Karen Byers

Treasurer, is the Managing Director and Chief Financial Officer, Secretary and Treasurer of The John & Mary R. Markle Foundation of New York, N.Y. An active participant in its program activities, Ms. Byers directs the investment, financial, legal, accounting, budgeting, computing, human resource, real estate and administrative affairs of the private Foundation, which is focused on information technology in health and national security. She has also served as the managing director for Theatre Communications Group, and as manager at Peat Marwick Main & Co., both in Manhattan. Born in The Netherlands and raised in Europe and the United States, Ms. Byers is a graduate of Washington University in finance and accounting, and of Bryn Mawr College and Wheaton College in philosophy.

back to top <

Kathy Lawrence

Secretary, is the former Executive Director of the National Campaign for Sustainable Agriculture, where she provided overall vision, leadership, management, and planning. As Founder and Executive Director of Just Food in New York, N.Y., Ms. Lawrence advocated and promoted working relations among numerous organizations concerned with food security, hunger, agriculture, urban gardening, community development and other related issues. A trained linguist and public speaker skilled in Chinese, German, and French, Ms. Lawrence sings in various languages, including Mandarin. Ms. Lawrence is currently an independent consultant on food systems and non-profit management issues, an avid gardener, a solo singer, and pianist. She also sings in and accompanies the acoustic duo, Heartstrings, with Broadway baritone Rich Flanders, which focuses on music from the 1930s, 40s and 50s. She holds a BA in East Asian Languages and Cultures from the University of Kansas and Master of International Affairs from Columbia University.

Rev. David Lee Mason

Board member, is Pastor of The Union Presbyterian Church, Newburgh, NY since 2001. In addition to being a fine musician, playing keyboard, organ and cello, Rev. Mason studied voice professionally for eight years with Dr. Lawrence Bond, now music director at Vanderbilt University. He was a cast member in one of the opera company’s earliest productions, The Marriage of Figaro. As President of the Greater Newburgh Ministerial Association, he has brought strong leadership and resource development skills to the table for a number of important Hudson Valley community projects. As chair of fundraising for Newburgh’s Project Life, a non-profit homeless shelter for transitional families, he instigated the development of the annual fundraiser, Bat for Life earning almost $15,000 for the organization in 2005. In addition to his many community involvements, he is an Adjunct Professor at Mount Saint Mary College. He holds a BA with a double major in German and American History from University of the South, Sewanee, TN and a Master of Divinity from Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary.
 

Lillie Mikesell

Founding Member, is the Director of Music Ministry at St. George’s Church in Newburgh, and coordinator for its community outreach arts program, Grand Music. She is also a non-profit consultant in Mikesell & Rossi Associates, Inc., of Peekskill, NY. Prior to founding her own consulting firm, Ms. Mikesell was a Vice President at New York-based Howard Rubenstein Associates Public Relations where she oversaw clients from some of New York’s largest real estate, insurance and finance corporations. Ms. Mikesell has frequently performed with Claudia Cummings and her husband, Shakespearean actor Jack Aranson throughout the Hudson Valley. A graduate of Bennington College, she is a composer of sacred music and a frequent accompanist for Hudson Valley region performers. She is currently a rehearsal and performance pianist for Opera Company of the Highlands.
 

Sandi Scopteulo

Founding Member is an entrepreneur in Orange County, N.Y., where she is a director, independent distributor and trainer for Earth Essence, Inc., an organization focused on natural products for health and beauty. She is the owner of Legacy for Life and a member of the Business Network International.
 

Rose Wolvek

Board member is a life-long foreign language educator having taught Spanish, French, Italian and Hebrew at the secondary level. She is an adjunct faculty at both Mount Saint Mary College and SUNY Orange. Her love of opera began as a child in New York City and through a later association with Nico Castel, house diction coach at the Metropolitan Opera, she started her own artists’ management company, RPA Management in 1985. She represented Mr. Castel, as well as other singers and conductors traveling on their behalf and securing engagements at some of the largest opera houses in the world. One of the highlights of her operatic managerial career was working with Luciano Pavarotti in 1991. Her tenor, Cesar Hernandez, was selected to appear with maestro Pavarotti on a Live from Lincoln Center broadcast of Pavarotti Plus! Ms. Wolvek has secured stage auditions for clients at Convent Garden, Paris Opera, and La Scala. She has secured contracts with New York City Opera, The Met, San Francisco Opera, the Houston Grand Opera, Dallas Opera, and the San Diego Opera among others.