directors & advisors
board of directors
Josué González
President
Boston Symphony Orchestra, Vice President of Education + External Affairs
A trained classical cellist, Josué holds a B.M. and M.M. in Performance and Suzuki Pedagogy from the Cleveland Institute of Music. He is also a graduate of the Perrone Sizer Institute for Creative Leadership and holds a Certificate in Professional Fundraising from Boston University. Professional accolades include the 2017 Emerging Leader Award from the Arts Schools Network (ASN).
He has served as a teaching artist and Director of El Sistema at the Conservatory Lab Charter School and Director of Education and Community Partnerships for Rockport Music and currently holds the position of Executive Director for Project STEP.
Lauren Eidson
Treasurer
Armanino, Risk Assurance Advisory Manager
Lauren works as part of the Internal Audit group for Ahold Delhaize, one of the world’s largest food retail groups. Lauren graduated from Wayne State University in 2011 with a BA in History, summa cum laude, where she also played Division I Ice Hockey. Lauren also holds a Master’s in Theological Studies from Trinity Lutheran Seminary. Most recently, Lauren completed all the business and accounting courses necessary to be CPA eligible at Western Illinois University.
Prior to Ahold Delhaize, Lauren worked as the lead internal auditor at a large food redistribution company, as well as a risk and business advisory consultant at a public accounting firm. Lauren lives in Portland with her husband Brad, four-year-old son Will, and three dogs. When Lauren is not busy working, she enjoys running, playing hockey, CrossFit, the beach, hiking, music, and hanging out with her family.
Kate Knox
Secretary
Bernstein Shur, Attorney
Meet Kate, campaign finance guru, lobbying law legend, and social justice advocate. When it comes to lobbying, campaign compliance, and election law, you are hard-pressed to find someone more capable than Kate. She has lobbied in Augusta for nearly 20 years, representing a wide variety of interests from developers to corporations and public interest groups, and worked on virtually every significant ballot initiative and campaign for public office in Maine. Some of Kate’s most recent and significant efforts include heading the legal team in the battle to allow Ranked Choice Voting, and assisting EqualityMaine draft and pass legislation legalizing same-sex marriage in Maine, marking the first time in US history that such legislation passed in both the House and Senate and was signed into law. At the statehouse, Kate is known for her strong Democratic connections and relationships. Her legal training allows her to understand and translate the often-complicated work of crafting statutes to solve practical problems. In addition, Kate has served as General Counsel to the Maine Democratic Party for the past 10 years, working with and representing democratic candidates up and down the ticket – from state legislators to presidential candidates. That position translates well into lobbying as it creates authentic and organic relationships with candidates before they become legislators. Post-election, she is naturally seen as a trusted ally for those newly elected legislators as they learn the ways of Augusta. Kate also holds a Master’s Degree in social work and worked as a family therapist for families dealing with severe mental illness. That experience has proven invaluable to her work, allowing her to remain calm and compassionate in challenging situations.
Blanca Santiago
Board Member
Portland Public Schools, Clinical Advisor & Consultant
Blanca Santiago is a storyteller and healer who has spent three decades developing visibility, safe spaces, and resources for the Latinx and immigrant communities in Maine. She is a consultant, mentor and clinical supervisor to Portland Public Schools employees of color and social work interns. In her role she works closely with district leaders and specialists to bring diversity, equity, and inclusion to the systems that educate and prepare our next generation of students. A 2015 graduate of the University of New England’s social work program, she is a licensed clinical social worker providing therapy in a small private practice. Her biggest achievement is that through her efforts and collaboration with Portland Public Schools three new social workers representing language and ethnic diversity have been hired. Blanca is the 2020 recipient of the Courage is Contagious and the Cesar Chavez Award. She currently serves on the board of The Foundation for Portland Public Schools. Supporting the people who support our youth is her ultimate goal at this stage of her life. She is a grandmother of two young people and mother to two men and a woman. Blanca lives in Portland.
