Advisory Board for the Arts Member Meeting
Participant Biographies
Zoom Tuesday, June 16, 2020 9:00 am -11:30 am Eastern Evelio Acevedo Thyssen-Bornemisza Museo Nacional Managing Director
Having trained in communications and corporate responsibility, he commenced his career at the International Division of Banco Santander, before moving on to Banco Sabadell, where he held several posts of responsibility, all related to foreign trade and international funding. At Barclays España, he held posts including Head of Foreign Investment, Head of Communications (DIRCOM), and Head of Customer Service. In 2004, he became Head of Corporate Responsibility of the Barclays Group in Spain and Managing Director of the Barclays Foundation. He was appointed Managing Director of the Thyssen-Bornemisza Collection Foundation in 2012. Carrie Bilek Richmond Ballet Marketing and Communications Director
After 14 years in healthcare marketing, Carrie joined Richmond Ballet in May of 2017. She is a graduate of the University of Richmond where she studied Business Administration (Finance) and French. Carrie was a member of UR’s University Dancers, serving as co-captain her senior year. Having always had a goal to work in arts administration, Carrie completed internships with the French Film Festival in Richmond, The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., and Shakespeare’s Globe in London. Carrie is thrilled to be able to combine her love for dance with her business experience as a member of the Ballet’s marketing team. Alex Brose The Tianjin Juilliard School Executive Director and CEO
Alexander Brose, selected as The Tianjin Juilliard School’s first executive director and CEO, was the vice president for development at the Aspen Music Festival and School in Colorado and was responsible for all fund-raising activities, including raising annual operating expenses in the amount of $6.5 million, as well as raising $73 million to complete the $75 million Where Dreams Begin Campaign. Mr. Brose has nearly 20 years of experience working in classical music performance and education in both the United States and China. Prior to joining Aspen in 2012, Mr. Brose spent the previous 11 years at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, the West Coast's oldest school of music, first as assistant director of admissions, as director of admissions, and finally as associate vice president for advancement. While at the San Francisco Conservatory, Mr. Brose used his Mandarin Chinese language skills to initiate frequent recruitment and relationship-building trips to China and other regions of East Asia, working closely with the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing, the Sichuan Conservatory of Music in Chengdu, the Hong Kong Academy of Performing and Visual Arts in Hong Kong, the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music in Singapore, and, ultimately, with the Shanghai Conservatory of Music. It was in Shanghai that he masterminded the development of a sister school relationship between Shanghai and San Francisco, leading to the creation of the annual San Francisco-Shanghai International Chamber Music Festival, which he produced and co-curated for two years before leaving for Aspen. Raised in South Korea and Hong Kong, Mr. Brose received his BA in Asian studies, with a concentration in China, from Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y. A trained vocalist, he has performed in concert venues across the globe, including on the nationally syndicated radio show A Prairie Home Companion, at the Seoul National Arts Center in South Korea, as part of the Glimmerglass Festival in Cooperstown, N.Y., and with the Grammy Award-winning San Francisco Symphony Chorus. He currently serves as a member of the board of governors with the San Francisco Chapter of the Recording Academy (Grammys) and on the advisory council of the Cornell University Glee Club, Cornell’s oldest student organization. Kim Noltemy Dallas Symphony Orchestra President and CEO
Noltemy has been the Chief Operating and Communications Officer for the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Boston Pops and Tanglewood since 2015 where she manages a 65-person team. She started her tenure at the BSO in 1996 as the Director of Sales and Marketing and was promoted to Chief Marketing Officer in 2007. Noltemy also serves as the President of Boston 4 Celebrations (B4), a separate not-for-profit organization that produces the July 4th festivities in Boston, which are attended by 500,000 people and are broadcast globally on Bloomberg's multi-channel network (TV, radio and Internet). She oversees more than $46 million in ticket sales and other earned revenue plus a corporate sponsorship program of $6 million annually. She also successfully raised funds for numerous projects including the July 4 Celebration, Orchestra in Residence Community Programs, free community concerts, television shows, online initiatives and a new video production studio at Symphony Hall. Noltemy was the strategist behind the BSO’s new media efforts including the orchestra’s digital download service, Internet TV, podcasts and the BSO’s website, which is the most visited website of any orchestra in the U.S. She has executive produced numerous television shows including two seasons of New Tanglewood Tales, distributed by American Public Media, and three Boston Pops television programs, two of which received New England Emmy Awards. Kim comes to the Dallas Symphony with decades of experience at one of the world’s top orchestras. She combines a profound knowledge of orchestra management with a stellar reputation for growing an orchestra’s brand in and beyond its hometown. Kim has continued the DSO’s commitment to artistic excellence, while reimagining what an orchestra can be. Brett Bonda Richmond Ballet Managing Director
Brett Bonda is now in his 34th season with Richmond Ballet, having served the organization as a dancer, administrator, educator, and director. A dancer with the professional company from 1985-1995, Mr. Bonda performed much of the company’s repertory, dancing lead roles in ballets such as Rodeo and Coppélia, and appearing in the premiere of Stoner Winslett’s original work, Ancient Airs and Dances. After learning of the outreach work done through Lori Klinger and the National Institute of Dance, Mr. Bonda elected to retire from the stage to become the Education and Minds In Motion Director for Richmond Ballet. Mr. Bonda served as the program’s artistic and administrative coordinator for 16 years. Additionally, Mr. Bonda has served as the Ballet’s Company Manager, Tour Manager, and video producer, before stepping into his current role as Managing Director where he has worked closely with members of the Ballet’s Board to oversee the organization’s strategic planning and governance, and to initiate the ‘Road to China’ project in 2014. Mr. Bonda’s work with Richmond Ballet has been recognized both statewide and nationally: he has served as a panelist for the National Endowment for the Arts and as a juror for the Coming Up Taller Awards, and he is a board member for Virginians for the Arts. In 2001, Mr. Bonda received Richmond Magazine’s Theresa Pollak Award for Excellence in the Arts and in the summer of 2014, he represented the United States at the U.S.-China Consultation on People-to-People Exchange in Beijing alongside U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Richmond Ballet Artistic Director Stoner Winslett. Mr. Bonda is an alumnus of Virginia Intermont College, and lives in Mechanicsville with his wife, Annette, and their two sons, Aaron and Ethan. Justin Brown Aspen Music Festival and School Vice President & General Manager Annie Burridge Austin Opera General Director & CEO
Annie Burridge was named General Director & CEO of Austin Opera in October 2016 following nine-year tenure at Opera Philadelphia, where she most recently served as Managing Director. Since joining Austin Opera she led the development of a new strategic plan; launched a new artistic initiative – Opera ATX – bringing groundbreaking artists to unexpected and unique venues throughout Austin; secured three national innovation grants totaling $600,000; established numerous community partnerships including the first formalized partnership with the Butler School of Music; and increased the company’s endowment funds by 75%.
