LIAA LEADERSHIP
Long Island Arts Alliance Board of Directors

Hon. Roger Tilles
Founder & Advisory Board Chair
Michael Bordengo | Vice President
TD Bank, America’s Most Convenient Bank
324 South Service Road, Melville, NY 11747
T: 631-962-2997 | F: (631) 847-7277
[email protected]
As a 25-year financial services and commercial banking veteran in the Long Island region, Michael Bordengo currently serves as a Vice President and a Senior Relationship Manager in TD Bank’s Nassau Corporate Region. During the five years Mr. Bordengo has been at TD his primary focus is in developing, growing, and managing a portfolio of wide-ranging corporate commercial relationships, coupled with servicing the needs of the firms’ principals and employees. Given his vast experience Mr. Bordengo has served his clients by providing financing, treasury management, and overall business solutions with a primary focus on mid-sized businesses. In addition to sustaining the needs of his direct client base, Mr. Bordengo is also interested in supporting community endeavors related to improving the viability of the regions’ economic, civic, and cultural health.
The business foundation and experience which brought Mr. Bordengo’s expertise to TD Bank began at the Bank of New York where he successfully completed their rigorous and notable Credit Training Program. After a successful seven years at the Bank of New York, Mr. Bordengo extended his career by developing additional experience in the world of equipment finance by joining GE Capital Co. Inc. and subsequently supplemented his commercial banking skills by providing business financial services and solutions at Merrill Lynch’s commercial banking unit.
Mr. Bordengo received a Bachelor’s Degree in Banking and Finance from Hofstra University with Highest Honors in 1989. He currently resides in Massapequa Park with his wife and three children, including two teenagers. He has been actively engaged in a number of youth sports organizations and related programs in his community over the years.

Dr. Marian Conway
Chair
Executive Director, NY Community Bank Foundation
Dr. Judith Applewhite Chen is the District Director of Art for the Plainview-Old Bethpage School District which is the public school district serving the Nassau County, Long Island community of Plainview and Old Bethpage, as well as a small part of Farmingdale, NY. Dr. Chen received her Doctorate in Education from Dowling College and her professional diploma from Long Island University, C.W. Post where she won the Outstanding Student Award for her 4.0 Average. She received her Master of Science in Arts Education from Queens College New York and her Bachelor of Arts in Art Education from Greensboro College, Greensboro, North Carolina.
Dr. Chen’s passion for teaching art to K-12 students motivated her to orchestrate a career that today allows her to supervise K-12 art staff for eight schools, oversee three computer art labs and coordinate previews and exhibits in three galleries. Additionally, Judith oversees the Kennedy Center Partnership for Plainview-Old Bethpage School District where she designs workshops in all content areas for K-12 teacher training with a goal of integrating the arts into all content areas. She also supervises PTA Arts-in-Education programs, partnerships with the Heckscher Museum and Nassau County Museum and Journey Program staff development through the Huntington Arts Council as well as oversees the BOCES Cultural Art and Outdoor Education budget. She has served as an Adjunct Professor at New York Institute of Technology teaching graduate courses in curriculum and technology as well as educational foundation courses. Judith holds leadership positions in School Board Governance at the national, state, regional and local level and is frequently called upon to serve on panels and appear in media events as a presenter and expert on arts education and other topics such as “The Changing Role of School Boards” and “Blueprint for Best Instructional Practices.” Judith is a Core Committee Member of the Long Island Scholar-Artist Award program.