Carolyn Benthien
Board Member
Carolyn H. Benthien Associates LLC, Consultant
More than 40 years of organizational leadership comprise Carolyn’s professional experience. Since 1994 she has been co-owner of a consulting firm specializing in organization development, strategic planning, fund development and facilitation for small and medium-size nonprofits. Prior to her consulting she served as CEO of three United Ways including 11 years as President of United Way of Greater Manchester (NH).
Throughout her career, Carolyn has helped hundreds of organizations develop vision and mission statements, organizational and governance structures and strategic plans. In the area of fund development, she has directed and/or designed strategies for fundraising efforts in annual appeals, major gifts, endowment building, and capital campaigns.
Carolyn has served on numerous boards of directors (both for-profit and not-for-profit), committees, and task forces. She was a founding board member of Leadership Manchester, Leadership NH, Women’s Fund of NH, Manchester Regional Community Foundation and Manchester Community Music School.
Carolyn earned a BA from Northwestern University and an M.Ed from Ohio University and has advanced management certificates from Harvard University and the JFK School of Government. She had 13 years of training in classical piano. Carolyn relocated to Cape Elizabeth from New Hampshire in 2019 and is the mother of two adult children and four grandchildren, all of whom live in the Portland area.
Christina Wright
Board Member
Chris couldn’t get enough of school. She holds a BA in Comparative Religion from Vassar College, an MA in Special Education from the Bank Street College of Education, and an MS and PhD in School Psychology from NYU. Chris is a teacher, now retired, who has taught young children, middle schoolers, at-risk high schoolers, undergraduates, and doctoral students and is more likely to find their similarities than their differences. Chris was an amateur chorister who sang with the Florilegium Chamber Choir in NYC and with the S Curves in Seattle, spanning Bach to Johnny Mercer. She is the definition of a dilettante musician, having played the hurdy gurdy (and flute and piano) for 20 years before taking up the double bass ten years ago. She is currently playing in two Seattle community orchestras, including the Seattle Collaborative Orchestra, an organization that provides a platform for women and BIPOC composers. Chris currently serves on the board of The Seattle Shakespeare Company and The Seattle Collaborative Orchestra. She is currently in training to become a Suzuki Book 1 teacher. When she’s not practicing her bass, she’s cuddling with her standard poodle, Nico, or playing cribbage with her husband, Luther. She is also Bill Black’s sister -in-law so she gets to spend lots of time in Maine listening to Bay Chamber Concerts.
David Lakari
Board Member
Renewal Housing Associates, LLC, President
David Lakari is President of Renewal Housing Associates, LLC of Portland, Maine, which is a joint venture with Leon N. Weiner & Associates Inc. of Wilmington, Delaware. Renewal Housing Associates acquires and rehabilitates existing federally-assisted multifamily housing to preserve its affordability. Since inception in 2001, Renewal Housing has acquired and/or developed about 2,800 rental apartments in four states and the District of Columbia, at a total development cost of $280 million. Before forming the company, Lakari was Executive Director of the Maine State Housing Authority from 1994-1999. Except during this period of government service, Lakari has been a real estate owner, developer, manager and consultant for his entire career. He is an active volunteer, having served on many nonprofit boards. He currently serves as a member of the board of Palaver Strings, Inc., a group whose members perform professionally and also educate children in music. Lakari is a graduate of Goddard College (1972) and the University of Maine School of Law (1984).
Max Monks
Board Member
Tarifica, Director of Consulting and Subscription Services
Max spent the first 12 years of his career in project management and consulting, where he led engagements with many of the world's largest telecommunications companies as well as other large enterprises in related industries. Max provided strategic and tactical recommendations on pricing, bundling opportunities, ARPU growth, and product level ROI analysis and advised senior executive teams on long-term strategic initiatives. More recently, Max is responsible for deal sourcing, raising equity, and investing in operating companies in the U.S. and Europe for RIC, a Maine and New York-based investment firm. Max is a graduate of I.E. Business School in Madrid, where he earned an M.B.A, and Vassar College (B.A.).