At Opera Philadelphia Annie was responsible for the implementation of the company’s business plan and leadership of the development, marketing, and communications departments. She led the company’s rebranding campaign and the most comprehensive consumer study ever conducted in the opera field, resulting in the company’s new programming model and the creation of the O17 festival. During her tenure as Opera Philadelphia’s chief development officer, contributed income increased 183%.
Annie holds a Graduate Certificate in Nonprofit Administration from the University of Pennsylvania; a M.M. in Voice Performance and a M.M. in Opera Studies from the New England Conservatory; and graduated the valedictorian of the College of Arts and Architecture at Penn State University, where she earned a B.M. in Voice Performance with a Minor in Business Administration. Annie is Vice-Chair of the OPERA America Board of Trustees and an alumnus of Wharton’s Women’s Executive Leadership program and OPERA America’s Leadership Intensive program. In 2017 she was selected as an Emerging Nonprofit Leadership Fellow at the Aspen Institute and was named a “2017 Mover and Shaper” by Musical America. In 2018 she won the Penn State University College of Arts and Architecture Alumni Award. Nick Chan Hong Kong Ballet Director of Marketing
With expertise in brand building, audience development, PR and corporate communications, Nick Chan has been Director of Marketing at Hong Kong Ballet since 2015. Previously, he was Marketing Manager at Hong Kong Arts Festival, taking charge of World and Jazz music as well as Theatre programmes. Prior to the Festival, he was Marketing Manager at Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra.
Chan holds a Master of Arts degree in Cultural Management from The Chinese University of Hong Kong and was a fellow of the Advanced Cultural Leadership Programme at The University of Hong Kong. He is a frequent speaker on arts marketing and has given talks at institutions like West Kowloon Cultural District, Hong Kong Arts Festival and The University of Hong Kong. He has served on the panel of judges for the Marketing Magazine’s Spark Awards. Edgar Dobie Arena Stage Executive Producer, President of the Corporation
Born in Vernon, British Columbia, a village next to the Rocky Mountains (three years after Arena had its first performance in 1950), I am one of five brothers raised by my Dad Edgar, a mechanic and small businessman, and Mom Connie, a telephone operator and union organizer. I am the only Dobie to make a career in theater. Luckily for me, drama was an arts elective I was offered at the tender age of 12 so I hung up my hockey skates and joined the drama class, led by teacher Paddy Malcolm and her fledgling Powerhouse Community Theater after school. By the time I graduated from high school, we volunteers had built ourselves a 200-seat, fully equipped theater on its own piece of land in the center of town and found a sold-out audience for the full season of plays we had on offer. That experience taught me so many lessons about the power of theater to foster collaboration and share meaningful stories, as well as the public values that attach themselves to building a safe place where everyone is welcome. All those lessons served me well as a managing leader and producer both sides of the border and both sides of the commercial and non-profit theater divide. Arriving here in Southwest with my good wife Tracy and our daughter Greta Lee in 2009 makes me feel like I am well-equipped to do a good job for you all. Alan Fletcher Aspen Music Festival and School President and CEO
Alan Fletcher, one of this country's most accomplished music administrators and respected composers, was born in 1956 in Riverside, New Jersey, and earned his baccalaureate at Princeton University (1978) and his master's degree (1979) and doctorate (1983) at Juilliard. He studied composition with Roger Sessions, Milton Babbitt, Edward T. Cone, and Paul Lansky and piano with Jacob Lateiner and Robert Helps. In 1985, Fletcher was appointed to the faculty of the New England Conservatory of Music, teaching composition and theory and serving successively during his 16-year tenure at the school as Dean, Provost, and Senior Vice President. From 2001 to 2006, he was Professor of Music and Head of the School of Music at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, after which he assumed his current position as president and CEO of the Aspen Music Festival and School.