Dale Lewis
Vice Chair
Founder, Arts Reach Fund at LI Community Foundation
Lucinda Hurley has been involved in arts-in-education education throughout her 30-year tenure with Nassau BOCES. She has overseen many programs dedicated to bringing resources to schools, creating strategic partnerships, and bringing the resources of Nassau BOCES to districts and the Long Island region.
Currently, Lucinda serves as Executive Director of Nassau BOCES’ Department of Strategic Initiatives. She serves as a liaison with local businesses and community-based organizations, and coordinates agency and inter-agency collaborations and projects. She is both a leader and a resource for the entire agency in its strategic planning.
Lucinda began her career at Nassau BOCES in 1986 in the Outdoor and Environmental Education program and has been an executive director of several departments during her tenure including the department in which Long Island High School for the Arts and Nassau BOCES Arts-in Education reside. She is the past president of the New York State Outdoor Education Association as well as a recipient of that organization’s Leadership and Golden Awards. She has served on or is serving on the boards of the Literacy Volunteers of America/Literacy Nassau, Cornell Cooperative Extension, JASON Foundation for Education, SUNY at Cortland Alumni Curriculum Advisory Board, Nassau County Youth Board, Long Island Arts Alliance and many grant and project related advisory boards.
As a frequent conference presenter and speaker, she has covered such topics as programs designed for at risk/high needs populations and communities, outdoor and environmental education, arts in education, leadership and administration, and interdisciplinary program design.
Lucinda is a graduate of the State University College at Cortland, holds a master’s degree from Adelphi University and earned her School Administration and Supervision Certification from Hofstra University.
Beth E. Levinthal has a deep commitment to the fundamental role of the arts in educating individuals across the life span. She recently retired from her position as Executive Director at the Hofstra University Museum (2006-2017) and is currently an arts management consultant and lecturer in the arts. Her professional career which spans more than 30 years in the arts includes: Executive Director of the Heckscher Museum of Art in Huntington (2000-2006); Director of Education and Public Programs (1996-2000) and Coordinator of School, Youth and Family Programs (1994-1996) at the Heckscher Museum of Art; faculty member and newsletter editor at the Art League of Long Island (formerly HTAL) (1987-1994). Ms. Levinthal is currently a Board Trustee of the Long Island Arts Alliance (LIAA); Member At-Large on the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors for the Huntington Arts Council: Secretary of the Board of the Museum Association of New York (MANY): Board member of the Mid-Atlantic Association of Museums (MAAM); and Peer Reviewer for institutional accreditation for the American Alliance of Museums (AAM). Ms. Levinthal received the 2015 Anne Ackerson Innovation in Museum Leadership Award of Merit from MANY. In addition, she is a recipient of a “Woman of Distinction Award,” Distinction Magazine in 2006, a George Estabrook Alumni Award from Hofstra University in 2005, and a Malcolm Arth Fellowship Award from MAAM in 1996, among other honors. Since 2006 she has been a member of ArtTable, an organization specifically recognizing women in the arts.

Michael Bordengo
Treasurer
Vice President, TD Bank
Michael Bordengo | Vice President
TD Bank, America’s Most Convenient Bank
324 South Service Road, Melville, NY 11747
T: 631-962-2997 | F: (631) 847-7277
[email protected]
As a 25-year financial services and commercial banking veteran in the Long Island region, Michael Bordengo currently serves as a Vice President and a Senior Relationship Manager in TD Bank’s Nassau Corporate Region. During the five years Mr. Bordengo has been at TD his primary focus is in developing, growing, and managing a portfolio of wide-ranging corporate commercial relationships, coupled with servicing the needs of the firms’ principals and employees. Given his vast experience Mr. Bordengo has served his clients by providing financing, treasury management, and overall business solutions with a primary focus on mid-sized businesses. In addition to sustaining the needs of his direct client base, Mr. Bordengo is also interested in supporting community endeavors related to improving the viability of the regions’ economic, civic, and cultural health.
The business foundation and experience which brought Mr. Bordengo’s expertise to TD Bank began at the Bank of New York where he successfully completed their rigorous and notable Credit Training Program. After a successful seven years at the Bank of New York, Mr. Bordengo extended his career by developing additional experience in the world of equipment finance by joining GE Capital Co. Inc. and subsequently supplemented his commercial banking skills by providing business financial services and solutions at Merrill Lynch’s commercial banking unit.
Mr. Bordengo received a Bachelor’s Degree in Banking and Finance from Hofstra University with Highest Honors in 1989. He currently resides in Massapequa Park with his wife and three children, including two teenagers. He has been actively engaged in a number of youth sports organizations and related programs in his community over the years.

