Tri-State Area

Steve and Abbey Braverman hail from Engelwood Cliffs, NJ. They have two children — Heather, a sophomore at the USC School of Dramatic Arts, and Julia, who is a junior in high school. Heather is a singer and song writer, and Julia is studying piano, bass and voice. Steve Braverman is co-CEO of Pathstone Federal Street, an independent, family and employee-owned integrated wealth management organization. Steve earned a BA in economics from the University of Pennsylvania and attended the Keller Graduate School of Management MBA Finance Program. Abbey graduated from Northwestern University. Both Steve and Abbey have supported a variety of community organizations, and Abbey has been a leader in raising awareness for families facing the challenge of food allergies through her extensive volunteer efforts with FARE (Food Allergy Research & Education). Steve sits on the Board of Councilors of the School of Dramatic Arts and both Steve and Abbey have been tri-state SDA parent ambassadors since fall 2014 and on the Executive Board of USC’s Parents Leadership Circle since 2015.

San Diego

Tom and Beth Dammeyer live in San Diego, CA., having recently relocated from Chicago. They have two children — Samantha, a sophomore currently pursuing a BFA in Acting at the USC School of Dramatic Arts, and Mathew, who is a sophomore in high school. Tom is the Founder and President of CAC LLC. CAC was founded in 2000 and is a private company offering capital investment and management advisory services based in San Diego. CAC is dedicated to partnering with experienced and committed entrepreneurs in businesses with clear growth prospects in large market opportunities. Tom received a BS in Accounting from USC where he also played on the Men’s Tennis team. He has a MBA from the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business with concentrations in finance and international business. Beth is a dental hygienist with a degree from Loyola University School of Dentistry in Chicago. In addition to private practice, she has served as adjunct clinical faculty at the USC dental school and Kennedy King City College of Chicago. Both Tom and Beth have served on numerous charitable organizations supporting inner city youth development and education in Chicago.

San Francisco Bay Area

Scott and Deb DeVries live in Lafayette, CA. They have three children — Madison, a sophomore at SDA, Kaitlin (10th grade) and Ryan (8th grade). Scott was born in New York, obtained his BA from the College of William and Mary and his JD from Hastings College of the Law. He is a partner at the international law firm of Winston & Strawn, where he specializes in insurance recovery on behalf of the firm’s corporate clients. Deb was born in San Diego and obtained her BFA from Loyola Marymount. While there, she spent a year studying theatre in London at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts. Deb currently works as a style consultant for Etcetera–New York.

Q&A with the new Ambassadors

What has been your best experience of being an SDA parent so far?

Bravermans: One of our top SDA experiences to date has been attending the 2015 Trojan Family Weekend activities and to see the amazing community that is SDA and USC. From the Bing Theatre gathering to the pre-football Associates parties and parents dinner, we enjoyed meeting new families and seeing old friends reconnect after many years.

Dammeyers: One of our best experiences so far has been the opportunity to meet other parents and alumni, who are also closely connected to the School and share a passion for SDA and USC. From events such as Trojan Family Weekend and football tailgate parties, we have felt truly welcomed by the SDA and USC community and have enjoyed connecting with so many members of the Trojan Family.

DeVries: Our best SDA experiences to date have been the Trojan Family Weekend and seeing Maddie in her first USC production. During Trojan Family Weekend, we particularly appreciated the opportunity to participate in a small working group with Interim Dean David Bridel and others, in which we were briefed on the current SDA initiatives and had a meaningful opportunity to provide input regarding the future direction.

What are you most looking forward to as Parent Ambassadors?

Bravermans: We look forward to expanding the SDA parent network and to helping the School continue to build its east coast presence through more high-visible events and activities. There are so many wonderful alumni to be celebrating and lots of enthusiastic parents eager to engage with USC and SDA. We look forward to harnessing that energy to help the School realize its exciting future.

Dammeyers: We look forward to building the SDA parent and alumni community in the San Diego Area through events and outreach. We hope to provide support of the School’s future programs and activities, and to connect with SDA alumni that can provide guidance and mentoring for both our daughter and us, as parents supporting her artistic journey.

Devries: As we move on, we look forward to additional opportunities to connect with other SDA parents, continue to provide input for the advancement of the college and its efforts toward developing a closer relationship with the School of Cinematic Arts, and, of course, seeing Maddie develop and hone her intellectual and artistic skills.