Trish Santini is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of Empire Training Center for the Arts (Poughkeepsie NY), a new workforce development initiative for technical and administrative jobs in the arts that do not require a college degree. Trish previously served for seven years as the Inaugural Executive Director of Little Island, a $250M public park with three performance spaces designed by Heatherwick Studio and Signe Nielsen/MNLA, and funded by the Diller-von Furstenberg Family Foundation. She was part of the design and construction team guiding decisions relating to operations, and she developed Little Island’s public mission, programming and organizational structure as well as the operating plan and annual budgets, resulting in experiential, operational and fiscal success. She made paid workforce programs an early priority for the organization and from 2018-2023, 54 CUNY students participated in three distinct 12-20 week-long programs. Prior to Little Island, Trish held several executive roles including serving as the External Relations Director at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis, as Vice President at TMG-The Marketing Group, a Broadway marketing and press firm in NYC and as the Marketing Director at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles. Her consulting clients include Tectonic Theater Project, Anna Deavere Smith’s Notes from the Field: Doing Time in Education, Walker Art Center in Minneapolis and The Music Center in Los Angeles. Trish has served as a panelist for the National Endowment for the Arts, and in addition to serving on the board of directors for The BringAbout, she is also on the advisory board at Pace University, Sands College of Performing Arts.
Don’s passion for art-making and community has brought BringAbout salons, multi-day residencies, photo shoots, and readings to life for more than ten years.
His career includes 20 plus years of New York and London based banking and finance.
As a seasoned Creative Director at Economist Impact, a division of The Economist Group, Mari leads creative initiatives for digital partnership programs across the Americas and Europe. Mari leads a global design team that delivers highly integrated, multi-platform campaigns. She ensures global brand consistency and creativity for top-tier clients such as Google, AT&T, Ford Foundation and Meta. Mari's expertise includes a decade of art direction in the publishing industry, with notable roles at ARTnews and Art in America. She has also designed marketing campaigns for the Matrix and Biolage beauty lines at L’Oréal, and has executed marketing strategies for both startups and Fortune 500 companies. Outside of her professional work, Mari is a passionate supporter of the arts, has a background in dance, and enjoys spending time with her husband and three grown children; ideally traveling the world!
Associate Professor, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Dr. Joe Allen is associate professor at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, director of Harvard’s Healthy Buildings Program, and coauthor of the award-winning book Healthy Buildings: How Indoor Spaces Can Make You Sick—or Keep You Well. Dr. Allen serves on Harvard’s Presidential Committee on Sustainability, is an advisor to The White House, and during the COVID-19 pandemic, served as a Commissioner on The Lancet COVID-19 Commission and Chair of its Safe Work, Safe Schools, and Safe Travel Task Force. Dr. Allen was featured on the 60 Minutes episode, The Air We Breathe, spotlighting the importance of healthy indoor air quality. He has authored over 100 peer-reviewed scientific papers, and regularly contributes to the New York Times, Washington Post, and Harvard Business Review. An ardent supporter of the arts, Dr. Allen is an advisor to Harvard’s American Repertory Theater, Broadway Across America, and Boston Symphony Orchestra. His work with Diane Paulus creating the Roadmap for Recovery and Resilience in Theater during the pandemic was featured by the National Endowment for the Arts.
Entertainment and Technology Lawyer and Consultant
Ms. François is a partner at J. François & Associates and a leading technology and new media lawyer and consultant. She serves as counsel for Fortune 500 companies as well as technology start-ups. She has over twenty years’ experience negotiating and advising on technology transactions, distribution, programming and licensing deals, intellectual property, cyber security, data protection, cloud computing, privacy, open source, e-commerce, social media and regulatory matters. As a member of various associations and think tanks, Ms. François also stays abreast of cutting-edge technologies such as AI, blockchain and crypto currency and current issues affecting the technology and media industries such as net neutrality.
Ms. François started her career practicing corporate law (M&A and financing) at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett and then went on to hone her skills in corporate, new media, technology and entertainment law at Schnader Harrison & Lewis and Scholastic Inc., the world’s largest children’s publishing company.
Ms. François is also a partner at JFA Realty Group, a real estate development and consulting firm that specializes in negotiating and consummating complex commercial transactions and constructing condominiums, cooperatives and other housing in NY, Florida, the Caribbean, West Africa and other emerging markets. Ms. François is also a licensed New York and Florida real estate broker.
