THE TEAM
Samee Roberts
President/Executive Director
Samee Roberts is an accomplished marketing professional with 35+ years’ experience in private and public sector marketing, communications, public relations, and large scale event production.
As Marketing Director at the City of Oakland for nearly 15 years, Samee oversaw marketing, special events, cultural arts, graphics and film for California’s eighth largest city. She also served as the City’s liaison to Oakland Grown/Sustainable Business Alliance, Visit Oakland, and the Bay Area Sports Organizing Committee (BASOC), as well as numerous civic, business, community, cultural and arts organizations.
Prior to being promoted to Marketing Director, Samee served as the City’s Special Events Coordinator, leading Oakland’s successful hosting of numerous national-caliber events including the 1989 Oakland Athletics World Series Victory Rally, 1989 U.S. Rowing Masters National Championships, 1996 U.S. Olympic Boxing Trials, 2000 NBA All-Star Game, 2006 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Regional Playoffs and many others. Samee is co-founder and executive producer of Oakland’s iconic Art + Soul festival.
A proud Oaklander since 1981, Samee resides in the Laurel District with her spouse Karen and their son Quinn. In June 2008, Samee and Karen became the first same-sex couple to be legally married in the city of Oakland. An alum of the University of Southern California, Samee holds a B.A. in Journalism and a minor in Public Administration.
Steven Tiffin
Vice President/Director of Operations
Steven Tiffin is a seasoned event producer with a 30-year track record of delivering high quality productions ranging from citywide beautification projects to large scale regional festivals. Steven brings a full range of operational, fiscal and technical expertise, with special emphasis on logistics, systems, staffing (both paid and volunteer), permits, street closures, traffic coordination, staging/sound, rigging, and vendor management.
Steven is known for his work through his Oakland-based company, Shasta Production Services, providing a full range of project and administrative support for a wide range of area businesses since 2003. Clients include real estate developers, brokers and agents; building contractors and subs; retail establishments; business Improvement districts, nonprofit organizations and others. Services include project management, logistics support, fiscal support (accounting, bookkeeping), permit facilitation, staffing/crew and event production. Steven brings Shasta Production’s expertise in logistics, project management and beyond to his work with Heart of the Town Events.
Steven’s extensive event experience includes Festival at the Lake as Director of Operations (1989-1997); Production Manager for Temescal Street Fair (2005-present) and Rockridge Out & About (2011-present); Festival Director and co-founder of Art + Soul Oakland (2001-present).
Steven, his wife Victoria and their two daughters are longtime residents of the Temescal district of Oakland. He is a proud alum of Sacramento State University where he majored in Drama with an emphasis on Stage Management, Scenery and Lighting.
Johana Orozco
Operations Manager
johana@heartofthetownevents.org
Johana brings vast expertise, knowledge, and skill to Heart of the Town. A seasoned producer of a wide range of private, public, and large-scale events, Johana shines in fast-paced work environments. Her ability to work with a high level of independence, as well as her excellent time management skills, detail orientation, flexibility, accountability, and team-oerientation are the perfetc fit for our organization. As Operations Manager, Johana plans logistics and manages operations for HOTT's various festivals and street fairs including the Art & Soul Festival, Autumn Lights Festival, Bay Area Book Festival, and others. Johana hires, trains, and manages event staff and production crew. She generates job descriptions and spreadsheets to manage staff, vendors, tenants, artists and media. She also coordinates security, parking permits, maps, gate access passes, as well as tenant, artists and vendor lists. Beyond that, she manages radio log, will-call Google doc., time cards, schedules, and lunch breaks, and is responsible for reconciling expenses and payroll. Johana serves as HOTT's on-the-ground supervisor for all event-related staff and crew. Johana is bilingual in English/Spanish.