Dr. Judith Chen Applewhite
Secretary
Director of Art, Plainview-Old Bethpage Schools (Ret.)

Donald Boomgaarden, Ph. D
President, St. Joseph's University
Dr. Judith Applewhite Chen is the District Director of Art for the Plainview-Old Bethpage School District which is the public school district serving the Nassau County, Long Island community of Plainview and Old Bethpage, as well as a small part of Farmingdale, NY. Dr. Chen received her Doctorate in Education from Dowling College and her professional diploma from Long Island University, C.W. Post where she won the Outstanding Student Award for her 4.0 Average. She received her Master of Science in Arts Education from Queens College New York and her Bachelor of Arts in Art Education from Greensboro College, Greensboro, North Carolina.
Dr. Chen’s passion for teaching art to K-12 students motivated her to orchestrate a career that today allows her to supervise K-12 art staff for eight schools, oversee three computer art labs and coordinate previews and exhibits in three galleries. Additionally, Judith oversees the Kennedy Center Partnership for Plainview-Old Bethpage School District where she designs workshops in all content areas for K-12 teacher training with a goal of integrating the arts into all content areas. She also supervises PTA Arts-in-Education programs, partnerships with the Heckscher Museum and Nassau County Museum and Journey Program staff development through the Huntington Arts Council as well as oversees the BOCES Cultural Art and Outdoor Education budget. She has served as an Adjunct Professor at New York Institute of Technology teaching graduate courses in curriculum and technology as well as educational foundation courses. Judith holds leadership positions in School Board Governance at the national, state, regional and local level and is frequently called upon to serve on panels and appear in media events as a presenter and expert on arts education and other topics such as “The Changing Role of School Boards” and “Blueprint for Best Instructional Practices.” Judith is a Core Committee Member of the Long Island Scholar-Artist Award program.
Lucinda Hurley has been involved in arts-in-education education throughout her 30-year tenure with Nassau BOCES. She has overseen many programs dedicated to bringing resources to schools, creating strategic partnerships, and bringing the resources of Nassau BOCES to districts and the Long Island region.
Currently, Lucinda serves as Executive Director of Nassau BOCES’ Department of Strategic Initiatives. She serves as a liaison with local businesses and community-based organizations, and coordinates agency and inter-agency collaborations and projects. She is both a leader and a resource for the entire agency in its strategic planning.
Lucinda began her career at Nassau BOCES in 1986 in the Outdoor and Environmental Education program and has been an executive director of several departments during her tenure including the department in which Long Island High School for the Arts and Nassau BOCES Arts-in Education reside. She is the past president of the New York State Outdoor Education Association as well as a recipient of that organization’s Leadership and Golden Awards. She has served on or is serving on the boards of the Literacy Volunteers of America/Literacy Nassau, Cornell Cooperative Extension, JASON Foundation for Education, SUNY at Cortland Alumni Curriculum Advisory Board, Nassau County Youth Board, Long Island Arts Alliance and many grant and project related advisory boards.
As a frequent conference presenter and speaker, she has covered such topics as programs designed for at risk/high needs populations and communities, outdoor and environmental education, arts in education, leadership and administration, and interdisciplinary program design.
Lucinda is a graduate of the State University College at Cortland, holds a master’s degree from Adelphi University and earned her School Administration and Supervision Certification from Hofstra University.

Lucinda Hurley
Executive Director, Nassau BOCES Strategic Initiatives (Ret.)

