New Theater for Los Altos

Robin Abrams and Joe Beninato to Co-Chair Capital Campaign Cabinet for Los Altos Performing Arts Center

Los Altos Community leaders Robin Abrams and Joe Beninato have agreed to co-chair the Los Altos Performing Arts Center (LAPAC) Capital Campaign Cabinet, the volunteer leadership group dedicated to securing philanthropic support for the proposed performing arts center and future home of the Los Altos Stage Company in downtown Los Altos.

A Steering Committee consisting of Anthony Carnesecca, Assistant to the City Manager; Crysta Krames, CEO of the Los Altos Mountain View Community Foundation; and Vicki Reeder, board member of the Los Altos Stage Company, was formed with the specific focus of recruiting and hiring a capital campaign consultant—a task they completed successfully with the selection of Indigo Skies Consulting, led by Sharon Papo, to guide LAPAC’s fundraising effort.

With this transition complete, the Capital Campaign Cabinet, under Abrams’ and Beninato’s leadership, will partner with Sharon Papo and the Indigo Skies Consulting team to conduct a focused fundraising campaign. “Indigo Skies Consulting brings a track record of thoughtful strategy, community engagement, and disciplined execution,” said Vicki Reeder, Los Altos Stage Company board member and member of the City’s Steering Committee. “As we’ve learned of their prior work during the consultant search, I’m genuinely excited about what their partnership with LAPAC can achieve. This is a major step forward for our community’s vibrant cultural future.” “On behalf of the Capital Campaign Cabinet, I want to thank Anthony Carnesecca, Crysta Krames, and Vicki Reeder for their diligent service on the Steering Committee,” said Robin Abrams, co-chair. “They laid a strong foundation by bringing on Sharon Papo and Indigo Skies Consulting. We’re energized and optimistic about the future as we invite the community to help make a vibrant downtown performing arts center a reality.”

About the Co-Chairs
Robin Abrams brings more than four decades of experience building and leading technology companies and startups. She has served as interim CEO of ZILOG Inc., CEO of VeriFone, CEO of Palm Computing, and President of Apple Americas. Robin has also spent the last 25+ years serving on the boards of publicly-traded global companies.

Joe Beninato is an innovation expert and technology leader with over 30 years of experience in Silicon Valley. A graduate of MIT in aerospace engineering, he has founded, led, or advised dozens of technology startups, including Banter.ai, Tello, Presto, and When.com. Beninato was most recently co-lead of the early innovation team at X, the moonshot factory (formerly Google X), and has served on multiple company boards, mentored at Stanford University, and advised numerous early-stage ventures.

How to Get Involved
Interested community members and prospective donors are encouraged to reach out to Robin and Joe at lapac2026@gmail.com to learn more about the campaign and ways to support.

About the Los Altos Performing Arts Center (LAPAC)
LAPAC is a community-driven initiative to develop a dedicated venue in downtown Los Altos for theater, music, dance, lectures, and cultural programming. The project aims to provide an accessible, high-quality home for local artists, students, visiting performers, and audiences of all ages—strengthening the cultural fabric of the greater Los Altos area.