Fletcher has lectured nationally and internationally on music and music administration and served on many boards, panels, juries, seminars and committees, including the board of the Aspen Institute and the Pittsburgh Opera. He has also contributed articles and op-ed pieces to the Huffington Post, BBC Magazine, The Guardian, Symphony magazine, Gramophone magazine, the Wall Street Journal, Sonus: Journal of Global Music, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Baltimore Sun, the Journal of Music Theory Pedagogy, Chronicle of Higher Education, and many others. Fletcher has won numerous composing awards and received commissions from the National Dance Institute, the Pittsburgh Symphony (2008, 2011, and 2015), Los Angeles Philharmonic, Atlanta Symphony, Zurich Chamber Orchestra, Nashua Symphony, National Gallery of Art, Boston Celebrity Series, Duquesne University, New York Camerata, and other noted ensembles, organizations, and soloists. Mr. Fletcher’s Piano Concerto, written for pianist Inon Barnatan, premiered in the summer of 2017 at the Aspen Music Festival and School and Los Angeles Philharmonic’s Hollywood Bowl. He chaired the 1997 Salzburg Seminar Music for a New Millenium: The Classical Genre in Contemporary Society. Kurt Howard Opera Omaha Producing Director
Kurt Howard is an arts and culture professional specializing in leadership development, operational analysis, and new works creation and partnerships.
Howard joined OPERA America in 2014 as managing director and now serves an external relations role as the organization’s director of programs and services. In this position, he oversees OPERA America’s field-directed programs and learning, Innovation and Civic Practice grants, annual conference content, general director convenings and professional development programs. Even before he joined the staff, Howard had long been associated with OPERA America, having served as a chair of the Technical/Production Forum, an adjudication panelist for the Robert L.B. Tobin Director-Designer Showcase, a member of the organization’s Strategy Committee and a participant in the Electronic Media and New Works Forums. Howard came to OPERA America following a ten-year engagement as Producing Director for Fort Worth Opera, where he originated the Fort Worth Opera Frontiers new works program, initiated and managed three world premiers (Frau Margot, Before Night Falls, JFK) and regional premiers (Angels in America, Hydrogen Jukebox, Glory Denied, With Blood with Ink) and led the company’s transition from into a spring festival format in 2007. He has been tapped as Interim Production Director during transitions with Chicago Opera Theater and The Atlanta Opera. Howard comes from a long career as a Stage Manager for multiple companies throughout the United States. Khady Kamara Arena Stage Man
Khady Kamara joined Arena Stage in 2001 and has been an integral member of the communications team, eventually being promoted to Chief Marketing Officer before taking over as Associate Executive Director and ultimately Managing Director. Under her leadership, Arena’s sales team repeatedly broke box office records for a number of shows. She successfully administered the upgrade and transition of Arena’s ticketing software to meet the ever-changing needs of its growing patron base. Her work was integral in the success of Arena’s temporary residency in Crystal City and the opening of the Mead Center for American Theater. During Kamara’s tenure, she pioneered unprecedented efforts to maximize donations with ticket purchases, and group sales revenue has more than doubled in scope and range of audiences reached. Part of her focus has been on strengthening community relations, managing strategic planning efforts with the board of directors and helping grow the donor base. Kamara serves as Adjunct Faculty for the Arts Management Program at George Mason University and is on the Theater Washington Board of Directors. Daniel Kellogg Young Concert Artists President
Daniel Kellogg steps into the leadership role of Young Concert Artists with the unique perspective of an alumnus of Young Concert Artists, one of the extraordinary musicians whose careers were discovered and launched to prominence by this innovative non- profit organization. He is excited to help sustain the legacy of Young Concert Artists and to forge new paths to nurture the next generation of concert soloists and artistic leaders. Chosen as YCA Composer-in-Residence in 2002, Daniel Kellogg was a member of the Young Concert Artists roster for ten years. His compositions have been premiered by the Philadelphia Orchestra, National Symphony Orchestra, Kansas City Symphony, San Diego Symphony, Colorado Symphony Orchestra, and Orchestre de Chambre de Paris, at the Aspen Music Festival, and by the Takacs Quartet and eighth blackbird. He has also served as Composer-in-Residence for the South Dakota Symphony, Green Bay Symphony, and Lexington Philharmonic. Dr. Kellogg’s honors include a Charles Ives Fellowship from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, six ASCAP Young Composer Awards, the BMI William Schuman Prize, and the ASCAP Rudolf Nissim Award. His works have been broadcast on NPR’s “Performance Today,” “St. Paul Sundays,” and BBC’s “Live from Wigmore Hall” among others. He has completed artist residencies at the MacDowell Colony, the UCross Foundation, the Copland House, and Rocky Mountain National Park. Born in Wilton, Connecticut, Daniel Kellogg is a graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music and holds a Doctorate of Musical Arts from the Yale School of Music. He was on faculty at the University of Colorado College of Music for fourteen years, where he served as Professor of Composition, head of the composition program, and was the Christoffersen Composition Fellow. He helped forge a new partnership between the University and the Sibelius Academy, increase the endowment for the composition program, and create innovative scholarship and fellowship opportunities for its students. As a recent New Yorker, Daniel Kellogg is particularly excited to be running the 2019 New York City Marathon this November. He will be cheered on by his wife, pianist Hsing-ay Hsu, and his daughter Kaela. Aidan Lang Welsh National Opera General Director British-born Lang is no stranger to WNO, having been a staff director for the Company in the 1980s and early 1990s. He takes up this new role following his position as General Director of Seattle Opera, a role he has occupied since 2014. He has relocated to Wales with his wife, the singer and director Linda Kitchen, and their daughter, Eleanor.
Lang’s tenure at Seattle Opera saw him increase audiences for mainstage performances from 67,000 in his first season to 85,000 in the season just completed. He has been a driving force in encouraging younger audiences to opera in Seattle, with millennial audiences nearly quadrupling during his time there, and 40% of Seattle Opera ticket buyers now under the age of 50. He has achieved this through a range of means including extensive education and engagement programmes, commissioning the first of several critically-acclaimed chamber operas in locations around the city, and by using opera to facilitate conversations around themes relevant to society today including race, justice and representation.
