Andrew Cortese (he/him) is the Controller at Pioneer Works, a vibrant nonprofit cultural center in Brooklyn, NY, driven by artists and scientists. Before this role, he was the Senior Accounting Manager at the Doris Duke Foundation. Andrew’s responsibilities include financial oversight, strategic analysis, and resource optimization. His leadership has been instrumental in refining budgeting processes, maintaining fiscal integrity, and providing timely financial insights to enhance decision-making. His dedication to excellence earned him “The Doris Duke Award for Excellence,” highlighting his commitment to the highest performance standards.

Andrew began his career at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts and MMA Financial, where he honed his skills in financial analysis and reporting. Known for his ability to convey complex financial information clearly, he has become a trusted advisor to executive leadership. Andrew holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a focus on Management and Accounting from Babson College. He also expanded his academic and cultural experiences by studying abroad at the University of Salamanca in Spain.

An experienced arts educator & administrator, Judith Insell is currently the Executive Director of the Bronx Arts Ensemble after previously serving as the organization’s Artistic Director. She previously held the positions of Director of the School for Performing Arts at Bronx House, Director of Music at the Harlem School of the Arts, and Assistant Director of Instrumental Studies at Mannes College of Music, The New School. She also served for 6 years on Manhattan Community Board 9(MCB9), where she chaired the Youth, Education, & Libraries Committee, and served on the Arts & Culture Committee and the MCB9 Executive Board. She is currently a board member of the Community League of The Heights(CLOTH), serving on the Executive Board as the Secretary.

As a professional violist, Insell has collaborated with marquee artists: Beyoncé, India.Arie, John Cale, Suzanne Vega, Lee Konitz, Greg Osby, Elio Villafranca, Larry Harlow, and Miguel Zenon. She has appeared on Saturday Night Live (SNL), and Late Night With Stephen Colbert. She has also performed in the Broadway show orchestras for Once Upon A One More Time, Les Miserablé (25th Anniversary Edition), An American In Paris, A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder, Gypsy, Ms. Saigon, Tommy, Carousel, and Kiss of the Spider Woman and recently performed in the musical “SUFFS” at the Public Theater. As an orchestral musician, Insell has performed with the New Jersey Symphony, Albany Symphony Orchestra, Brooklyn Philharmonic, Parlando Chamber Orchestra, National Chorale and Orchestra & is currently a member of the Greenwich Symphony Orchestra. As an improvising violist, she is a former member of “Soldier String Quartet,” “Sojourner,” and “Twisted Standard Trio” She is currently a member of the avant-garde jazz collective “Jump Off This Bridge.”

Judith is the proud recipient of the 2023 Jazz Journalists Award: “Bronx Jazz Hero,” presented to advocates who have had a significant impact in their local communities supporting the art form of jazz. She has also been a featured panelist for Lincoln Center’s “Summer for the City: June 2023: “ Lift Every Voice and Sing: African American Contributions to the American Orchestral Canon” and July 2023: “Exploring Futures: Panel on Careers in the Arts,” curated for NYC Middle & High School Students.

Insell has a featured “idea” in the Center for an Urban Future’s “50 Ideas for a Stronger and More Equitable Bronx, ” supplying an arts education proposal. She also participated in the 2021-2023 New York State Council for the Arts (NYSCA) “Orchestral Pathways” Cohort, contributing to the design of a blueprint document to guide funders in best practices for supporting the work of nonprofit Arts & Arts Education organizations to provide pathways to underserved students to enter the classical music workforce.

Rachel Lee (she/her) is a facilitator, administrator, and teaching artist working at the intersection of access, education, and workplace culture. Rachel spent a decade of her career as a New York City teaching artist and had the pleasure of working with multiple organizations and institutions including The New Victory Theater, Marquis Studios, Center for Arts Education, Pace University, CAP21 at Molloy College, and Harlem School for the Arts. Currently, Rachel is the Manager of Education and Community Relations at Little Island, where she ensures Little Island delivers on its promise to engage, educate, and employ local New Yorkers through a suite of community engagement and workforce development programs. Prior to her role in the Education and Community Relations department, Rachel served as Little Island’s recruiter, recruiting and onboarding the organization’s inaugural staff and embedding best practices in training, access, and inclusion into the organization’s workplace culture. Before her time at Little Island, Rachel was a Teaching Artist and Teaching and Learning Coordinator at Disney Theatrical Group, where she designed and facilitated trainings worldwide for the Disney Musicals in Schools Program. At the core of her work, Rachel is steadfast in using arts education as a vehicle for people to be their most joyful and authentic selves, whether it be in a classroom, rehearsal room, or workplace.

Kashira Patterson, Esq., originally from Detroit, holds values deeply rooted in the city’s rich cultural heritage. Her love for the arts stems from the vibrant and diverse music scene that thrives in Detroit. Growing up, Kashira experienced firsthand the negative impact of a city divesting from arts education as the recession led to the loss of access to arts programs during her middle and high school years. This experience ignited her passion for arts advocacy, driving her desire to champion initiatives that ensure all students have access to the arts regardless of economic circumstances.

As an associate at Skadden Arps, Kashira advises a wide range of clients on complex intellectual property, technology, data protection, cybersecurity matters, and regulatory compliance matters in connection with commercial transactions. Kashira also maintains a pro bono practice in which she aids clients on a wide array of matters, including intellectual property licensing, seeking access to gender-affirming social services, tenants’ rights advocacy and applications for asylum.

Kashira has been recognized by the National Black Lawyers as a 2023 inductee on the Top 40 Under 40 list.

She earned a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Michigan alongside a certificate in Community Action and Social Change from the University of Michigan School of Social Work. She earned her Juris Doctor at New York University, School of Law.

Tamia B. Santana is the Chief Engagement and Inclusion Officer at Ballet Hispánico. She has been an advocate of the arts for over 20 years. Previously, she was Executive Director of the Brooklyn Dance Festival and Resident Dance Director of the Brooklyn Museum. Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, Santana now raises her family there. She serves on the Executive Arts Committee for all NYC Public Schools, has recently been appointed to join the City Council’s New Arrivals Strategic Team, and served as Board of Directors to Mayor Eric L. Adams. As a prominent concert dance and performance producer, Santana has executive produced and directed concerts and events at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, the Alvin Ailey Theater, Summer Stage, and Barclay’s Center, as well as for music artists such as Big Daddy Kane, Johnny Gill, and more. Her previous experience as a dancer was performing at venues such as Madison Square Garden, Carnegie Hall, The Apollo Theater, Lincoln Center, and Europe before beginning her career in arts accessibility and executive direction.

Educator, choreographer, and dancer Mary Suk holds a MA in Dance and Dance Education from Teachers College, Columbia University and a BA in English from Dartmouth College. She currently works as a Teaching Artist for New York City Ballet, Dancing Classrooms, and Franklin Furnace Archive among others. In addition to performing her own work at Joe’s Pub, Aaron Davis Hall, and The Joyce SoHo, as a dancer she has performed with Claire Porter and jill sigman/thinkdance. She has been an active member of jill sigman/thinkdance’s Social Justice Movement Lab for the past two years. Since 2013, she has served as Franklin Furnace Archive’s Financial Manager. She currently lives in Queens with her husband, three cats, and her dog.