Pargha Leboua
Board Member
Mid Coast Hospital, CNA
Pargha was born and raised in Gabon and arrived in Maine in December 2015. After learning to speak English at Portland Adult Education, Pargha got her CNA certificate from Scarborough Adult Education and continues learning English at the University of Southern Maine. Pargha now works as a CNA at Mid Coast Hospital in Brunswick. Pargha is the mother of five children and enjoys spending time with her family and has a commitment to helping people in as many ways as possible.
William Black
Board Member
Maine Public Advocate Office, Deputy Public Advocate (Retired)
Bill Black is retired from thirty years of serving as General Counsel and Deputy Public Advocate in Maine’s Public Advocate Office. Bill continues occasionally to represent public-interest concerns before public utilities commissions in northern New England. He is a long-time board member of Pine Tree Legal Assistance, and serves as co-chair of the annual Edmund H. Muskie Award Dinner, which raises funds for Maine’s six legal services organizations. Bill also serves on the Board of Bay Chamber Concerts in Rockport, Maine and on the Board of the Friends of the Strand Theater (FOST) in Rockland, Maine. Before moving to Maine, Bill graduated from Stanford University, received an MAT from Reed College, and graduated from the Boston University School of Law.
Monica Gambilado
Board Member
Richmond Area Health Center, Family Nurse
Monica is a Family Nurse Practitioner at the Richmond Area Health Center, part of HealthReach Community Health Centers in Maine. She earned her Master of Science in Nursing from the University of Southern Maine and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Maine at Orono. Her clinical experience encompasses pediatric care, internal medicine, and women's health. Monica is committed to fostering human connections in healthcare, emphasizing patient education and empowerment to navigate complex medical systems. Monica is currently a Palaver Music Center parent.
Mathieu Gaulin
Board Member
Boston Children’s Hospital, Senior Director
Mathieu has been at Boston Children’s Hospital since 2006, starting as an agency temporary employee. Currently, he is the Senior Director, Professional Medical Staff Services with oversight of Medical Staff Services and Provider Enrollment while working with the Medical Staff and its Leaders on their self-governance and oversight of patient safety and quality obligations.
Philanthropically, he is interested in activating and amplifying communities through the arts, arts education, and equitable access therein. To that end, he serves as a Trustee of the Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston and a co-Chair of the Boston Public Art Triennial. He is a recent Alumnus of Harvard Business School, attending the Program for Leadership Development certificate program; and, a recent Fellow Medical Services Professional through the National Association of Medical Staff Services. Lastly, he is a national speaker and thought-leader in multiple Medical Staff administrative domains.
Lin Lisberger
Board Member
Sculptor + Woodcarver
Lin Lisberger has been a sculptor and woodcarver since the 1970s. She taught sculpture, drawing and design at the University of Southern Maine from 1981 until her retirement in 2017. Lisberger has an MFA in Sculpture from the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Fine Arts (1980) and a BA in English Literature from the University of California at Santa Cruz (1973) and she lives and has a studio in Portland, Maine. Her exhibition experience is widespread and she has pieces in several private and corporate collections. You can see her work at www.linlisberger.com. Lin loves listening to all kinds of music and believes in the power of all the arts!
Rosie Menard
Board Member
Preble Street, Senior Project Manager
Rosie Menard is a Senior Project Manager at Preble Street, a nonprofit organization based in Portland, Maine. She supports multidisciplinary teams in implementing complex programs that address homelessness, housing instability, hunger, and poverty. With over 20 years of experience in the United States, Rosie has worked across federal, municipal, nonprofit, and private sectors—gaining deep expertise in compliance, program development, and project execution within diverse organizational environments.
Originally from the Dominican Republic, Rosie holds a law degree from the Pontificia Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra. She earned a Master of Science in Project Management with a focus on Leadership from The Roux Institute at Northeastern University and holds a Compliance Certificate from the University of Maine School of Law, enhancing her capabilities in risk management and regulatory frameworks.
Throughout her career, Rosie has held leadership roles managing services for survivors of domestic and sexual violence. She has led reentry, advocacy, and compliance initiatives for incarcerated individuals in New York City, Tennessee, and Maine and has been a committed advocate for immigrant, BIPOC, and Latinx communities. Her strategic mindset, cross-functional collaboration, and dedication to community empowerment make her a valuable asset to any equity-driven initiative.