In his six years in the Pacific Northwest, Lang also had oversight of the creation of a new state-of-the-art civic home for Seattle Opera in the heart of Seattle Center which includes a 20,000 sq ft dedicated space for community programming and education. He has also forged new partnerships across the opera industry, including co-productions with Washington National Opera, San Francisco Opera, Santa Fe Opera, Glimmerglass Festival, Opera Philadelphia, Opera Queensland and New Zealand Opera.
Prior to his role at Seattle Opera, Lang was General Director of New Zealand Opera from 2006 to 2013. During Lang's tenure, New Zealand Opera benefitted from a period of sustained growth and innovation despite global financial challenges. He expanded the company to include performances in Christchurch for the first time and created New Zealand's first opera production workshop, establishing new partnerships and collaborative ways of working. Heidi Lee Hong Kong Ballet Executive Director
Heidi Lee has served as a professional arts administrator for more than 20 years, working for various Hong Kong arts organisations on their management, planning, programming, marketing and branding, including PIP Cultural Industries Ltd., Hong Kong Dance Company, Hong Kong Repertory Theatre, Hong Kong Cultural Centre and Hong Kong Fringe Club, among others.
In 2010, Lee was appointed Executive Director of Cheung Kong School of Art and Design at Shantou University. She became the Associate Dean in 2014 and Director of Arts & Cultural Development of STU Arena in 2018. During her eight years at Shantou University with the support of the Li Ka Shing Foundation, Lee founded the STU Art Season, which she later transformed to the New Wave Arts Festival in 2018. She became Chief Executive of Intercultural Dialogue, the organiser of Matteo Ricci, when she returned to Hong Kong in 2019.
Lee is an Assessor for the Hong Kong Arts Development Council on Arts Administration, Dance, Arts Education, and also a Fixed Assessor for the Council on the Hong Kong Dance Alliance (2017-2019). Additionally, she was a core member of the Producers’ Network Meeting & Forum of West Kowloon Cultural District of Hong Kong (2015-2018), Management Consultant of the Hong Kong Arts Administrators Association (July-December 2019), and has been a member of the Advisory Board of The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts Dance School since 2019.
In 2014, Asian Cultural Council awarded Lee a scholarship to visit the United States, where she interviewed more than twenty arts leaders about their management and operation models. Organisations included Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, The Public Theater, B.A.M and Lower Manhattan Cultural Council. She also researched the content and direction of cultural management programmes at Columbia University, New York University and Yale University. Jo LeBrecque Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts Vice President, Communications and Marketing Denise McGovern Dallas Symphony Orchestra VP of Communications Marjorie Netange Reina Sofia School Development Director
French, born in Paris, living in Madrid since 2012. Marjorie graduated from HEC Business School and from Sciences Po Paris. She worked during 10 years in international companies in real estate and urban planning, occupying positions in Business Development and Corporate Strategy departments. In 2015 Marjorie switched to cultural sector and founded a consulting firm specialized in fundraising and partnerships development for cultural projects. In 2016, she joined the Reina Sofia School of Music, a renown Madrid-based centre for professional training of young musicians. As Director of Development and Communication of this institution, she manages sponsorship, business development, innovation projects, marketing and communication. Matt Carwardine-Palmer Welsh National Opera Director of Marketing & Sales Grace Roberts Shakespeare Theatre Company Artistic Line Producer
Grace Ann Roberts has been the Line Producer at Shakespeare Theatre Company in Washington, DC, since September 2019. Prior to her time at STC she served at the Folger Shakespeare Library, as Program Coordinator for Folger Theatre. She studied theater at the University of South Carolina, LAMDA, and the Governor's School for the Arts and Humanities in Greenville, SC. She also has a certificate in Storytelling: Narrative Tools and Applications from NYU. Grace Ann is from Nashville, TN. Melysa Rogen Austin Opera Director of Marketing and Communications
Melysa Rogen has been in arts administration for the last seven years. She joined Austin Opera in 2017 to oversee all marketing, ticketing, and communications as Director of Marketing and Communications. Melysa began her arts career at the South Dakota Symphony Orchestra. She became the Director of Marketing and Public Relations for the Fort Wayne Philharmonic in Indiana in 2014 and during her tenure, sales increased by 18%. Additionally, she helped expand reach in the community through collaborations with fellow arts organizations. Melysa graduated from Luther College in Iowa with a B.A. in Music and Business. Julia Sánchez Abeal Escuela Superior De Música Reina Sofia CEO
Since 2014, Julia has been the CEO of the Reina Sofia School of Music that trains young musicians and brings classical music closer to society. During Julia´s leadership, this European reference center for higher musical education - with a network of 800 alumni integrated into the best orchestras in Spain and over 46 countries - has modernized the sponsorship program, has developed an innovative Musical Entrepreneurship Program and has placed the transforming power of music within everyone’s reach, especially schoolchildren and vulnerable groups. Prior her incorporation, Julia was the COO and part of the founding team at Teach First Spain which purpose is to develop collective leadership to ensure all children have the opportunity to fulfill their potential. Previously, Julia was manager at KPMG Strategy Group advising private equity firms in their investments and consulting to clients on their corporate strategies in Madrid and London. She has also experience in impact investing having worked with Acumen in Kenia. Julia holds a Bachelor’s in Business Management at ICADE and an MBA at Columbia Business School. In 2019, Julia was selected as one of the top 100 women leaders in Spain by Mujeres&Cia. Deborah Sandler Lyric Opera of Kansas City General Director and CEO