She currently serves as board member for local, community and youth-based organizations. In 2010, she was appointed by New York State Governor Paterson and confirmed by NYC Mayor Bloomberg to serve as a Director on the Board of the Brooklyn Bridge Park Corporation. In recognition of her leadership and service to her community and alma mater, Ms. François was selected to be a member of the Society of Columbia Graduates.
In addition to her legal and real estate endeavors, Ms. François has a passion for health and wellness. She is a certified yoga instructor, herbalist and wellness coach. She is in the process of opening a wellness and fitness center in Miami, Florida.
Ms. François earned her bachelors degree in English from Columbia University. She went on to achieve her J.D. from Harvard Law School, cum laude.
Broadway Director
Marc Bruni directed the currently running The Great Gatsby on Broadway, as well as the Tony, Grammy, and Olivier Award winning Beautiful: The Carole King Musical on Broadway, in the West End, US and UK Tours, and in Australia where he won the 2018 Helpmann Award and Green Room Award for Best Direction of a Musical. He also directed Trevor: The Musical which was filmed Off Broadway at Stage 42 and now streams on Disney+. Bruni’s other directing credits include Guys and Dolls, Bye Bye Birdie, The Music Man, How to Succeed in Business..., 50 Years of Broadway (Kennedy Center), Hey, Look Me Over!, Paint Your Wagon, Pipe Dream and Fanny (City Center Encores!), The Tale of Despereaux (with PigPen Theatre Co, Old Globe, Berkeley Rep), The Explorers Club (Manhattan Theater Club), Roman Holiday (Golden Gate), The Sound of Music (Chicago Lyric Opera, Theatre Aspen), The Nutty Professor (Ogunquit), Old Jews Telling Jokes (Westside Theatre and Royal George in Chicago- Jeff Award nom for Direction) and many more. He is a graduate of Dartmouth College and member of SDC.
Broadway Stage Manager
Saori Yokoo is a native Japanese working on Wicked on Broadway. This summer, she was the Production Stage Manager for Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil at the Goodman Theatre. She participated in multiple productions, such as Aladdin in Tokyo, Japan, and the grand opening of the Orb Theatre. She also worked on The Inheritance Parts 1 and 2 and Harry Potter Parts 1 and 2, and her touring credits include On Your Feet, Dirty Dancing, Bring It On The Musical, and 42nd Street.
Other credits: Once Upon A One More Time, The Devil Wears Prada, Kennedy Honors, Phish New Year’s Gag at Madison Square Garden and Seeing You.
@saoriyokoo
Orchestrator and Electronic Music Designer
Scott Wasserman is one of the most in-demand electronic music designers and orchestrators for live theater. Broadway Electronic Music Design/Programming: Hamilton, Dear Evan Hansen, & Juliet, Diana, The Great Comet. Other Broadway: Escape to Margaritaville (Broadway conducting debut), Annie, and Leap of Faith. Off-Broadway: Walk On Through (Co-Orchestrator, Electronic Music Designer, and Synthesizer/Vocals), Here There Be Dragons (Orchestrator), Invisible Thread (Electronic Music Designer). Regional: La Jolla Playhouse, Papermill, Bay Street Theatre, Hartford Stage, Stages St. Louis, The Alliance, Signature, Center Theatre Group, ACT of Connecticut, and Cumberland County Playhouse. Scott’s orchestrations have been performed at Carnegie Hall, Radio City Music Hall, The Kennedy Center, by the Boston Pops at Symphony Hall, and on the albums Losing My Mind: A Sondheim Disco Fever Dream, Johnny & The Devil’s Box: The Concept Album, Joel B. New’s Cabot Cove, and Sarah Stiles’ You Can Ukulele With Me. Film, TV and Podcast credits include Mufasa: The Lion King (upcoming), The Greatest Showman, Hamilton on Disney+, Beauty and the Beast Live on ABC, Fosse/Verdon, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, The Tony Awards (2017), Sesame Street, Wallykazam!, 21 Chump Street for This American Life, and Song Salad. Scott lives in the Bronx with his wife, Meghan, and his two cats, Hudson and Ellis. Outside of music, Scott has reached WSET Level 3 in wine education, and is the Treasurer of the Unity Democratic Club. www.scott-wasserman.com