Dr. James Lentini
President, Molloy University
Beth E. Levinthal has a deep commitment to the fundamental role of the arts in educating individuals across the life span. She recently retired from her position as Executive Director at the Hofstra University Museum (2006-2017) and is currently an arts management consultant and lecturer in the arts. Her professional career which spans more than 30 years in the arts includes: Executive Director of the Heckscher Museum of Art in Huntington (2000-2006); Director of Education and Public Programs (1996-2000) and Coordinator of School, Youth and Family Programs (1994-1996) at the Heckscher Museum of Art; faculty member and newsletter editor at the Art League of Long Island (formerly HTAL) (1987-1994). Ms. Levinthal is currently a Board Trustee of the Long Island Arts Alliance (LIAA); Member At-Large on the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors for the Huntington Arts Council: Secretary of the Board of the Museum Association of New York (MANY): Board member of the Mid-Atlantic Association of Museums (MAAM); and Peer Reviewer for institutional accreditation for the American Alliance of Museums (AAM). Ms. Levinthal received the 2015 Anne Ackerson Innovation in Museum Leadership Award of Merit from MANY. In addition, she is a recipient of a “Woman of Distinction Award,” Distinction Magazine in 2006, a George Estabrook Alumni Award from Hofstra University in 2005, and a Malcolm Arth Fellowship Award from MAAM in 1996, among other honors. Since 2006 she has been a member of ArtTable, an organization specifically recognizing women in the arts.

Maggie Martinez Malito
Chief Deputy Town Clerk of North Hempstead
Michael Bordengo | Vice President
TD Bank, America’s Most Convenient Bank
324 South Service Road, Melville, NY 11747
T: 631-962-2997 | F: (631) 847-7277
[email protected]
As a 25-year financial services and commercial banking veteran in the Long Island region, Michael Bordengo currently serves as a Vice President and a Senior Relationship Manager in TD Bank’s Nassau Corporate Region. During the five years Mr. Bordengo has been at TD his primary focus is in developing, growing, and managing a portfolio of wide-ranging corporate commercial relationships, coupled with servicing the needs of the firms’ principals and employees. Given his vast experience Mr. Bordengo has served his clients by providing financing, treasury management, and overall business solutions with a primary focus on mid-sized businesses. In addition to sustaining the needs of his direct client base, Mr. Bordengo is also interested in supporting community endeavors related to improving the viability of the regions’ economic, civic, and cultural health.
The business foundation and experience which brought Mr. Bordengo’s expertise to TD Bank began at the Bank of New York where he successfully completed their rigorous and notable Credit Training Program. After a successful seven years at the Bank of New York, Mr. Bordengo extended his career by developing additional experience in the world of equipment finance by joining GE Capital Co. Inc. and subsequently supplemented his commercial banking skills by providing business financial services and solutions at Merrill Lynch’s commercial banking unit.
Mr. Bordengo received a Bachelor’s Degree in Banking and Finance from Hofstra University with Highest Honors in 1989. He currently resides in Massapequa Park with his wife and three children, including two teenagers. He has been actively engaged in a number of youth sports organizations and related programs in his community over the years.

Susan Poser
President, Hofstra University
Dr. Judith Applewhite Chen is the District Director of Art for the Plainview-Old Bethpage School District which is the public school district serving the Nassau County, Long Island community of Plainview and Old Bethpage, as well as a small part of Farmingdale, NY. Dr. Chen received her Doctorate in Education from Dowling College and her professional diploma from Long Island University, C.W. Post where she won the Outstanding Student Award for her 4.0 Average. She received her Master of Science in Arts Education from Queens College New York and her Bachelor of Arts in Art Education from Greensboro College, Greensboro, North Carolina.
Dr. Chen’s passion for teaching art to K-12 students motivated her to orchestrate a career that today allows her to supervise K-12 art staff for eight schools, oversee three computer art labs and coordinate previews and exhibits in three galleries. Additionally, Judith oversees the Kennedy Center Partnership for Plainview-Old Bethpage School District where she designs workshops in all content areas for K-12 teacher training with a goal of integrating the arts into all content areas. She also supervises PTA Arts-in-Education programs, partnerships with the Heckscher Museum and Nassau County Museum and Journey Program staff development through the Huntington Arts Council as well as oversees the BOCES Cultural Art and Outdoor Education budget. She has served as an Adjunct Professor at New York Institute of Technology teaching graduate courses in curriculum and technology as well as educational foundation courses. Judith holds leadership positions in School Board Governance at the national, state, regional and local level and is frequently called upon to serve on panels and appear in media events as a presenter and expert on arts education and other topics such as “The Changing Role of School Boards” and “Blueprint for Best Instructional Practices.” Judith is a Core Committee Member of the Long Island Scholar-Artist Award program.

