2026 Getrude Field Community Impact Award Honorees
Ronald Gallman
A dedicated champion of community music education for more than four decades, Ron Gallman served on Community Music Center's Board of Directors for 27 years, helping guide the organization through periods of significant growth and transformation. For many of those years, he chaired CMC's Program Committee, shaping educational strategy and strengthening the bridge between community-based music education and the professional orchestral field. Ron retired from CMC's board in 2024, leaving a lasting impact on programs serving students of all ages across San Francisco.
After a 42-year tenure administering the San Francisco Symphony's education programs, Ron retired in June 2025, capping a long career of service to music education and orchestra management. As the Symphony's Director of Education and Youth Orchestra, Ron oversaw the creation and management of extensive educational programs hailed as national models and serving the spectrum of Bay Area communities and beyond. These include the nationally recognized Adventures in Music (AIM) program, serving every student in grades 1-5 in San Francisco's public elementary schools; Music and Mentors, supporting public school instrumental music programs; Concerts for Kids, which brings school groups from throughout Northern California to Davies Symphony Hall; and SFSKids.org, the Symphony's free interactive website for children, schools, and families. Ron also managed the San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra, acclaimed for its artistry at home and abroad, whose alumni now perform in many of the world's leading orchestras, and launched the Symphony's Community of Music Makers, a five-year initiative providing workshop experiences for amateur instrumentalists and choristers onstage at Davies Symphony Hall.
Ron's service to the national orchestra field includes writing, lecturing, and consulting. In addition to developing educational materials, he has given pre-concert talks and contributed program notes at major American orchestras and spoken at national conferences of the League of American Orchestras, Americans for the Arts, the Arts Education Partnership's National Forum, and the Association of California Symphony Orchestras. The National Endowment for the Arts has appointed Ron to serve multiple times on arts-in-education committees. He has also served on music panels of the California Arts Council and on the City of San Francisco Arts Task Force. At CMC, Ron served as a board member for decades, chaired the Program Committee, and represented the San Francisco Symphony. At the League of American Orchestras, he served on the National Education Leadership Committee and was appointed Chair for two successive terms, and he served for eleven years on the Board of the Association of California Symphony Orchestras. Ron is also a 40-year member of the Grammy Award-winning San Francisco Symphony Chorus, where he sings tenor.
Ron's decades of leadership in community and national music education highlight his unwavering commitment to inclusive participation, fostering appreciation and admiration. His dedication to ensuring people of all ages and backgrounds can engage with music makes him an especially fitting honoree for this year's Gala.
Sharon L. Litsky and John F. Sampson
Sharon L. Litsky and John F. Sampson exemplify a lifelong commitment to strengthening San Francisco through leadership, service, and a deep belief in the power of education, the arts, and community connection.
Sharon Litsky has been a tireless champion of music education and cultural access for more than two decades. Over her four years on the Host Committee for Community Music Center's annual Spring Gala, including serving as Chair in 2023, Sharon has helped broaden the CMC's circle of supporters and advance our mission to make music accessible to all. Her dedication to the San Francisco Symphony spans leadership roles across the organization, including the Volunteer Council and Symphony League. Sharon has served as Symphony League President, Vice President for Membership Development, and chair of numerous committees. In 2008, she was honored as San Francisco Symphony Volunteer of the Year in recognition of her extraordinary service, which has emphasized youth education, audience engagement, and cultural inclusion.
John Sampson, at 90, continues to work actively as Principal of John F. Sampson Associates, specializing in forensic appraisals and property management of commercial and residential rental properties in San Francisco. He comes from a long line of civic leaders and community builders, a legacy reflected in his decades of board leadership across the city's cultural, educational, and social service institutions. John has served as Board President of the Museum of Craft & Folk Art, Camp Tawonga, the Kahn Foundation, and The Urban School, and has held board positions with organizations including Jewish Family and Children's Services, Mt. Zion Hospital, the Fort Mason Foundation, the American Jewish Committee, Congregation Emanu-El, and the Economic Roundtable.
Together, Sharon and John have devoted their time, talent, and resources to organizations that enrich lives, expand opportunity, and foster community across San Francisco. Their shared commitment to education, the arts, and compassionate service reflects the very spirit of Community Music Center and makes them fitting honorees for this year's Gala.