Cabrillo Music Theatre’s president/CEO, Carole W. Nussbaum, has been named one of the six finalists for Creative Director of the Year for the 2010 Event Solutions Spotlight Award. She is the only female finalist from California.

Nussbaum lives in Thousand Oaks, where Cabrillo Music Theatre is based.

The Spotlight Awards are in their 12th year of honoring event professionals throughout the United States and abroad.

The winners are chosen through a “people’s choice” voting process. Ballots are cast at www.eventsolutions.com. Voting ends Jan. 31.

The winner will be announced on March 8 at the 2010 Spotlight Awards Event at the Paris Hotel in Las Vegas.

Since 2005, Nussbaum has led Cabrillo Music Theatre, a nonprofit volunteer-based theater organization and the resident musical theater production company at the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza.

Under Nussbaum’s leadership, Cabrillo has won six Ovation Awards in 2008 and a 2009 Ovation Award nomination.

Cabrillo was bestowed the 2008 and 2009 Daily News ’ “Best of L.A.” Award for Live Stage Productions. The company also received from the U.S. Commerce Association in Washington, D.C., the 2009 Best of Westlake Village Award for the merit and effectiveness of its business practices and for achieving exceptional marketing success.

Nussbaum initiated Cabrillo’s Outreach programs, which have brought nearly 24,000 underserved children, seniors in need and active military troops to the theater free of charge, as well as facilitated the placement of abandoned dogs and cats through its Animal Rescue Program.

Nussbaum is the recipient of the Commanding Officer’s Coin from the United States Navy in 2007 and 2008 for Cabrillo’s work with Project Entertainment Troops.

In October 2009, Nussbaum was honored by the California Senate for her work with Cabrillo Music Theatre.