John Racanelli
Partner, Farrell Fritz,P.C.
Lucinda Hurley has been involved in arts-in-education education throughout her 30-year tenure with Nassau BOCES. She has overseen many programs dedicated to bringing resources to schools, creating strategic partnerships, and bringing the resources of Nassau BOCES to districts and the Long Island region.
Currently, Lucinda serves as Executive Director of Nassau BOCES’ Department of Strategic Initiatives. She serves as a liaison with local businesses and community-based organizations, and coordinates agency and inter-agency collaborations and projects. She is both a leader and a resource for the entire agency in its strategic planning.
Lucinda began her career at Nassau BOCES in 1986 in the Outdoor and Environmental Education program and has been an executive director of several departments during her tenure including the department in which Long Island High School for the Arts and Nassau BOCES Arts-in Education reside. She is the past president of the New York State Outdoor Education Association as well as a recipient of that organization’s Leadership and Golden Awards. She has served on or is serving on the boards of the Literacy Volunteers of America/Literacy Nassau, Cornell Cooperative Extension, JASON Foundation for Education, SUNY at Cortland Alumni Curriculum Advisory Board, Nassau County Youth Board, Long Island Arts Alliance and many grant and project related advisory boards.
As a frequent conference presenter and speaker, she has covered such topics as programs designed for at risk/high needs populations and communities, outdoor and environmental education, arts in education, leadership and administration, and interdisciplinary program design.
Lucinda is a graduate of the State University College at Cortland, holds a master’s degree from Adelphi University and earned her School Administration and Supervision Certification from Hofstra University.

Napoleon Revels-Bey
President and Founder, Nassau Performing Arts
Beth E. Levinthal has a deep commitment to the fundamental role of the arts in educating individuals across the life span. She recently retired from her position as Executive Director at the Hofstra University Museum (2006-2017) and is currently an arts management consultant and lecturer in the arts. Her professional career which spans more than 30 years in the arts includes: Executive Director of the Heckscher Museum of Art in Huntington (2000-2006); Director of Education and Public Programs (1996-2000) and Coordinator of School, Youth and Family Programs (1994-1996) at the Heckscher Museum of Art; faculty member and newsletter editor at the Art League of Long Island (formerly HTAL) (1987-1994). Ms. Levinthal is currently a Board Trustee of the Long Island Arts Alliance (LIAA); Member At-Large on the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors for the Huntington Arts Council: Secretary of the Board of the Museum Association of New York (MANY): Board member of the Mid-Atlantic Association of Museums (MAAM); and Peer Reviewer for institutional accreditation for the American Alliance of Museums (AAM). Ms. Levinthal received the 2015 Anne Ackerson Innovation in Museum Leadership Award of Merit from MANY. In addition, she is a recipient of a “Woman of Distinction Award,” Distinction Magazine in 2006, a George Estabrook Alumni Award from Hofstra University in 2005, and a Malcolm Arth Fellowship Award from MAAM in 1996, among other honors. Since 2006 she has been a member of ArtTable, an organization specifically recognizing women in the arts.

