Nancy Friedman (Chair)

After two decades as a freelance writer and producer for cable and broadcast television, Nancy co-founded the family focused video marketing agency, KidzVuz, where she oversaw content creation. A veteran writer, she has ghost-written two books on interior design, and has had her humor essays syndicated online in The Miami Herald, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Sacramento Bee and in numerous print magazines and anthologies. Currently, Nancy is on the leadership team at Focus Action Network, a political volunteer organization which works to expand the electorate, and ensure fair elections. Nancy is also on the advisory board of the Belfer Center for Innovation and Social Impact, and a member of the Board of Directors of 92NY in New York.

Yael Jekogian (Vice-Chair)

Yael is a social impact leader in progressive politics and gender equity, has over 20 years of experience in nonprofit management, and is an accomplished environmental engineer. Yael serves on the Leadership Team of Markers For Democracy, a grassroots community focused on saving American Democracy. She has served as a Board Member, Director of Development, consultant and volunteer for many nonprofits including Women’s Campaign Fund, Women’s Way, and New York Women’s Foundation.

Thomas Mullooly (Treasurer)

Thomas is the Director and Head of the Americas Money Markets trading desk at Credit Suisse where he specializes in funding, FX swap trading and asset and liability optimization. Thomas is the industry leader in corporate SOFR issuance (benchmark replacement to LIBOR), helping Credit Suisse to become the largest corporate SOFR referencing debt issuer in the market. He recently moved back to New York City after completing an 18 month assignment in London. He enjoys discussing financial markets and economics and he is studying to become a real estate agent in his spare time. Thomas also enjoys the outdoors and is an avid runner, snowboarder, surfer and hiker. Thomas received his BS from Fordham University where he studied Finance, Accounting and Economics.

Lance Briggs (Secretary)

is a partner at Stroock & Stroock & Lavan LLP and is a member of the firm’s Intellectual Property Practice Group.  He counsels clients on all aspects of patent, copyright and trade secret law.  Ken is listed in New York Super Lawyers in the area of intellectual property litigation.  He is also on the advisory boards of the East Harlem International Film Festival, Ruah Dance Company and General Mischief Dance Theatre and is a Co-Chair of the Benefit Committee of the Legal Action Center.

Sarah Ackerman

attended Vassar College where she received a BA in Drama with a minor in Art History. She received her Masters Degree in Elementary Education from New York University in 2003. She is currently employed by The Children’s Museum of Manhattan (CMOM) where she teaches Early Childhood classes, focusing on helping children and families learn together in a unique environment of interactive exhibitions and programs.

Irene Carney

Joey Chancey most recently served as Executive Producer & Conductor for Christmas Time in the City, a 30-musician, 70-voice choir concert featuring Broadway’s top talent, produced by The Church of St Paul the Apostle.  Prior to that, Joey served as Music Supervisor for A Chorus Line starring Antonio Banderas touring Spain. He has conducted and played piano on Broadway for An American In Paris, Beautiful: the Carole King Musical, Gigi, Annie & Elf (at MSG). Off Broadway: tick, tick…BOOM! & The Unsinkable Molly Brown. National Tours: La Cage Aux Folles, A Chorus Line, The Wedding Singer, White Christmas & Joseph. In concert: Nine, Sweet Charity, The Music Man, Man of La Mancha, Promises, Promises & A Man of No Importance. International: Conductor/ MD for a Symphonic Tour with Anthony Warlow & Faith Prince (Australia). Chancey is the Director of Music at The Church of St. Paul the Apostle. Training: Shenandoah Conservatory. Love to Daniel. For Mom and Dad. joeychancey.com