Deborah Sandler became General Director of the Lyric Opera of Kansas City in 2012. She is known throughout the opera industry for her strong commitment to artistic excellence, company growth and deepening community connections. Previously, Ms. Sandler served as General Director of Kentucky Opera where her expertise as both the artistic and management leader of the company gained acclaim for productions of high artistic quality. In addition, as leader of an outstanding artistic and management team, she was recognized for implementing a strategic plan which led to the expansion of the audience through increasing subscriptions, securing financial stability and extending the company’s educational and outreach programs. Ms. Sandler began a young artists training program and oversaw an innovative series of education programs which incorporated the use of puppetry in opera for young people. Known for well-balanced casts and discovering new talent, Ms. Sandler is credited as the first General Director to cast a young Joyce Di Donato in the role of Rosina in Kentucky Opera’s production of Il Barbiere di Siviglia in the beginning of her career. Deborah Sandler began her career as General Manager of the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia and later moved to the Opera Theatre of New Jersey as General Director, managing both the artistic and administrative functions. In New Jersey, Ms. Sandler was recognized for her ability to increase the artistic quality and expand the capacity of the company by developing community awareness through artistic initiatives and dynamic education and outreach programs. The budget tripled in size under Ms. Sandler’s leadership and was recognized for innovative artistic programming. In service to the future of opera and the American Opera service organization OPERA America, Ms. Sandler’s passion for opening doors to expand the role of women in professional opera was the impetus for the first ever field wide conversation on this topic, which took place this past May in Washington, DC. She has been a leader and catalyst regarding the convening of women to advance this cause and chairs the Women’s Opera Network at Opera America. Originally from Philadelphia, PA, Ms. Sandler is a graduate of Temple University with a degree in music; Ms. Sandler earned a Master of Arts degree in musicology from New York University, completing all of her doctoral course work. She has also studied at the Mandel Center for Nonprofits at Case Western Reserve and at the Fundraising School at Indiana University. Roche Schulfer Goodman Theatre Executive Director
Roche Edward Schulfer started working in the Goodman Theatre box office and ultimately became executive director in 1980. Since that time he has overseen more than 350 productions including close to 150 premieres. He initiated the Goodman’s annual production of A Christmas Carol, which celebrated 40 years as Chicago’s leading holiday arts tradition in 2017. In partnership with Artistic Director Robert Falls, Mr. Schulfer led the establishment of quality, diversity and community engagement as the core values of Goodman Theatre. During their tenure, the Goodman has received numerous awards for excellence, including the Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theater, recognition by Time magazine as the “Best Regional Theatre” in the U.S., the Pulitzer Prize for Lynn Nottage’s Ruined and many Jeff Awards for outstanding achievement in Chicago area theater. Mr. Schulfer has negotiated the presentation of numerous Goodman Theatre productions to many national and international venues. He coordinated the 12-year process to relocate the Goodman to the Theatre District in 2000. To mark his 40th anniversary with the Goodman, his name was added to the theater’s “Walk of Stars.” Mr. Schulfer was a founder and twice chair of the League of Chicago Theatres, the trade association of more than 200 Chicago area theaters and producers. He has been privileged to serve in leadership roles with Arts Alliance Illinois (the statewide advocacy coalition); Theatre Communications Group (the national service organization for more than 450 not-for-profit theaters); the Performing Arts Alliance (the national advocacy consortium of more than 18,000 organizations and individuals); the League of Resident Theatres (the management association of 65 leading US theater companies); Lifeline Theatre in Rogers Park and the Arts & Business Council. Mr. Schulfer is honored to have been recognized with the League of Chicago Theater’s Lifetime Achievement Award; Theatre Communication Group’s Visionary Leadership Award; Actors’ Equity Association for promoting diversity and equal opportunity in Chicago theater; the American Arts Alliance and Arts Alliance Illinois for arts advocacy; the Arts & Business Council for distinguished contributions to Chicago’s artistic vitality; Chicago magazine and the Chicago Tribune as a “Chicagoan of the Year”; the City of Chicago; Columbia College Chicago for entrepreneurial leadership; the Joseph Jefferson Awards Committee for his partnership with Robert Falls; Lawyers for the Creative Arts; Lifeline Theatre’s Raymond R. Snyder Award for Commitment to the Arts; Season of Concern for support of direct care for those living with HIV/AIDS; and Vision 2020 for promoting gender equality and diversity in the workplace. Mr. Schulfer received an Honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree from North Central College. He taught at DePaul University for 15 years and has lectured annually on strategic planning at Southern Methodist University, as well as being a guest speaker at many academic institutions. In the past year, he has presented a talk on the economics of the performing arts for several local and national theater companies as well as Theater Communications Group. Mr. Schulfer is a lifelong Chicago area resident and received a degree in economics from the University of Notre Dame where he managed the cultural arts commission. He will be teaching a theater management seminar at Notre Dame in the fall of 2018. Cat Studdard Richmond Ballet Development Director