Laura Savini
Principal, Untamed Hair Productions
Michael Bordengo | Vice President
TD Bank, America’s Most Convenient Bank
324 South Service Road, Melville, NY 11747
T: 631-962-2997 | F: (631) 847-7277
[email protected]
As a 25-year financial services and commercial banking veteran in the Long Island region, Michael Bordengo currently serves as a Vice President and a Senior Relationship Manager in TD Bank’s Nassau Corporate Region. During the five years Mr. Bordengo has been at TD his primary focus is in developing, growing, and managing a portfolio of wide-ranging corporate commercial relationships, coupled with servicing the needs of the firms’ principals and employees. Given his vast experience Mr. Bordengo has served his clients by providing financing, treasury management, and overall business solutions with a primary focus on mid-sized businesses. In addition to sustaining the needs of his direct client base, Mr. Bordengo is also interested in supporting community endeavors related to improving the viability of the regions’ economic, civic, and cultural health.
The business foundation and experience which brought Mr. Bordengo’s expertise to TD Bank began at the Bank of New York where he successfully completed their rigorous and notable Credit Training Program. After a successful seven years at the Bank of New York, Mr. Bordengo extended his career by developing additional experience in the world of equipment finance by joining GE Capital Co. Inc. and subsequently supplemented his commercial banking skills by providing business financial services and solutions at Merrill Lynch’s commercial banking unit.
Mr. Bordengo received a Bachelor’s Degree in Banking and Finance from Hofstra University with Highest Honors in 1989. He currently resides in Massapequa Park with his wife and three children, including two teenagers. He has been actively engaged in a number of youth sports organizations and related programs in his community over the years.
Dr. Judith Applewhite Chen is the District Director of Art for the Plainview-Old Bethpage School District which is the public school district serving the Nassau County, Long Island community of Plainview and Old Bethpage, as well as a small part of Farmingdale, NY. Dr. Chen received her Doctorate in Education from Dowling College and her professional diploma from Long Island University, C.W. Post where she won the Outstanding Student Award for her 4.0 Average. She received her Master of Science in Arts Education from Queens College New York and her Bachelor of Arts in Art Education from Greensboro College, Greensboro, North Carolina.
Dr. Chen’s passion for teaching art to K-12 students motivated her to orchestrate a career that today allows her to supervise K-12 art staff for eight schools, oversee three computer art labs and coordinate previews and exhibits in three galleries. Additionally, Judith oversees the Kennedy Center Partnership for Plainview-Old Bethpage School District where she designs workshops in all content areas for K-12 teacher training with a goal of integrating the arts into all content areas. She also supervises PTA Arts-in-Education programs, partnerships with the Heckscher Museum and Nassau County Museum and Journey Program staff development through the Huntington Arts Council as well as oversees the BOCES Cultural Art and Outdoor Education budget. She has served as an Adjunct Professor at New York Institute of Technology teaching graduate courses in curriculum and technology as well as educational foundation courses. Judith holds leadership positions in School Board Governance at the national, state, regional and local level and is frequently called upon to serve on panels and appear in media events as a presenter and expert on arts education and other topics such as “The Changing Role of School Boards” and “Blueprint for Best Instructional Practices.” Judith is a Core Committee Member of the Long Island Scholar-Artist Award program.

Dr. Robert Scott
President Emeritus, Adelphi University
Lucinda Hurley has been involved in arts-in-education education throughout her 30-year tenure with Nassau BOCES. She has overseen many programs dedicated to bringing resources to schools, creating strategic partnerships, and bringing the resources of Nassau BOCES to districts and the Long Island region.
Currently, Lucinda serves as Executive Director of Nassau BOCES’ Department of Strategic Initiatives. She serves as a liaison with local businesses and community-based organizations, and coordinates agency and inter-agency collaborations and projects. She is both a leader and a resource for the entire agency in its strategic planning.
Lucinda began her career at Nassau BOCES in 1986 in the Outdoor and Environmental Education program and has been an executive director of several departments during her tenure including the department in which Long Island High School for the Arts and Nassau BOCES Arts-in Education reside. She is the past president of the New York State Outdoor Education Association as well as a recipient of that organization’s Leadership and Golden Awards. She has served on or is serving on the boards of the Literacy Volunteers of America/Literacy Nassau, Cornell Cooperative Extension, JASON Foundation for Education, SUNY at Cortland Alumni Curriculum Advisory Board, Nassau County Youth Board, Long Island Arts Alliance and many grant and project related advisory boards.
As a frequent conference presenter and speaker, she has covered such topics as programs designed for at risk/high needs populations and communities, outdoor and environmental education, arts in education, leadership and administration, and interdisciplinary program design.
Lucinda is a graduate of the State University College at Cortland, holds a master’s degree from Adelphi University and earned her School Administration and Supervision Certification from Hofstra University.

