CLOTHESLINE - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Senior Vice President at NIIT USA Inc
Abhas Kumar is a Senior Vice President at NIIT USA Inc., one of the world's top five providers of Managed Training Services, and is also a director on the board of Eagle Productivity Solutions, based in Rochester. Abhas has an engineering degree from IIT Roorkee and an MBA from XLRI Jamshedpur, India. Abhas served on the board of the India Community Center of Rochester from 2010-12 and was Chair in 2011. At the ICC, Abhas founded the ICC Professional Forum and helped institutionalize KRHTPA, where kids raise funds for local kid-oriented charities. Abhas has also served on the board of SAATHI of Rochester and currently serves as a member of the Board at Bivona Child Advocacy Center. When not working or volunteering, Abhas' other interests are photography, learning to dance, and theatre.
Adam Eaton became an Artist in 2019. He is the founder of the arts organization Rochester Artist Collaborative with the mission to support local Artists in Rochester NY. The organization focuses on low-income and underrepresented Artists, expanding diversity and inclusion in the fine arts, media, and design fields. These Artists are provided the resources they need to have successful creative careers while making art that inspires the community.
Under Adam's leadership, Rochester Artist Collaborative has experienced enormous growth in both diversity and in the City's perception of local Black Artists.
Over the past 15 years, Adam has been making a difference in the lives of Rochesterians through education with positions at the Rochester City School District and Monroe Community College all while volunteering to enrich the lives of Rochester's citizens.
Job Titles:
- Chairman, Department of Art and Art History / Undergraduate Advisor
Job Titles:
- Director of Information Technology
- Senior Staff Member
Barbara Kintzel was born and raised in Southern Poland. She immigrated to the United States in 1993 at the age of twenty. In 1997, Barbara graduated from Montclair State University in Montclair, New Jersey with BS in Computer Science. After living for 13 years in New Jersey, Barbara, her husband Ulf, and their three children moved to the beautiful Finger Lakes region in 2006. Shortly after moving, Barbara began working at the Memorial Art Gallery in the Information Technology department. Growing up under communism in a small village located in the beautiful Tatra mountains, shaped Barbara's perspective on life and work. She is very service and family oriented and has been dedicated through her work to the Memorial Art Gallery for the past 16 years.
Charisma Travis is a huge advocate of helping others to succeed, and becoming knowledgeable about any and everything. An Urban League of Rochester staff member since 2013, she is currently the Program Director for the Afterschool Academy program where she works with Monroe County students in grades 6th through 12th and their families, predominately those who reside and attend schools in the City of Rochester. With the Urban League of Rochester, Mrs. Travis helps close the education gap and provides various opportunities to help prepare students for college, work, and life. To accomplish this mission and the mission of the Urban League Movement, Mrs. Travis works closely with the National Urban League and its other affiliates Youth & Education staff, specifically the Project Ready signature program. This includes serving as an Adult Ambassador for the first National Urban League Project Ready Youth Council, working with students from affiliates around the country to use their voices. In addition, locally Mrs. Travis participates in a few advisory groups/partnerships where she works with community members and partners to provide and advocate for healthy meals and well-rounded after school and summer programming for our students.
A Brooklyn native, Mrs. Travis holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice and a Master of Science degree in Creative Studies, both from SUNY College at Buffalo. Mrs. Travis lives in Rochester with her husband and son.
Job Titles:
- Chief Financial Officer for Villa of Hope
Chetna Chandrakala is chief financial officer for Villa of Hope, an organization that partners with individuals, families, and communities to Rebuild relationships, Recover potential, and Renew hope for the future. Most recently she served for 13 years as the senior vice president of finance and compliance for GRIPA/Cognisight. GRIPA is a physician-led partnership between Rochester Regional Health and physicians, helping to provide high-quality and high-value care. Chetna has over 25 years of experience in the fields of finance, accounting, human resources, and compliance across different countries and industries including manufacturing, trading, power plants, insurance, and healthcare.
Chetna's educational accomplishments and certifications include Certified Public Accountant (CPA), and graduate executive management coursework from University of Chicago Booth School of Business. She completed her undergraduate studies at Shri Ram College of Commerce, India, and received her Bachelor of Law degree from University of Delhi, India. She also holds certifications from, and has been a member of, three esteemed institutes in India for Chartered Accountants, Cost Accountants, and Company Secretaries.
Chetna is very passionate about community service. She likes to help organizations by leveraging the intellectual capital of the Indian-American community and fostering cultural connections between the world's largest democracies. She is currently the president of Hindu Temple of Rochester; treasurer/board member of the Mental Health Association of Rochester; finance committee member of United Way; board member and past chair of Development of Indian American Leaders (DIAL), and past chair of Professional Forum of India Community Center of Rochester. For several years, Chetna served the Pittsford PTSA in different capacities including as chair, treasurer, and in website management.
Chetna was a recipient of the Pittsford PTSA Lifetime Membership award in 2015, and an Honoree of Rochester Business Journal Women of Excellence Awards in 2019.