Jack Cummings III (Artistic Director)

is the Founder and Artistic Director of Transport Group Theatre Company.  Favorite TG credits include Queen of the Mist by Michael John LaChuisa (world premiere), See Rocky City & Other Destinations by Brad Alexander and Adam Mathias (New York premiere), The Audience (conceiver, world premiere), cul-de-sac by John Cariani (world premiere), Normal by Yvonne Adrian, Tom Kochan, and Cheryl Stern (world premiere), Marcy in the Galaxy by Nancy Shayne (world premiere), Three Days To See (author/conceiver, word premiere), as well as revivals of I Remember Mama, Hello Again, First Lady Suite, Once Upon A Mattress, Almost, Maine, The Dark at the Top of the Stairs, The Boys in the Band, All The Way Home, and Our Town.  Other New York credits include the world premiere of Terrence McNally’s And Away We Go for The Pearl Theatre Company, 1,000 Words Come To Mind by Michele Lowe and Scott Richards (Inner Voices, world premiere), and Arlington by Polly Pen and Victor Lodato (Inner Voices, world premiere).  Regional credits include I Remember Mama (Two River Theatre Company), A Streetcar Named Desire (Gretna Playhouse, PA), Violet and The Young Man From Atlanta (The Barksdale Theatre, VA), and The Illusion (Nevada Theatre Company).  He received his B.A. in International Relations from The College of William and Mary and his M.F.A. in Directing from The University of Virginia.  He is married to actress Barbara Walsh.

Lori Fineman

Prior to Transport Group Lori worked in management consulting for Andersen Consulting and Capco, a financial services consulting firm where she was the Global Director of Knowledge Management. As a producer, Lori was a founding member of a New York-based theatre company, Muse of Fire Productions, and the Executive Director of the Philadelphia-based National Women’s Theatre Festival. Lori is the Treasurer on the Board of Directors of the National Alliance of Musical Theatre (NAMT) and is the former Chair and President of the Jewish Community Project (JCP) downtown, where she was honored with the first annual JCP Leadership Award. A graduate of the University of  Pennsylvania, Lori holds a BA in English & Theatre Arts and a BSE from the Wharton School in Management.  Lori is mom to three sons and lives with her husband, Steve, in Tribeca.

Benjamin D. Goldberg 

is a Senior Vice President and General Counsel at Arcesium LLC, a company that designs advanced data, operations, and analytics capabilities for the financial services industry.  He also serves on the firm’s management team.  Formerly Vice President and Counsel at D. E. Shaw & Co., L.P., a global investment and technology development firm, he focused on technology, intellectual property, outsourcing, professional services and other related contracts throughout his 10-year tenure.  Prior to joining D. E. Shaw, he worked in house at Barclays Bank PLC and as an associate at Robinson & Cole LLP.  Ben received his B.A., cum laude, from New York University (Journalism, Political Science) and his J.D., cum laude, from Case Western Reserve University School of Law.  Ben is also the President of the Board of Directors of The Performing Arts Project and is active in the theater community.

Larry Hirschhorn

is a three time Tony Award winning theatre producer with credits on Broadway, Off-Broadway, National Tours and the West End of London. He was one of the co-lead producers of the multi-award winning VANYA AND SONIA AND MASHA AND SPIKE by Christopher Durang. Starring Sigourney Weaver and David Hyde Pierece, it went on to win every major theatre Award for Best Play in the 2013 Season, including the Tony and Drama Desk Awards. Since closing in NY, there have been over 100 productions of it around the country, and was just announced as the most produced American play of 2014. More recently he is a co-producer of THE ELEPHANT MAN, starring Bradley Cooper, and A GENTLEMAN’S GUIDE TO LOVE AND MURDER which also won a Tony and Drama Desk Award for Best Musical 2014. Other Broadway credits include: PETER AND THE STARCATCHER (5 Tony Awards); Gore Vidal’s THE BEST MAN (Starring James Earl Jones, John Laroquette, Angela Lansbury, Eric McCormack, and Candice Bergen); DRIVING MISS DAISY (w/ James Earl Jones and Vanessa Redgrave); THE ADDAMS FAMILY (w/ Nathan Lane and Bebe Neuwirth); HAIR (Broadway/London/ National Tour- winner of Tony & Drama Desk Awards for Best Revival); THE SEAGULL (w/ Kristin Scott Thomas); PASSING STRANGE (Drama Desk Award for Best Musical); BUTLEY (w/ Nathan Lane); and WELL. Earlier in his career he was the Founder/Artistic Director of Off-Broadway’s Melting Pot Theatre. Highlights there include COBB which one the Drama Desk for Best Ensemble, and was co-produced with Kevin Spacey); the NY Premiere of Miss Evers’ Boys and Woody Sez. (Still touring all over the world).