Marc Wong
Sr. Vice President Wealth Management, UBS
Beth E. Levinthal has a deep commitment to the fundamental role of the arts in educating individuals across the life span. She recently retired from her position as Executive Director at the Hofstra University Museum (2006-2017) and is currently an arts management consultant and lecturer in the arts. Her professional career which spans more than 30 years in the arts includes: Executive Director of the Heckscher Museum of Art in Huntington (2000-2006); Director of Education and Public Programs (1996-2000) and Coordinator of School, Youth and Family Programs (1994-1996) at the Heckscher Museum of Art; faculty member and newsletter editor at the Art League of Long Island (formerly HTAL) (1987-1994). Ms. Levinthal is currently a Board Trustee of the Long Island Arts Alliance (LIAA); Member At-Large on the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors for the Huntington Arts Council: Secretary of the Board of the Museum Association of New York (MANY): Board member of the Mid-Atlantic Association of Museums (MAAM); and Peer Reviewer for institutional accreditation for the American Alliance of Museums (AAM). Ms. Levinthal received the 2015 Anne Ackerson Innovation in Museum Leadership Award of Merit from MANY. In addition, she is a recipient of a “Woman of Distinction Award,” Distinction Magazine in 2006, a George Estabrook Alumni Award from Hofstra University in 2005, and a Malcolm Arth Fellowship Award from MAAM in 1996, among other honors. Since 2006 she has been a member of ArtTable, an organization specifically recognizing women in the arts.
STAFF