Cat Studdard studied at American University and Virginia Commonwealth University graduating summa cum laude with a BFA in Dance and Choreography. She began working with Richmond Ballet’s Minds In Motion (MIM) in its third year, training under founding director Brett Bonda and continuing her training in New York with Lori Klinger, Executive and Artistic Director of Rosie’s Theater Kids and Jacques d’Amboise, founding Artistic Director of National Dance Institute. Ms. Studdard dedicated her artistry as a dancer and performer to her 18 years as a teaching artist, Assistant Minds In Motion Director and Outreach Director working with over 30,000 students throughout Virginia and in Israel. Writing, producing and directing culminating performances for year-long and residency programs, Ms. Studdard also collaborated with second company director, Igor Antonov, to create six adapted story ballets which are presented to nearly 40,000 elementary school students annually. She appreciates bringing together people from all walks of life to share transformative, meaningful arts experiences. Inspired by the incredible artists who make Richmond Ballet what it is, in 2018 she proudly took on a new role as Development Director. Matías Tarnopolsky Philadelphia Orchestra President and Chief Executive Officer
Matiaś Tarnopolsky was appointed president and chief executive officer of The Philadelphia Orchestra Association in April 2018, assuming the role in August. Tarnopolsky came to Philadelphia from Cal Performances, at the University of California, Berkeley, where he was executive and artistic director since 2009. Cal Performances presents the world’s leading orchestras, ensembles, and musicians in multi-faceted residencies. He previously served as vice president of artistic planning for the New York Philharmonic, senior director of artistic planning for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and producer for the BBC Symphony Orchestra and BBC Singers. At the start of his tenure at Cal Performances, Tarnopolsky articulated the three major artistic values around which Cal Performances is organized—artistic excellence, advocacy, and accessibility—which inform all aspects of the organization’s internationally-recognized performing arts and educational programs. He oversaw the programming of approximately 125 performances each year to audiences numbering around 120,000, in addition to a broad range of inventive educational and community programs. In 2015, Cal Performances launched Berkeley RADICAL (Research and Development Initiative in Creativity, Arts, and Learning), a major initiative in support of public artistic literacy, programming of contemporary relevance, and the sharing of programs through digital documentation and dissemination. A classically trained musician, Tarnopolsky received degrees in music and musicology from the University of London’s King’s College. In 2013, he was named one of Musical America’s international “Movers & Shakers: 30 Key Influencers in the Performing Arts” and was selected as Classical Music “MVP” by the San Francisco Chronicle. In 2015, he was awarded the Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French Ministry of Culture. He previously served on the Overseers of the Curtis Institute of Music, and he currently serves on the boards of New Music USA, the Barenboim-Said Foundation USA, and the Executive Committee of the Avery Fisher Artist Program. Tarnopolsky is married to Birgit Hottenrott. They have two children, Sofiá and Tomás. Terri Trotter Midland Center for the Arts President and CEO
Terri Trotter is a seasoned executive with 20+ years of experience in the arts and entertainment field. Before beginning at Midland Center for the Arts in January 2016, Terri was the CEO & Executive Director of Sun Valley Center for the Arts in Sun Valley, ID for two years. Prior to that she served at the Walton Arts Center in Fayetteville, AR for over sixteen years. Her roles included Chief Operating Officer, Vice President of External Affairs, and Vice President of Communications. Terri is a result-oriented leader with a proven track record in management, program development, fundraising and marketing. Terri holds a Bachelor’s Degree from Northwestern University and a Master of Science in Telecommunications Degree from Indiana University. She and her husband Doug have three children – Allison (19); Evan (17) and Will (13) and they reside in Midland, Michigan. Terri serves on the Great Lakes Bay Regional Alliance Board, the regional convening organization, and chairs the Quality of Life Subcommittee Lewis Warrick Goodman Theatre Chief Financial Officer
Lewis is originally a native of Kansas City, Mo. A graduate of Drake University in Des Moines, IA, where he received his B.S in Accounting. Soon after he moved to Chicago to begin his career in accounting and making impacts throughout Chicago. In 2015, he received his Master’s in Business Administration from University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign to solidify his expertise.
Lewis has over 20 years of experience in accounting and finance, including over 17 years of leading accounting practices for non-profit organizations. Most recently, Lewis spent 11 years as the Chief Financial Officer of Center on Halsted, the Midwest largest LGBTQ community center focusing on advancing community and securing the health and well-being of the LGBTQ community. There he helped the organization double in size and create fiscal and financial policies to ensure donor confidence.
Recently, Lewis joined Goodman Theatre in the same role with focus on administration and fiscal management. The Goodman with their national reputation being a leader of diverse productions of plays as well as the educational program was an immediate attraction to join their team. I was a theatre guy in my early days and continue to perform vocally across the world. It was a natural move to combine my love of performance with the talents I have for fiscal management for non-profit organizations. Roger Weitz Opera Omaha General Director
A native of Omaha, Nebraska, Roger Weitz has served as Opera Omaha’s General Director since 2011. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of OPERA America and the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce. His opera administration career began in 2000 as Artistic Administrator for Chicago Opera Theater under the leadership of General Director, Brian Dickie. Weitz left COT in 2007 to accept an Arts Management Fellowship at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC. Following the Kennedy Center Fellowship, Weitz returned to Chicago Opera Theater in a new capacity, as the company’s General Manager before joining Opera Omaha three years later.
Weitz has managed the planning and creation of over 50 new productions – including several local, regional, and world premieres – working with dynamic artists and creative teams from across the country and around the globe. Weitz has grown Opera Omaha significantly during his tenure, doubling the patron base and exponentially expanding the number of individuals engaged though community programming and partnerships.