In addition to her professional work, Rosie serves on several outreach and advisory committees that promote cultural awareness, language access, and inclusive programming. She is honored to bring her experience, cultural insight, and commitment to justice to the board of Palaver Strings.
Heather Sumner
Board Member
University of New England, Senior Administrative Coordinator
A native of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, Heather holds a B.M in Music Education and M.M in Clarinet performance from the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music and the University of Knoxville which provided unforgettable opportunities to perform with orchestras, chamber groups and choirs around the world. Before joining the professional staff at the University of New England, Heather was an elementary music educator for Portland Public Schools, where she taught for over 10 years. She also served as the Education and Community Engagement Manager for the Portland Symphony Orchestra, where she expanded youth education initiatives and developed innovative partnerships and programs with local schools, healthcare facilities, and community organizations. When she’s not playing duets with her daughter, Heather performs regularly in pit orchestras for theater productions across Maine. She lives in Portland with her family and loves exploring new, uncharted ways to experience music.
advisory council
Moisès Fernández Via
Advisory Council Member
Boston University Arts / Lab
Bayla Keyes
Advisory Council Member
Boston University
Described as “a charismatic soloist of expressive generosity and technical élan” who gives “awe-inspiring performances” displaying “masterful leadership,” violinist Bayla Keyes is an ardent champion for a wide range of classical and contemporary repertoire. A seasoned performer on the international touring circuit, she played over one thousand concerts as a founding member of the Muir String Quartet, winning the Naumburg and Evian Competitions and two Grand Prix du Disques and performing with notable musicians such as Itzhak Perlman and Benny Goodman in venues as diverse as Carnegie Hall, the Sydney Opera House, and the White House. Ms. Keyes concertizes internationally as recitalist, as soloist with orchestras, and as a member of the acclaimed piano trio, Triple Helix. Highlights in recent years include premieres at the BBC and Kings Place in London as well as Carnegie Weill Recital Hall, concerts in Beijing and Shanghai, appearances on major chamber music series in Los Angeles, New York, Boston, and Washington, D.C., numerous radio broadcasts, solo recitals in Pittsburgh, Boston, and Vermont, the complete Mozart Violin Sonatas and works of Bartók in Serkin Center, and performances with orchestra of concertos by Stravinsky, Chausson, Bartók, Dvorâk, Sibelius, Beethoven, Martinu, Piazzolla, Martin, Brahms and Mozart. She has also given dozens of world premieres with Boston Musica Viva, the Wellesley Composers’ Conference, Winsor Music, and the Fromm Concert Series at Harvard. Her piano trio, Triple Helix, was the Artist Ensemble in Residence at the Rivers School, Project STEP, and Wellesley College, where their series of Beethoven concerts garnered them the accolade of “Musicians of the Year” from the Boston Globe. Their CD “A Sense of Place” was cited as “Best of North America” by Gramophone Magazine. Ms. Keyes has recorded for Video Artists International, Ecoclassics, CRI, Musical Heritage, EMI-France, Sony, Koch, Bridge, MRS and New World Records. She plays a Gennarius Gagliano made in 1740.
While earning degrees from Curtis Institute and Yale University and attending the Marlboro Music Festival, Ms. Keyes studied with major teachers including Ivan Galamian, Oscar Shumsky, Jascha Brodsky, Felix Galimir, Karen Tuttle, Paul Kling, and Alexander Schneider, and she is committed to passing on their inspirational knowledge; she is Associate Professor of Violin at Boston University and also served on the violin faculty at New England Conservatory 2012-2013.
Heath Marlow
Advisory Council Member
The Food Project
Heath currently serves as the Associate Director of Developement for The Food Project. Previously, he served as Director of Development & Engagement for Emmanuel Music, helping a fifty-year-old organization imagine and commence a strategic pivot towards greater relevance through embracing a more participatory culture.
