse communities. BLANK and Stanton have been featured on NPR, ABC News, and The Kansas City Star, highlighting the significant impact of the show and its contribution to the arts.
In addition to his work in BLANK, Brian Stanton is a dedicated actor and playwright committed to telling stories that provoke thought and inspire change. His passion for the arts extends beyond the stage, as he actively engages in workshops and discussions that promote artistic expression and foster community connection. Stanton’s multifaceted career reflects his dedication to both his craft and his audience.
For more information on BLANK and Brian Stanton, visit: thebrianstanton.com.
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