Job Titles:
- Director of the Neighborhood Service Centers
Daisy Rivera Algarin is the Director of The Neighborhood Service Centers (NSC) for the City of Rochester. In her role, Daisy oversees the operation of the four NSC offices in the Community. The primary focus is to provide focused customer service and improve the quality of life for all Rochester Citizens. In addition, she was part of the La Marketa Planning Team for the North Clinton Avenue revitalization project. She has served the City of Rochester since June 2000.
Daisy has also served in different capacities with Latinas Unidas. She was part of the founding team and has been the chair and now serves as Immediate Past president of the organization.
She was born in Bronx, NY and educated in Rochester. Daisy came to Rochester in 1971. She is married and has three children and two grandchildren.
Job Titles:
- Senior Staff Member
- Facilities Area Manager
Debra Foster oversees approximately 124,000 square feet of building space and 15 acres of grounds. She is responsible for developing and implementing operations and capital budgets in excess of $2 million and serves as MAG liaison to UR Facilities and Environmental Health and Services.
Debora McDell-Hernandez joined Planned Parenthood of Central and Western New York in March 2018 and serves as Senior Director of Public and Community Affairs. She provides leadership in advocacy and public affairs. McDell-Hernandez also plays a key role in shaping public policies by enabling legislators, advocates and the public to understand and make informed decisions on issues that impact family planning and reproductive health choices. This includes legislative activities and relationship management; community partnerships, and public relations/media management.
Job Titles:
- Executive Vice President Administration & Finance
Job Titles:
- Docent Chair, Memorial Art Gallery
Fabeha Fazal is an Associate Professor in the Department of Pediatrics, Division of Neonatology, at the University of Rochester. Originally from India, she moved to Chicago in 1992. She relocated to Rochester in 2003 with her husband and three kids and has since been an active community member. She was a member of the Islamic Center of Rochester (ICR) Board from 2008 - 2018 and has served as the Vice President of ICR for two terms. At present, she serves on the Board of Trustees at Barakah Muslim Charity, a non-profit organization whose purpose is to provide social services to the broader community of upstate New York, serving people irrespective of race, religion, ethnicity, gender, or creed. Their services include food, clothing, and financial assistance to underprivileged families. Fabeha is also a member of the Muslim Civic Engagement Committee, whose goal is to provide civic education and bridge the gap in the Greater Rochester Area both in political and non-political ways. Community service has been a lifelong passion for Fabeha, through which she has built an amazing circle of friends from diverse backgrounds.
Fran Flaherty is a Deaf artist, curator, and educator practicing in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and Rochester, New York. As a first-generation immigrant from the Philippines, her work is centered in issues surrounding migrant family relations and assimilation, maternal feminism, and disability aesthetics that synthesize traditional media and physical computing. Flaherty is the founder of Anthropology of Motherhood, an ongoing curation of artwork and design that engages in the complex visual, material, emotional, corporeal and lived experiences of motherhood, care-giving, parenting, nurturing, and maternal labor. She is the Director of Dyer Arts Center for the Advancement of Deaf Culture at Rochester Institute of Technology's National Technical Institute for the Deaf. She also serves on the Advisory Board of the Office of Public Art in Pittsburgh, and is a proud member of the #notwhite collective.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board Officers Team
- Vice President
Heather Newton was offered the privilege to serve as National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Rochester's Executive Director in January 2019 and she is proud to lead this dynamic and critically important organization. She and her husband found NAMI several years ago when they were struggling to make sense of their son's mental health condition. The support and education they received were invaluable to their family's recovery.
Isobel Goldberg Goldman is a career graphic designer and longtime community organizer. She has held positions nationally as an art director with Significs Design Studio in Rochester, Aardvark Advertising Agency in Atlanta, and Polo Ralph Lauren in New York City. In recent years, Isobel has served as the Community Relations Director for the Jewish Community Federation and most recently as the Director of Grants and Programs with the Farash Foundation. Isobel is the Founder and CEO of The Crayon Project, an art and literacy program that has distributed thousands of Art supplies to Rochester City School children.
Isobel currently serves on the Boards of E3 Rochester and the Joseph Avenue Arts and Culture Alliance.
Job Titles:
- Senior Staff Member
- Director of Advancement
Jamie Beers leads the team responsible for advancing the mission of the Memorial Art Gallery. Together, they raise a significant percentage of MAG's overall operating budget, as well as funds for special projects and the endowment. Prior to joining the MAG in January of 2023, she spent 16 years in higher education fundraising. Beers holds a BA in Psychology from Hofstra University and an MBA from the University of Phoenix.