Lauren Wagner
Executive Director
email
Lauren Wagner is the Executive Director of Long Island Arts Alliance (LIAA), a non-profit arts organization servicing the creative sector island-wide. With 16 years of administrative, development, marketing, programmatic, and sales experience in both for-profit and non-profit arts organizations, she brings a diverse set of skills and perspectives to her position with LIAA in order to support a culture where artists and arts organizations can thrive on Long Island. Her passion for the arts, in its many forms, stems from her appreciation and respect for those who create, as well as the fundamental belief that the arts are essential to community and connection. She uses her positive attitude and tireless energy to advocate for the arts and support the work of the Island’s world-class arts institutions, creatives, arts educators, and cultural spaces.
Lauren holds a master’s degree in Museum Studies from Johns Hopkins University and earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Arts Administration from Wagner College in 2006. She serves as the Long Island Representative on the Board of ArtsNYS.
Dale Lewis is Director of the Arts Reach Fund at Long Island Community Foundation. The Fund’s giving is focused on critical issues in the arts and arts education. Mr. Lewis recently stepped down as Executive Director of Usdan Center for the Creative and Performing Arts, a position he held for 32 years. In addition to his work at Arts Reach, he continues as a member of Usdan’s Leadership Council, is a member of the Board of Directors of LIAA, serves on the boards of two charitable foundations, and is a member of the New York State Education Department’s Blue Ribbon Commission on the Arts.
Dale Lewis holds service awards from The Kennedy Center’s National Education Committee, and the Art Supervisors Association. Usdan’s Board of Trustees recently honored him with the naming of the stage house in its campus center, the 1,000-seat McKinley Amphitheater for Music and Dance.
At Usdan, the 1,500-student summer arts school and concert festival in Huntington, Dale Lewis introduced more than twenty new programs of study. He created the Usdan-Joffrey Ballet program, and residencies of the Tokyo String Quartet, Ballet San Jose, Canadian Brass, New York City Ballet, as well as dozens of professional education seminars for arts educators. He has guided successful capital campaigns to build Usdan’s Block Media Arts Center, Hexter Chess Center, Ross Discovery Center, and the McKinley Amphitheater. Mr. Lewis has presented scores of great artists at the Center’s festival concerts, including Emanuel Ax, James Galway, Yo-Yo Ma, Empire Brass, André Watts, the Graham, Limon, and Ailey dance companies, and stars of the Broadway stage.
Dale Lewis began his career as a cellist, with a Carnegie Recital Hall debut at the age of twelve as winner of the New York String Teachers Guild competition. He is a graduate of the Oberlin College Conservatory of Music and was the cellist of the Alberg Trio, performing with this ensemble throughout the Unites States and Europe. Mr. Lewis founded The Center for Chamber Music in Greenwich, Connecticut, and served on the music faculty of College of New Rochelle. He was appointed Music Director of The Westchester Junior Orchestra in 1976. During an 18-year tenure with the orchestra, he conducted performances at Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, and Alice Tully Hall.
Sharon Maier-Kennelly is a not-for-profit arts management professional with more than 15 years professional experience including as Executive Director of Landmark on Main Street and as General Manager and Director of Programming Initiatives for Tilles Center for the Performing Arts. She is currently serving as an arts management consultant for Long Island High School for the Arts in Syosset, a program of Nassau BOCES.
Margaret Martinez Malito is Executive Director of the Nassau County Youth Board. Her responsibilities include oversight for a network of 44 not-for-profit, community based agencies serving nearly 198,000 youth annually. Malito’s background reflects a hybrid experience in politics, protocol and the cultural arts, which began during the administration of NYC Mayor John V. Lindsay and Public Events Commissioner, former U.S. Chief of Protocol, Ambassador Angier Biddle Duke. Here she contributed to numerous large scale public and community celebrations, events and parades for the NY Yankees, NY Mets and NY Rangers; New York’s tribute to the Apollo Astronauts and the 25th Anniversary of the United Nations.
In March 2004, Maggie Malito was named the first executive director of the Long Island Arts Alliance and presently serves as a member of its Board of Directors. She has been associated with the Nassau County Museum of Art as Corporate Development Director and as Development Director of the Heckscher Museum of Art in Huntington, LI.
Ms. Malito’s efforts to promote diversity and access in the Arts through the Connecting Cultures initiative brought her various community recognitions and distinctions. She has been featured on Telecare’s “Long Island Latin Leaders” and “Building Bridges“ programs. Malito is a magna cum laude graduate of Adelphi University where she majored in Art History. She is a member of the Association of Fund Raising Professionals on Long Island (AFPLI) and the Long Island Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. She contributes her time to many Long Island human service, literacy, and diocesan organizations. She served on the Board of the La Fuerza Unida, Inc. and ha served on the Board of the National Council for Unity and the Guild Board of St. Francis Hospital, Roslyn, New York. A 35-year resident of Nassau County, Maggie Martinez Malito has dedicated 40 years to advancing community and educational interests in both a professional and volunteer capacity
John Racanelli is a partner with Farrell Fritz, P.C. Attorneys at Law whose practice focuses on commercial real estate acquisitions, development, leasing, financing and construction. Mr. Racanelli has hands-on experience in real estate and construction, derived from his dual role for many years as both principal and general counsel of a prominent real estate development and construction business.
Mr. Racanelli has served on numerous boards throughout his career and is actively engaged in various educational and community activities. Since 1981, he has been a member of the board of trustees of Dowling College and formerly served as the board’s chairman. He is a director of the Council of Governing Boards for New York’s Independent Education Trustees; he has previously served as chairman and vice chairman. He is a board member of the Hauppauge Industrial Association and of the Long Island Arts Alliance. Mr. Racanelli serves on the advisory boards of the Energeia Partnership and the LI Index. He is also a member of the board of directors of the Flushing Willets Point Corona Local Development Corporation.
Mr. Racanelli formerly chaired the board of directors of the Long Island Association. He has served as a director of the Long Island Builders Institute, the Action Committee for Long Island, the Association for a Better Long Island and the Huntington Township Chamber of Commerce, which he chaired. Mr. Racanelli is a past director of the Long Island Council on Alcoholism and is a former director and vice chairman of the YMCA of Long Island.
Mr. Racanelli received his Juris Doctor, cum laude, in 1969 from New York University School of Law, where he was research editor of the Law Review. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Georgetown University in 1966. Mr. Racanelli is admitted to practice in New York.