Notably, Heath helped to build Community MusicWorks—a creative youth development organization nationally recognized for “creating rewarding musical experiences for often-forgotten populations and forging a new, multi-faceted role beyond the concert hall for the 21st century musician” (MacArthur Foundation). He continues to provide capacity building mentorship for musician colleagues who are growing community-based initiatives, including Palaver Strings (Portland, ME), Iris Music Project (Rockville, MD), and Newport String Project (Newport, RI).
Earlier in his career, as a professional cellist, Heath was fortunate to have spent summers studying and performing in such bucolic locations as Banff, Blue Hill, and the Berkshires.
Ian Saunders
Advisory Council Member
Artistic Director, Project STEP
Dr. Ian Saunders is a musician, educator, and arts leader committed to advancing equity in classical music. As Artistic Director of Project STEP, he leads a nationally recognized program that provides specialized music education to young musicians from historically underrepresented backgrounds. He previously served as Assistant Dean of Students at the Eastern Music Festival and as Assistant Dean for Artistic and Social Change at the Longy School of Music, where he helped integrate social impact into the arts.
As a versatile bassist, Dr. Saunders has performed with major ensembles including The Cleveland Orchestra, Cincinnati Symphony, Chautauqua Symphony, and Sphinx Symphony. His genre-crossing collaborations include Roomful of Teeth, A Far Cry, Kansas, Cherish the Ladies, and hip-hop artist Thee Phantom. He’s shared the stage with artists like Audra McDonald and Rakim The God, performing in venues from Carnegie Hall to the Kennedy Center.
Dr. Saunders serves on the boards of Equity Arc and Emmanuel Music and is a Sphinx LEAD alum, using his leadership to champion diversity and innovation in the performing arts.
Manuel Bogorro
Advisory Council Member
Carnegie Hall & Bay Chamber Concerts & Music School
Manuel Bagorro is a long-time Creative Advisor at Carnegie Hall, working on the design, planning and implementation of a range of programs. He is also Artistic Director of Bay Chamber Concerts and Music School in Rockport ME, Founder and Artistic Director of the Harare International Festival of the Arts (HIFA) in Zimbabwe and served as a program advisor for CultureSummit Abu Dhabi in 2017 and 2018. He curated the arts program for the first Wellbeing Summit in Bilbao, 2022 and leads the artistic team for the Global Hearth Summit in Ljubljana, 2025. For the last 12 years, his work with Bay Chamber Concerts and Music School has resulted in a new approach to the organization’s educational offerings and community engagement programs. Under his leadership, the Harare International Festival of the Arts (HIFA) became one of the most significant artistic and social impact projects in Southern Africa, weathering the social, political and economic turmoil in Zimbabwe for more than a decade.
He is also a pianist, having performed extensively and won prizes in the Newport International and Royal Overseas League Piano Competitions. He performed in the John Schlesinger film, Madame Sousatzka, and appeared as soloist with the BBC Welsh and Cape Town Symphony Orchestras. He composed the music for a series of documentaries entitled Africa Unmasked and played for Queen Elizabeth II and other dignitaries at a State Banquet in London in 1995.
Nicholas Phan
Advisory Council Member
Described by the Boston Globe as “one of the world’s most remarkable singers,” American tenor Nicholas Phan is increasingly recognized as an artist of distinction. An artist with an incredibly diverse repertoire that spans nearly 500 years of music, he performs regularly with the world’s leading orchestras and opera companies. Also an avid recitalist, in 2010 he co-founded the Collaborative Arts Institute of Chicago (CAIC) to promote art song and vocal chamber music, where he serves as artistic director.
