Pasadena Showcase House for the Arts Selects Benefit Co-Chairs for the 2026 Pasadena Showcase House of Design

Pasadena Showcase House for the Arts has selected three Co-Chairs of the 2026 Pasadena Showcase House of Design. Cynthia Bengtson, Lydia Rubin and Lynne Graves will take on different aspects of the Benefit Chair position under a recent leadership restructuring by the organization’s President, Dotty Ewing. With an ever-expanding benefit, which now includes three restaurants, shops, special and private events, as well as themed dinners and entertainment, Ewing saw the need to divide the responsibilities of the position into three distinct areas, Administration & Operations, Design & Logistics and Events & Hospitality. “Restructuring our benefit leadership allows these women to concentrate on their specific talents and areas of expertise,” says Ewing, “while also making the position more viable for the current membership, which includes many working members.” “It’s a win-win situation,” she says. “We have such a wide variety of professionalism among our members and now they can fully explore their roles and find new opportunities for growth and advancement.”

Cynthia Bengtson, a member of the organization since 2021, will be Co-Chair of Administration & Operations. Having spent 33 years in corporate America, with a 30-year stint at ARCO/BP, she brings a wealth of experience to the position. Since joining the organization, Bengtson has taken on a variety of tasks, beginning with positions on the Staffing and Premier Night Committees, rising quickly to become the Membership Chair. She was awarded the organization’s Volunteer of the Year Award for her contribution in that role. From early on, she has always devoted her time to community service and at the age of 25 founded the non-profit organization, Big Sisters of Los Angeles. In addition, her non-profit work has included membership and Board positions in over 15 organizations, including Junior League LA, Women at Work, and Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy to name a few. She also served as the volunteer Executive Director of Leadership Pasadena for 4 years. Bengtson says she is thrilled to serve in the position along with her other Co-Chairs this year. Her goal is to create a culture of collaboration among members and to mentor new members to move up to leadership roles. She lives in La Canada with her recently retired husband and they have two daughters.

Co-Chairing Design & Logistics will be Lydia Rubin. Joining the organization in 2016, she has held the roles of Interior Chair, Designer Liaison, Staffing Chair, Membership Chair and as Assistant to the Benefit Chair for the 2024 Pasadena Showcase House of Design. She credits those experiences for giving her a strong appreciation for the many moving parts involved in producing a successful Pasadena Showcase House. “I’ve worked closely with designers, homeowners, and their families, which has strengthened my ability to listen, stay adaptable, and navigate differing perspectives with professionalism and respect,” says Rubin. As the Co-Chair responsible for the design of the house, she says she looks forward to working with the design team and to see them transform their spaces into elegant, show-stopping areas. Rubin has volunteered with many other charitable organizations including National Charity League, San Marino PTA and San Marino Junior Alliance. She also earned the Volunteer of the Year Award from Pasadena Showcase House for the Arts for her work as Membership Chair in 2020 during COVID-19, successfully pivoting to keep membership engaged through a variety of creative endeavors. She is also a recipient of the San Marino High School Founders Award. A San Marino resident, Rubin had a career in Child Protective Services before taking time to raise her family. She lives in San Marino with her husband of 40 years, Dale. They have 4 adult children and one grandchild.

Lynne Graves will Co-Chair Events & Hospitality. As the owner of Plan Ahead Events, an event company in La Canada, she has dedicated numerous hours to non-profit fundraising and brings her extensive background in producing large scale events and hospitality to the role. She says she is honored to serve in this position, and her focus is to make it a truly meaningful event. “My goal is to create an experience that feels special for every guest while raising the critical funds for our organization’s mission,” she says. Graves says she became involved with Pasadena Showcase House for the Arts through her passions for community fundraising as well as supporting Arts programs for students. Since joining in 2016, she has been very active in chairing the organization’s annual events as well as the “Restaurants at Showcase.” She has also served on the Gifts and Grants, Membership and Finance Committees. She has lent her experience to many other volunteer organizations including National Charity League, Girl Scouts, La Canada Flintridge Chamber of Commerce and many more. Graves resides in La Canada with her husband Rick, and they have a son and a daughter.

The 61st Pasadena Showcase House of Design, known as The Baldwin Oaks Estate, is a 1907 shingle-style estate located in Arcadia. It will be open from April 19 – May 17, 2026. Golden tickets are available now and timed entry tickets go on sale in early February. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit pasadenashowcase.org.

About Pasadena Showcase House for the Arts

Pasadena Showcase House for the Arts, an all-volunteer, nonprofit organization, has been supporting local music and arts programs since 1948. With the hard work and dedication of its 200+ members, the organization raises funds from its major benefit, the Pasadena Showcase House of Design—one of the oldest, largest, and most successful house and garden tours in the country. Throughout its history, the organization has given more than $27 million to nonprofit organizations, particularly through its Gifts & Grants program, in support of music education, scholarships, concerts, and music therapy, while continuing to support the LA Phil and its learning programs for which the organization was first founded. Pasadena Showcase House for the Arts also nurtures the study and appreciation of music among young people with its three annual music programs: the Music MobileTM, which has introduced orchestral instruments to more than 130,000 third grade students; the Instrumental Competition, which has awarded more than $720,000 in monetary prizes for exceptionally talented young musicians; and the Youth Concert, which has brought nearly 265,000 fourth graders to Walt Disney Concert Hall for exuberant performances presented by the LA Phil. For more information and photos, please visit pasadenashowcase.org.