Job Titles:
- Senior Staff Member
- Curator in Charge
Jessica Marten is Curator in Charge/Curator of American Art at the Memorial Art Gallery of the University of Rochester where she has worked since 2001. In her curatorial practice, Marten is particularly interested in exploring historically marginalized artists and lesser-known histories. Recent projects include an exhibition organized in honor of New York Women's Suffrage Centennial in 2017, The Power of the Female Gaze. In July 2018, her exhibition and catalog The Surreal Visions of Josephine Tota introduced and advocated for the artist to be added into the canon of visionary artists. Her 2020 project, The Path to Paradise: The Stained Glass Art of Judith Schaechter, explored the beautiful, bold, and subversive work of a cutting-edge contemporary artist who works in the centuries-old medium of stained glass. In addition to organizing exhibitions, Marten oversees MAG's curatorial staff and is responsible for acquisitions, deaccessions, and installations drawn from MAG's collections, grants, conservation priorities, scholarly publications, donor relations, and public lectures.
Joe Carney has more than 30 years' experience in advancement with a focus on the annual fund, campaign and major gift fundraising for higher education and health care. He holds a BS in Management from St. John Fisher College and an MA in English.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board Officers Team
- President
Kevin Spencer Beckford (he, his, him) is an internationally recognized change agent, anti-racist strategist, and executive servant leader with experience working in the for-profit and non-profit sectors.
Kevin is currently SVP Chief People Officer of GRYT Health Inc., a healthcare technology company. Prior to that, Kevin was Sr. Director of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (2017-21) at the University of Rochester (UR). In this role, Kevin provided anti-Racism and equity strategies, as well as direction to assist the UR in realizing a more equitable and inclusive culture for its 32,000 employees.
As a change agent, Kevin has led people, process and technology transitions within call center operations, information technology, marketing and technical communications, supply chain, purchasing, bank financial operations, and healthcare.
Additionally, Kevin has served in executive operational leadership roles at Bank of America, PNC Financial, Bank of Montréal, and executive roles in healthcare and academic Institutions. Kevin has also provided senior- and executive-level transition and change management consulting services for large, medium, and small companies.
Throughout these assignments Kevin has brought a focus on operational excellence, effectively managing change, and championing diversity, equity, and inclusion in every aspect of the workplace.
Kevin is also active in the community, working on social justice, anti-poverty, anti-racism, and education initiatives. In November 2017, Kevin was elected to the Pittsford, NY Town Board and is the first African American to serve on the Pittsford Town Board in its more than 200-year history. He is also the co-founder of the Rochester Anti-Racism Coalition (RARAC).
Kevin received an Associated in Applied Science (AAS) degree in Electrical Engineering Technology from Monroe Community College, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Organizational Management from Roberts Wesleyan University. Kevin is a life-long servant leader and feels he is at his best when he is serving others.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board Officers Team
- Secretary
Job Titles:
- Interim Director / Chief Operating Officer, Memorial Art Gallery
Margot Muto came to MAG in 2016. She was previously co-founder and director of AXOM Gallery & Exhibition Space, which opened in 2011 with the mission of presenting contemporary arts and design, and fostering the careers of emerging, mid-career and established artists. She holds a BFA in painting and printmaking from RIT.
Job Titles:
- Chairman
- Member of the Board Officers Team
Melanie Fazio brings 20+ years of experience to her role. She joined the Memorial Art Gallery in 2022. Melanie's journey to MAG has included working in radio, for a family-owned business and at a major corporation. Melanie holds an MA in English Literature. She will utilize her background to focus on fun, inspiration and connection, to continue in bringing the community together at MAG.
Job Titles:
- Senior Staff Member
- Ex Officio
- Interim Director / Chief Operating Officer
Michael (Mike) Marsh is a native New Yorker born and raised in Queens, New York. He most recently served as the executive director of Baden Street Settlement of Rochester. Mike has a J.D. from The Cornell Law School and a B.A. from Queens College of the City University of New York. He has spent over 20 years in Rochester having served in leadership roles at prominent institutions, including Eastman Kodak, Nixon Peabody, and the Monroe County District Attorney's office. Mike has an accomplished career in both the public and private sectors and brings more than 30 years of experience in business management, organizational development, strategic planning, legal practice, and non-profit board service. Mike currently serves on the Boards of St. Joseph Neighborhood Center and Nativity Prep of Rochester.
Job Titles:
- Gallery Council Leadership Committee Chair, Memorial Art Gallery
Job Titles:
- Board Chair, University of Rochester
Job Titles:
- President, University of Rochester and G. Robert Witmer, Jr. University Professor
Náter Vázquez is active in the community emphasizing advocacy on behalf of the Latinx and LGBTQI+ community. He is involved with the Education Trust-New York, RCSD Bilingual Council, RMAPI Policy and Decimalizing Poverty groups, the Latinos Leader Roundtable, and the Monroe County/Rochester Youth Committee. Over the last five years, he has been a guest lecturer in Nazareth College's Community Youth Development Program.
Job Titles:
- Director of Finance
- Senior Staff Member
Sheryl Burgstrom began her career at UR 19 years ago as Manager of the Endowment Accounting Department. At MAG she is responsible for financial forecasting, planning and analysis; overseeing the annual budget and auditing process; and working with UR's Central Budget and Controller's Offices. She holds degrees in finance and accounting with a minor in art history.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board Officers Team
- Vice President
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board Officers Team
- Treasurer