Sara Lind

is the Chief Strategy Officer at Open Plans, a nonprofit dedicated to safe, livable streets in New York City. In this role, Sara leads policy and advocacy pushes and has successfully helped pass critical, life-saving legislation in Albany. Before joining Open Plans, Sara ran for City Council on an urbanist platform, including a heavy focus on policies to make our streets safer and more bike- and pedestrian-friendly. Before that, she served as the Executive Director of 21 in ‘21, an effort to elect at least 21 women to the New York City Council in 2021, which was resoundingly successful with 31 women now serving in the City Council. Over her 15-year career, Sara has also worked as a lawyer for multinational companies and asylum seekers, as a consultant for the CIA, and as a Campaign Manager for democratic candidates. She holds a JD from the University of Chicago, Master of International Affairs from Columbia’s School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA), and a BS in Economics and Political Science from The University of Wisconsin.

Francesca James

has five daytime Emmy Awards and was the first person in the history of daytime drama to travel the distance from acting to directing to Executive Producing, receiving several nominations in all three disciplines. She began her professional life acting in the theater.

Anne–Marie Kavulla

As an artist and performer, Anne–Marie is uniquely attuned to the dialogue between performance and audience. A dance graduate of Interlochen Arts Academy, Anne–Marie holds a BFA in dance with a composition concentration from S.U.N.Y at Purchase College. She has since taught dance, choreographed music festivals, toured as a professional Lindy Hop dancer, and performed in musical theater. Anne–Marie’s textile studio, PIRTTI, continues her exploration of the artist-audience dynamic with a sensitivity to its customers, creative workshop participants, and collaborators. Alongside her life as a creative, Anne–Marie has co-chaired the Harlem Jazz Dance Festival, served on the board of the Mark Stuart Dance Theatre, and independently produced events and custom merchandise for Green Meadow Waldorf School. She continues to sing and perform to this day.

Jeremy Mindich

Jeremy Mindich is Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Scopia Capital Management L.P., an institutional alternative asset management firm. Since 2007, Jeremy has been active in building the field of impact investing, helping to scale innovative social impact organizations, and advancing progressive initiatives. He is a co-founder of Propel Capital, which funds innovative solutions to combat inequality and work for a more just and inclusive society. Jeremy currently chairs the board of Kenya-based, community empowering organization, SHOFCO, and serves on the investment committee of Wesleyan University. He was previously the board chair for Root Capital. Before entering the financial world, Jeremy worked as a freelance journalist. He wrote articles on economic, political, and social issues for publications including the Boston Globe, Chicago Tribune, Christian Science Monitor, SF Weekly, and the Village Voice. He holds an M.P.A. from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government and a B.A. from Wesleyan University.

Peter McKown

is a Director at Prince Street Capital Management, an emerging markets investment firm located in New York City.  Prior to the founding of Prince Street Capital in 2001, Peter worked 11 years for Credit Suisse in Los Angeles, Tokyo and Hong Kong, where he held a number of positions in compliance, operations and financial control.  Peter is a Director of The Prince Street Foundation (the non-profit affiliate of Prince Street Capital), is on the Board of the Rocky Mountain chapter and National Board of Trustees of the ALS Association, the Leadership Council at Broadway Cares / Equity Fights AIDS, and is the President of his Homeowner’s Association board.  Peter and his partner of 27 years, Ken Heng, split their time between New York and Denver and both enjoy skiing, tennis and traveling.

Rhonda Rosen

is a partner in the New York office of SeatonHill. She is a senior finance executive with an extensive skill set that spans all areas of finance, banking and administration, including board and investor communications, M&A, public and private financing transactions, and initial public offerings. Rhonda has a proven track record of leading the growth and dramatic improvement of multiple early-stage, mid-sized and PE/VC backed companies. Over the course of her career, she has negotiated and closed over 60 transactions ranging in size from $50 million to $7 billion. Core vertical experience includes e-commerce and consumer products, subscription-based products and services, specialty pharmaceuticals and medical devices, healthcare IT, asset management, and financial services. Ms. Rosen is a graduate of the Wharton Business School, University of Pennsylvania, with an MBA in Finance & Accounting and a BS in Economics. She holds a MS in Taxation from the Fox Business School, Temple University, FINRA Licenses Series 7, 63, 79, 24 (General Securities Principal); Series 27 (Financial and Operations Principal) and is a Certified Public Accountant.