Under his leadership, Opera Omaha recently launched an annual spring festival focused on innovation and a groundbreaking civic practice initiative, the Holland Community Opera Fellowship. These programs are central to Opera Omaha’s transformation from opera company to community resource. Câline Yamakawa Verbier Festival Director of Operations
Of Japanese and Belgian origin, Câline Yamakawa is Director of Operations for Verbier Festival. A graduate of Tufts University and the New England Conservatory of Boston, she also undertook a Masters in Management of Cultural Institutions from Columbia University in New York in 2000. In New York, she worked, among others, as a publicist and special projects manager for Hemsing Associates, a communications company specializing in Classical music. In 2005 Câline Yamakawa moved to Paris and created Férudar, an organization that specializes in the management of international projects, more specifically related to classical music and jazz. Her clientele includes the Yehudi Menuhin International Violin Competition, Gautier Capuçon's Cello Excellence Class, and the Lille Piano[s] Festival. Advisory Board for the Arts Member Meeting
Team Biographies Pilar Cardenas Advisory Board for the Arts Senior Director, Europe
Pilar is the ABA Senior Director of Europe. She was most recently a member of the Presidential Office of the Albeniz Foundation – Reina Sofía School of Music in Madrid (Spain), one of the leading music schools in Europe. Prior to that she was in charge of the Summer Music Festival of the school, managing the production of 60 concerts over 30 days. She joins the convening in Aspen as part of a special summer project supporting the start-up of the Advisory Board for the Arts.
Her roots in the arts world started to grow as a consequence of her experiences with university education with young students. She held the position of Assistant Director and, subsequently, of Executive Director of the Goimendi University Hall, within the Universidad de Navarra, devoted to both accommodate and mentor students in order for them to develop a strong extracurricular education (specially in art and culture) during their time at University.
After ten years in this role she decided to gain a deep training in the arts field as she realized that educating people in art and culture was one of the best ways to improve their lives. Therefore, in 2016 she attended SDA Bocconi School of Management in Milano (Italy) to obtain a Master’s in Arts Management and Administration. Later on, due to her strong interest in understanding how cultural and artistic entities were managed at the United States, she did an internship at Postclassical Ensemble, an orchestra in Washington DC which poses contemporary music in a very forward- looking approach.
Pilar is a graduate in law from the University of Navarre in Spain. She is very keen on literature and gardening. Chris Denby Advisory Board for the Arts Chief Executive Officer
Chris brings 30 years of experience in the business world, both in consulting with McKinsey & Company, and as a top executive for almost 20 years at the Advisory Board Company. At the same time, Chris has spent 15 years deeply connected to and involved with a variety of organizations in the arts and broader non-profit world. As Chief Executive Officer of the newly formed Advisory Board for the Arts, Chris aspires to combine his parallel tracks in service to the arts by bringing to bear his experiences in the business world to adapt, for arts organizations, a unique advisory model rooted in shared learning and long-term performance improvement.
Chris was Executive Vice President of The Advisory Board Company until 2017. The company, now owned by United Healthcare, is a global technology, research and services company in the healthcare and higher education industries based in Washington, DC. Over the course of his 19 years at the Advisory Board, Mr. Denby led its research division, created its leadership development business, and oversaw best practice research on issues ranging from healthcare strategy and nursing to philanthropy and high-performance leadership.
Prior to joining the Advisory Board, Mr. Denby was a strategy consultant with McKinsey & Company, in Washington, DC and Rome, Italy where he led projects for a broad spectrum of Fortune 500 companies in industries as diverse as consumer goods, energy, and banking. Upon returning to McKinsey in 2018, Chris led a portfolio of internal start-up companies focused on data and analytics solutions designed to deepen the impact of McKinsey’s work with clients. The portfolio of 14 companies Chris oversaw were located all around the world and ranged in scope from the retail sector to the agriculture industry.
Chris is heavily involved in support of the arts and nonprofit organizations. He is Chairman of the Board of The Washington Chorus and Chairman of Postclassical Ensemble; he is also on the board of St. Albans School and has served on the board of the Halcyon Foundation. Mr. Denby has worked in support of the arts programs of numerous other organizations such as that of the Washington National Cathedral and the Aspen Music Festival and School.
Chris is a 25 year resident of Washington, DC where he lives with his wife and three sons. Prior to his life in Washington, Chris was born in Brussels and grew up in France and Italy where he mostly attended French schools. He is an avid skier, traveler, and food enthusiast. Karen Freeman Advisory Board for the Arts Executive Director, Research
Karen is the Executive Director for Research at Advisory Board for the Arts. Most recently, she was global head of digital & analytics learning for generalist consultants at McKinsey & Company. In that role, she led a team upskilling roughly 17,000 consultants globally in topics including advanced analytics modeling, leading digital transformations, agile methodology and design thinking.
Prior to McKinsey, Karen spent 13 years at the Corporate Executive Board (CEB) in research and learning & development roles. There, she led three best practice membership organizations, developing insights, advice and benchmarks for Global 1000 functional heads in marketing, sales and customer service. The teams she led created some of the company's highest-impact research, published in Harvard Business Review and the subject of two best-selling business books (The Challenger Sale; The Effortless Experience).
Later, as Head of CEB University, she oversaw development and delivery of over 1,000 training sessions for more than 10,000 participants worldwide in sales, insight & advisory and corporate roles.
Karen has an A.B from Harvard and an MBA from MIT, plays cello and piano, and currently lives in Arlington, VA with her husband and two children. Stephen W. Kett Advisory Board for the Arts Chief New Project Development Officer
Steve is the President and CEO of Stephen Kett & Associates LLC, a consulting and leadership development firm based in Great Falls, VA. He works with a wide variety of clients, across many industry sectors, in both the for-profit and not-for-profit spaces, and around the world. In this work, Steve uses his teaching, facilitation, and coaching skills to assist clients with a range of business issues, including strategy, new product design and development, and leadership development.
