Our Team

Vince Beggs

Executive Director
Vincent Beggs is a seasoned nonprofit professional with extensive experience in the creation and administration of exhibits, installations, and educational programs worldwide. He has collaborated with a range of institutions, including the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Discovery Center. His diverse projects also include work on global cultural initiatives like the King Abdulaziz Centre for World Culture and the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures.

A lifelong Angeleno and award-winning documentary filmmaker, Vince brings his passion for combining art, education, and technology to The Allee Willis Foundation. As the Executive Director, he leverages his expertise to support the foundation’s mission of fostering creativity and innovation, making him a perfect fit for leading its programs.

Stephen Cox

Music Education Program Director
Stephen Cox, the 2022 Grammy Music Educator Award winner, leads the Musical Wonders program at The Allee Willis Foundation, where he brings creativity and innovation to music education. With years of experience transforming classrooms into hubs of inspiration, Stephen empowers students to create, connect, and thrive through music. From launching a student-centered band program in a historic public school to leading award-winning ensembles in jazz, concert, and modern band formats, he makes music education accessible and exciting.

Rusty Blazenhoff

Director of Cultural Legacy
Rusty Blazenhoff is a cultural strategist and legacy steward who helps beloved creative worlds grow without losing their soul.
For more than three decades, she has worked at the intersection of art, community, and participation, shaping and protecting iconic cultural spaces and stories. She collaborated closely with Paul Reubens to steward the world of Pee-wee Herman and now serves as Director of Cultural Legacy for The Allee Willis Foundation, where she preserves and activates the creative legacy of songwriter Allee Willis.

In addition to her foundation work, Rusty advises artists’ estates and families on legacy planning and cultural stewardship, helping translate a lifetime of creative work into living archives, experiences, and sustainable impact. Her guiding belief: culture isn’t something you market. It’s something people belong to.

Our Board

Joe Emory

Board Member
Joe Emory has an almost 40 year career in Human Resources; specializing in Employee Relations, Mentoring and Coaching and Training and Development. For the last 26 years Joe has worked at Hot Topic where he currently is the Director of Human Resources. Joe has headed up the Hot Topic Foundation for the last 15 years; the foundation supports Music Education for the underserved as well as Mental Health resources for folks that are suffering. Joe’s passion for giving back and the Hot topic foundation can only be matched by his love of music. Mr. Emory often says, “Music saved my life as a teenager”, that is why I loved giving that gift back.

Prudence Fenton

Chair & President

Prudence Fenton is the Chair and President of the Board of Directors for The Allee Willis Foundation. An award-winning creative visualist and writer, Prudence has been at the forefront of media innovation for over 30 years. Her groundbreaking work as a producer, filmmaker, executive, animator, and multimedia artist has shaped visual culture through iconic projects such as Pee-wee’s Playhouse, MTV IDs, Peter Gabriel’s animated music videos, and Liquid Television.

As an internet pioneer and longtime consultant for Disney R&D, Prudence contributed to cutting-edge projects like smart toys and media prototypes for ABC and ESPN. Her collaborative spirit and visionary approach are evident in her work with major clients such as Walt Disney Imagineering, Microsoft, and Viacom.

In addition to her other achievements, Prudence is an executive producer of the award-winning documentary The World According to Allee Willis, which celebrates the life and legacy of her partner of 28 years, Allee Willis. This connection deepens her commitment to guiding the foundation’s mission of preserving Allee’s vibrant creative spirit.

With a career marked by creativity and innovation, Prudence has earned numerous accolades, including three Emmys, a Grammy, and a Clio.

Richard Foos

Board Member
Richard Foos is a pioneering entertainment entrepreneur and social activist. He co‑founded Rhino Records, widely credited with inventing reissue culture, and later co‑founded Shout! Factory, expanding into film and television. Shout! Studios is now a part of Radial Entertainment where Richard serves as a consultant for the company. Foos currently serves as Board Chair of both The Narrative Method and Volunteer Collective, and on the Board of Governors of Cedars-Sinai. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife, Shari Foos.

Alex Kirk

Board Member

Alex has retired from a long career as a senior leader in investment banking and asset management in order to focus on philanthropy and fun. Most recently, he was Managing Partner and Chief Investment Officer of River Birch Capital, LLC, a global credit asset management firm he co-founded in 2010. Prior to co-founding River Birch, Alex was Global Head of Principal Investments and a member of the Executive Committee of Lehman Brothers. Prior to that, he was Global Head of Credit from 2006 to 2008.

He was Head of High Yield and Chairman of the High Yield Commitment Committee from 2002 to 2005, and he ran the Global Distressed business from 1994 to 2001. Prior to joining Lehman Brothers, Alex was at Kidder Peabody from 1982 to 1994, where he held the positions of Research Analyst, Head of Distressed Debt Sales and Head of Distressed Trading. Alex received a B.A. in Economics from Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut in 1982. Alex has served on the Board of Jacob’s Pillow, the oldest summer dance festival in the United States, and has been an active supporter of Trinity College and the Columbia University School of Journalism. In addition, Alex has taken up playing the harmonica and does regular gigs in his living room.

Victoria Vickers

Secretary

Victoria Vickers is a life-long educator. Having worked for more than thirty years in public education, she began as an English teacher and was promoted to administration. Her posts included high school, middle school, elementary school, magnet school and starting a pilot school. Her most recent position was Assistant Principal at the Ramon C. Cortines School of Visual and Performing Arts (Grand Arts) in downtown Los Angeles where the curriculum integrated a rigorous academic program with instruction in visual arts, dance, theatre, and music. Victoria lives in Los Angeles with her husband, Tom, who is retired after a career in the music business.