Joanna Sanders

For 10 years, Joanna worked as a Director in the Investor Relations department of Paulson & Co. Inc., the hedge fund managed by renowned investor John Paulson. In her role there, Joanna was responsible for client service; client communications; and the planning and running of the Hedge Fund’s global investor conferences, fundraising events, and marketing roadshows. Throughout her life, Joanna has been a passionate avocational performer, dancer, and singer in many theatrical, musical, and dance productions. Alongside her professional responsibilities at Paulson & Co., Joanna produced and starred in three of her own cabaret productions at the Triad and Laurie Beechman Theaters under the direction of Eric Michael Gillett, a seasoned Broadway performer, musical theater advisor, and singing instructor. Joanna graduated magna cum laude from Harvard University with a BA in French & Francophone Studies in 2006.

Aimée Steele

is on the voice faculty of NYU Tisch (The New Studio on Broadway), The National Music Theater Institute at The Eugene O’Neill Theatre Center and The Performing Arts Project. In addition, she teaches from her private voice studio on the Upper West Side and travels regionally to teach Master classes and clinics. Her professional students have been featured on and off Broadway, in National tours and in regional theaters across the country as well as in the recording industry, film and TV. Aimée received her BA in Vocal Performance from Eastman School of Music and a Master of Music in Vocal Pedagogy from Teachers College at Columbia University. She is a graduate of the Maggie Flannigan Acting Studio where she studied the Meisner technique and has studied the Linklater and Feldenkrais methods extensively. Aimée is a member of AEA, SAG-AFTRA, VASTA, NYSTA and NATS. Her teaching philosophy centers on vocal coordination and mind, body and breath connection. She ensures that singers are enveloped in a nurturing environment that promotes vocal, physical and emotional confidence. Aimée is especially known for producing her Master classes at Joe’s Pub at the Public Theater where students are seen by industry professionals on the iconic stage. She is also the producer of a series of intimate Salon Evenings of Music where audiences can experience artists and performances in an up close and personal way. www.aimeesteele.com.

 

In Memoriam

Anne L. Bernstein

Philanthropist Anne L. Bernstein (1948 – 2021) was a producer on Broadway, off Broadway, and in film.  Ms. Bernstein has a Times Square theater named in her honor, The Anne L. Bernstein Theater, which currently houses New York’s longest running thriller, Perfect Crime.  Ms. Bernstein originally trained as a classical dancer and spent six seasons at the Perry-Mansfield Performing Arts School in Steamboat Springs, Colorado.  She served on the board of directors of Transport Group and The Acting Company.  She was a recipient of The Acting Company’s Joan Warburg Humanitarian Award, which honors individuals who demonstrate admirable dedication to philanthropic causes in the arts.  Among many projects, Bernstein was the producer of the documentary film series Broadway: The Golden Age, by the Legends Who Were There.

 

 

Artistic Advisory Board

 

Brian Crawley, Lyricist/Librettist

Lucille Lortel Award & New York Drama Critics Circle Award winner, Violet, The Little Princess

 

John Dossett, Actor

Gypsy (Tony Award nomination), Giant, War Paint

 

John Clinton Eisner, Producing Director

The Lark Play Development Center

 

Michael John LaChiusa, Composer and Lyricist

5-time Tony Award nominee
The Wild Party, Marie Christine, Chronicle of a Death Foretold, Hello Again, Little Fish, Giant, Queen of the Mist, First Daughter Suite

 

Donna Murphy, Actress

2-time Tony Award winner
Passion, The King & I, Hello Dolly

Michele Pawk, Actress

Tony Award winner and 3-time Drama Desk nominee, Hollywood Arms, Crazy For You, Cabaret

 

Christopher Shinn, Playwright

Obie winner, Lucille Lortel Award winner, Drama Desk nominee, Dying City, Four, Where We Live