A five-time Grammy nominee, Phan’s most recent album, A Change Is Gonna Come, was nominated for the 2025 Grammy Award for Best Classical Solo Vocal Album. His previous albums, Stranger: Works for Tenor by Nico Muhly, Clairières, and Gods and Monsters, were nominated for the same award in 2023, 2020 and 2017. He is the first singer of Asian descent to be nominated in the history of the category, which has been awarded by the Recording Academy since 1959. His other solo albums Illuminations, A Painted Tale, Still Fall the Rain and Winter Words, made many “best of” lists, including those of the New York Times, New Yorker, Chicago Tribune, WQXR, and the Boston Globe. Phan’s continually growing discography also includes Grammy-nominated recordings of Kaija Saariaho’s Adriana Mater with Esa-Pekka Salonen and the San Francisco Symphony and Stravinsky’s Pulcinella with Pierre Boulez and the Chicago Symphony, as well as recordings of Berlioz’ Roméo et Juliette with Michael Tilson Thomas and the San Francisco Symphony, Scarlatti’s La gloria di primavera and Handel’s Joseph and his Brethren with Philharmonia Baroque and Nicholas McGegan, an album of Bach’s secular cantatas with Masaaki Suzuki and Bach Collegium Japan, Bach’s St. John Passion (in which he sings both the Evangelist and the tenor arias) with Apollo’s Fire, and the world premiere recordings of two orchestral song cycles: The Old Burying Ground by Evan Chambers and Elliott Carter’s A Sunbeam’s Architecture.
Sought after as a curator and programmer, in addition to his work as artistic director of CAIC, Phan is the host and creator of BACH 52, a web series examining the music of Johann Sebastian Bach. He has created programs for broadcast on WFMT and WQXR and has also served as guest curator for projects with the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, Bravo! Vail Music Festival, San Francisco Opera Center, Merola Opera, Laguna Beach Music Festival, Apollo’s Fire, and San Francisco Performances, where he served as the vocal artist-in-residence from 2014-2018. In the 2023-24 season, he served as an Artist-in-Residence at New York’s Kaufman Music Center. Praised by the Chicago Classical Review as “the kind of thoughtful, intelligent programming that should be a model,” Phan’s programs often examine themes of identity, highlight unfairly underrepresented voices from history, and strive to underline the relevance of music from all periods to the currents of the present day.
Sarah Darling
Advisory Council Member
A Far Cry
Described as “a tireless force of musical curiosity, skill, and enthusiasm” and “the one to up the ante” (Boston Musical Intelligencer), Sarah Darling enjoys a varied musical career that moves across centuries and styles on viola and baroque violin, with deep roots in Boston. A member of A Far Cry, Musicians of the Old Post Road, Boston Baroque, Les Bostonades, the Boston Ballet Orchestra, Gut Reaction, Emmanuel Music, and Antico Moderno, Sarah also performs with the Handel and Haydn Society, Newton Baroque, Sarasa, and Three Notch’d Road, and spends her summers at the Boston Early Music Festival, the Portland Bach Experience, and the Carmel Bach Festival. Sarah studied at Harvard, Juilliard, Amsterdam, Freiburg, and New England Conservatory, working with James Dunham, Karen Tuttle, Wolfram Christ, Nobuko Imai, and Kim Kashkashian. She has recorded old and new music for Linn, Paladino, Azica, MSR, and Centaur, plus a solo album on Naxos and two Grammy-nominated CDs on Crier Records. Sarah is active as a teacher and coach, relishing the opportunity to “translate” between different musical worlds while serving on the faculty of the Longy School and as co-director of the Harvard Baroque Chamber Orchestra.
Stanford Thompson
Advisory Council Member
Play On Philly, Founder and Executive Director
El Sistema USA, Founding Board Chairman
Stanford Thompson is a musician and educator who serves as the Founder and Executive Director of Play On Philly and Founding Board Chairman of El Sistema USA, bringing music education to students in underserved areas throughout Philadelphia and beyond. Recognized as a TED Fellow, Stanford believes that music education is a powerful tool for positive personal and community change. Mr. Thompson serves on the faculty of the Global Leaders Program and regularly presents at major universities and music conservatories about leadership, entrepreneurship and social justice. As a consultant, he has guided the development of dozens of music programs across the United States and collaborated with major orchestras, higher education institutions, and arts organizations to develop new strategies and initiatives that help provide equitable access to the arts. As a professional trumpeter, Stanford has performed as a soloist and member with major orchestras around the world and continues to perform chamber music and jazz. Stanford is a native of Atlanta, GA, a graduate of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra’s Talent Development Program and holds degrees from The Curtis Institute of Music and the New England Conservatory’s Sistema Fellows Program.