Sonoma County auto group owner named chairman of Green Music Center board

Sonoma County auto industry leader Henry Hansel will take philanthropist Sandy Weill’s place as chairman of the Sonoma State University’s Board of Advisors for Weill Hall and the Green Music Center, the university announced.

Hansel is owner of the county’s largest auto group and part of a family. The Hansel dealership group has been around since 1961 and sells 12 brands in eight auto centers in Santa Rosa and Petaluma.

Both Weill and his wife, Joan, have stepped down from the 27-member advisory board, according to the university. He currently serves as a vice-chairman of the board. Weill is an investor in Sonoma Media Investments, which owns the North Bay Business Journal.

“Weill Hall at the Green Music Center has been a true labor of love for Sandy and Joan,” SSU President Judy Sakaki said, “and their leadership and passion has redounded to the lasting benefit of our campus and the community.”

The Green Music Center opened its doors in September of 2012. Telecom Valley pioneer Don Green and his wife, Maureen, were the initial spark behind the project as well as donors. The Green Music Center is named in their honor.

The Weills, prominent arts and education philanthropists, donated a crucial $12 million to complete the 1,417-seat concert hall. It was the largest single cash gift in SSU’s history.

Sakaki scrapped plans for a 10,000-seat amphitheater in September, saying the money was better spent on academic programs and the needs of students and faculty. Under former SSU President Ruben Arminana, the center was co-directed by Zarin Mehta, former director of the New York Philharmonic orchestra, and Larry Furukawa-Schlereth, SSU’s vice president for administration and finance. Furukawa-Schlereth retired after Sakaki arrived.

The new president said she intends to hire a single executive director who will report to her and serve in her cabinet.