Steve has also been a facilitator in the Gartner's Leadership Academies, where he has taught high-potential finance, information technology, and human resources leaders, with special emphasis upon participants' communication, presentation, and analytic skills. Participants in Steve's sessions have come from a wide variety of industries including healthcare, banking, pharmaceuticals, finance, utilities, and manufacturing.
Steve launched his own firm in 2009. Previously, he was Executive Director at The Advisory Board Company, a healthcare best practices research firm based in Washington, D.C. There for almost eighteen years, Steve most recently had responsibility within that organization's leadership development business--specifically a team of 20+ facilitators, delivering nearly 2,000 on-site workshops around the world each year. In addition to his leadership responsibilities, Steve has personally taught over 2,500 high-potential leaders in a wide variety of health systems across the U.S. as well as the medical device and pharmaceutical industries, with a particular expertise in case-based discussion leadership.
Prior to his work with The Advisory Board Company, Steve was a Senior Consultant with Bain & Company, in its Boston office for six years. There, in addition to his client responsibilities, Steve oversaw Bain's worldwide Associate Consultant Training (ACT) Program; an intensive, two-week immersion course in strategy, financial modeling and analytics, and teamwork.
Steve holds a BA from The University of Vermont, and his MA from Harvard University. He was awarded the Phi Beta Kappa Teaching Prize as a Teaching Fellow-- the first Teaching Fellow ever to receive the award in the history of Harvard University. Steve lives in Great Falls, VA with his wife Amy, twin sons, Andrew and John, and dogs Hunter and Maggie. He is an avid fly fisherman, with a particular passion for steelhead fishing in northern British Columbia. Michael Mael Advisory Board for the Arts Founding Partner
Michael L. Mael brings more than thirty—five years of executive leadership experience to his work on behalf of performing arts organizations. Most recently, he was Executive Director of the Washington Ballet on an interim basis, helping that organization regain financial stability. In that role, he aggressively managed cash flow, rebuilt the financial system, negotiated with vendors and creditors, helped bring about changes in board governance, established a new community engagement program and returned to a balanced budget after four years of losses. For nearly ten years he was with Washington National Opera. He served as Executive Director for six years, as part of the senior management team at the Kennedy Center. Highlights of his tenure included: production of WNO’s first Ring Cycle, six consecutive years of meeting or exceeding financial targets, development of innovative marketing and community engagement programs including Opera in the Outfield, creation of a new commissioning program, and development of a new strategic plan. He joined the WNO in 2008 as Chief Financial and Operating Officer with responsibility for all financial and day to day operations of the company. Under his leadership, the organization returned to financial stability with four consecutive balanced budgets following more than a decade of losses. He also led the effort to affiliate with the Kennedy Center, ensuring the long-term stability of the Opera. Prior to his appointment, Mr. Mael worked for nearly five years for the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (BSO) as Vice President of the BSO at Strathmore where he was responsible for launching and managing all activities related to the BSO’s second home at the new Music Center at Strathmore in North Bethesda, MD. Mr. Mael worked for several technology companies where he launched and managed a series of new businesses. For Focal Communications, a nationwide telecommunications carrier, he led the company’s data communications subsidiary and later became Senior Vice President, responsible for all product, channel and field marketing activities. Mr. Mael served as Vice President of Applications and Web Services for PSINet, a leading global Internet Service Provider, and managed the company’s global web hosting business, turning it into an industry-leading service. Mr. Mael came to PSINet, having worked 5 ½ years at MCI Communications as one of the team leaders that created and launched MCI’s commercial Internet products. He also held positions in MCI’s finance, and marketing organizations. Besides his extensive experience in the technology industry, Mr. Mael has also consulted for symphony orchestras and was involved in assessment and planning projects for the Minnesota Orchestra, Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra and the Buffalo Philharmonic. Mr. Mael is a 2005 graduate of Leadership Montgomery, and served as President of the Board of Directors. He currently serves as Treasurer and a member of the Executive Committee of the Jewish Social Services Agency. Mr. Mael received his AB from Brown University and his MBA from Stanford University. Zac Stillerman Advisory Board for the Arts Executive Advisor
Zac Stillerman is an advisor to The Advisory Board for the Arts (ABA) who is focused on new business and product development priorities for the firm.
Prior to his time with ABA, Zac spent 20+ years at the Washington, DC, based Advisory Board Company, a research and consulting company that helps hospitals and health systems around the globe improve their operating performance. More recently, Zac has served as the President of Precision Xtract, an analytics and services firm focused on the pharmaceutical industry.
Aside from his business activities, Zac has also been a member of the Board of Directors of The Washington Chorus.
Zac has a Bachelor of Arts degree from Middlebury College and a Master of Business Administration from Harvard Business School. Pope Ward Advisory Board for the Arts Chief Research Officer
Pope Ward is Chief Research Officer, responsible for delivering research and other services that best serve Member needs. Prior to joining Advisory Board for the Arts, Pope served in a variety of research and product roles at organizations whose purpose was to learn from the collective intelligence of groups to advance the objectives of member organizations. Most recently, he co-founded and led research at Allium Health, which uses machine learning to help care providers identify non- medical factors that impact individual patient health. Before that, he was Senior Vice President of Product at CorpU, a digital learning company that designs distance- learning experiences worthy of senior executive audiences. In the past, Pope served as a Senior Adviser to the Deputy Director for Management at the Office of Management and Budget, where he led performance and efficiency efforts spanning multiple federal agencies. For twenty years, Pope held a variety of research and line roles at The Advisory Board Company and Corporate Executive Board (CEB). Pope was Executive Director and Chief Research Officer of one of CEB’s four divisions and chaired the firm’s Chief Research Officer Council.