Board of Directors

R. Scott Horner, Board Chair
With a background as an award-winning visual journalist and pioneering interactive storyteller, Scott went on to found a successful healthcare technology company now located in Chapel Hill. Scott also is an abstract painter and member artist at the FRANK Gallery and belongs to the Orange County Artists Guild.

Linda Prager, Artist Membership Chair
Linda has been working with clay since 1976 and has studied at Penland, Cullowhee Mountain Arts, and Claymakers. She has participated in a number of shows, including at the Durham Arts Guild, Artspace, the Carrboro Arts Center, and Claymakers. She is a member of the Red Clay Co-op. Linda became a member artist at the FRANK Gallery in 2015.

Danny Bell, Vice Chair
Danny is an active member of the Lumbee and the Coharie American Indian Tribes. He serves the Triangle Native American Society on various American Indian, university and community boards and programs, promoting the visibility and inclusion of American Indian culture, history, and arts within public, private and non-profit sectors. Danny worked for the N.C. Commission of Indian Affairs for 12 years, served 31 years in the US Army and 440th Army Band, and recently retired after 27 years at UNC-Chapel Hill in the Student Aid Office and the American Indian and Indigenous Studies Curriculum.

Scott McConnell, Treasurer
Scott moved to Chapel Hill in 2005 and graduated from UNC with a degree in psychology with a concentration in neuroscience. His current academic interests vary widely from material science to marine biology. He decided to settle down here and now Scott is currently the Chief Technology Officer at a mental health diagnostics software company in town. In addition to being a musician, he has always had a deep appreciation and respect for the visual arts.

Gabrielle Rousso, Secretary 
Gabrielle Rousso has lived in Chapel Hill for four years. Gabrielle has worked in the arts in both non-profit arts management and administration, as well as design, throughout her career in Illinois. She was the Executive Director of a Fine Art School with multiple community Galleries in the Chicagoland area. Throughout her career her focus has been on the creative, as well as business side of the arts.

Neil Blumenkopf
Neil is a retired Deputy City Attorney for the City of Los Angeles. Prior to that he was an attorney in private practice with several law firms doing transactional law. He and his wife moved to the Chapel Hill area in 2022. Aside from board duties with FRANK, Neil is the co-chair of the arts committee at Judea Reform Congregation. He is a collector of wood art, art glass, and other mediums.

Jeremy Howell
Jeremy is the co-creator and managing director of Art & Object, a fine art news website and art marketplace that reaches millions of art lovers around the world. He holds an M.B.A. from UNC-Chapel Hill’s Kenan-Flagler Business School. He was formerly a producer of the nationally syndicated PBS show Baby Makes 3. In addition to his board membership at FRANK Gallery, he is a founding board member of The Teenage Cancer Health Alliance, a charitable fund that focuses on pediatric cancer patient mental health outcomes. A collector from a young age, Jeremy is deeply passionate about cultural objects. He has a particular love for antiquarian books, coins, vinyl records, and, of course, art.

Gordon Jameson
Gordon is a member artist and one of the founding members of FRANK. Gordon has been a professional artist for over three decades. He has extensive experience in working with arts organizations. Gordon is one of the founding members of Orange County Artist Guild and he served on Board of Directors of Orange County Artist Commission since 2000. Gordon lives in rural Orange County with his wife where he enjoys gardening, cooking and fine dining.  

Carroll Lassiter
Carroll is a founding member of Frank. She is a long time member of Orange County Artists Guild and an organizing committee member of Paint It Orange, a plein air event since 2017. Carroll has served as a docent at the Ackland Art Museum for twenty five years. In addition to a BFA from UNC-CH she studied welding at Alamance Community College and paper mache at Pocosin Arts School of Fine Crafts in Columbia, NC.  Her oil paintings feature North Carolina landscapes.

Joe Nussbaum 
After 25 years in Los Angeles working as a writer, director, and producer of movies and television, Joe moved to Chapel Hill in 2022 and has relished the opportunity to explore his other interests. In addition to leading a mental health advocacy initiative and acting in local theater, Joe has been soaking in the local art scene and filling his new home with his favorites.

Cathy Pierce
Originally from San Francisco and a University of Kansas alumni, Cathy brings an international perspective to the board at Frank Gallery. She spent 13 years living in Italy before settling in North Carolina. Actively involved in various committees in Chapel Hill and Durham, she cherishes the opportunity to connect with people across the Triangle. Her passion for art stems from her love of the gallery’s dynamic environment and her enthusiasm for event coordination, which adds a unique dimension to her contributions.

Luna Lee Ray
Luna is a founding artist member of Frank, and has served as its lead curator since 2011. She received her BFA in painting and printmaking from the Pacific Northwest College of Art in Portland, Oregon. Since settling in North Carolina in 1998, she has exhibited widely throughout the Triangle area and beyond. Luna also teaches intermediate -advanced level watercolor, acrylic, and mixed media classes for adults through the Carrboro ArtsCenter. 

Carol Retsch-Bogart
Carol is originally from Ohio and attended the University of Cincinnati as an undergraduate and Ohio State University for her Masters degree in Social Work. After eight years in Minneapolis, she moved to Chapel Hill in 1986 when her husband began his fellowship at UNC and then joined the faculty in the Department of Pediatrics. Carol worked as a social worker at Duke University for 30 years in the employee assistance program and maintained a concurrent psychotherapy practice. She retired in 2017 which afforded her more time to devote to her art and become a member of FRANK Gallery. She has been an artist with FRANK from its beginning which she credits for paving the way for her second career.