
Rita Paniagua
Board President
Consultant; Not for Profit Project Management & Syracuse Common Councilor-at-Large
Rita is also a member of the NYS Council of the Arts Board of Directors. She was a dancer (prima ballerina) at Bristol Virginia Company, opened a dance school in Puerto Rico (DANCE CENTRE), and worked with The Weaner Brothers Latin Record Division creating and implementing promotional tours for artists visiting Puerto Rico

Anastasia Urtz
Vice President
Provost and Senior Vice President
Academic and Student Affairs
Onondaga Community College
Anastasia is responsible for all academic programs at Onondaga Community College, including arts programming. She also plays Bb clarinet with the Silverwood Clarinet Choir.

Nancy H. Ketz
Board Secretary
French Teacher (retired)
Hudson, Poland, Holland Patent School Districts
Nancy, a member of Munson Williams Proctor Art Institute, studied piano with Eva Sciutto. She was accompanist for the SUNY Albany University Singers, and the Hamilton College Choir under G. Roberts Kolb for 30 years. She has also played keyboard in pit orchestras, organ in local churches, and has accompanied level 6 students for NYSSMA adjudication.

Nicholas Shires
Board Treasurer
CPA, Partner in Charge of Tax Services
Dannible & McKee, LLP
I have been involved in organizations promoting the arts in the past. Specifically, I served on the board of directors of Music for the Mission, which is an organization that raises funds by promoting musical events. Those funds are distributed annually through mini-grants aimed to support grass-roots organizations helping to aid the hungry and homeless.

Dori K. Bailey
Board Member
Attorney
Bond, Schoeneck & King, PLLC
Dori is a subscriber of Syracuse Stage and Broadway in Syracuse, and proud parent of Syracuse Children’s Theater performer.

Phylisa Clark-Sova
Board Member
Business Development Manager
Canale Insurance and Accounting

Leroy Collins
Board Member
CEO/Author, Motivational Speaker
Owner, DC3 Consulting
Leroy, a former NFL runningback for the Washington Redskins and Jacksonville Jaguars, is a motivational and inspirational speaker and storyteller and author of "The Runningback". He also serves as President of Upstate NY NFL Alumni Association.

Bill Fisher
Board Member
Non-profit volunteer

Catherine Gerard
Board Member
Professor of Practice
Department of Public Administration and International Affairs
Maxwell School of Syracuse University
Carol has a lifetime history of choral singing, is past president of Capitol Hill Choral Society, and currently a member of the choir at St Paul ‘s Church, Syracuse.

Daniel Hammer
Board Member
Purchasing Director
Onondaga County
Dan connects to art through music and photography.

Tiffany Lloyd
Board Member
Director of Women's Health & Empowerment
Allyn Family Foundation
Though my connection to the arts across my lifetime has been limited, I have always had a passion for music and performance art. My goal as a CNY Arts board member is to serve as a bridge between the arts and everyday people like myself.

Jane Malin
Board Member
Retired Executive Director, Mohawk Valley Center for the Arts (MVCA)
Jane was the Executive Director for MVCA in Little Falls, NY, from 2015 to 2021. Jane is a lifelong musician, vocalist, and choir director throughout the Mohawk Valley, New England, North Carolina, and Minnesota. Jane also teaches voice lessons at MVCA. Within the Bassett Healthcare Network, Jane serves on the boards of Valley Health Services and Valley Residential Services in Herkimer, NY. Passionate about the Arts and her now “second career” working for a non-profit, she has found a home with the MVCA family.

Carmen Sonia Martinez
Board Member
Co-Founder/Chairman/Executive Director
Mohawk Valley Latino Association, Inc.
Sonia is the first Executive Director for the Mohawk Valley Latino Association and a Munson Williams Proctor Institute Board Member.

Matt Powers
Board Member
Instructor of English
Herkimer County Community College
Matt has been involved in the local, community theater for many years as an actor, director, producer, and writer. He co-founded LiFT Theater in 2014, which has produced original work and Shakespeare's plays in the Mohawk Valley. He teaches writing, Shakespeare, and film, and in his spare time can be found playing board games with his sons, running, cooking, or playing D&D.

Magdalena Rivera
Board Member
Department of Campus Life - Student Involvement Coordinator
SUNY Oswego
Magdalena has been a member of the ARTSwego Arts Programming Board since 2010 and the Coordinator of the Annual ALANA Student Leadership (cultural) Conference since 2008. Within her role as Student Involvement Coordinator and other projects on campus, she has collaborated with various departments and coordinated several cultural, musical, arts, and dance performing events. She has been a Dance instructor for several dance programs on campus and the Oswego Local YMCA.

Gary Shaheen, Ph.D.
Project Director, Burton Blatt Institute, Syracuse University
Gary has worked for over 40 years in public, private and academic sectors to help advance civic, social and economic inclusion of persons with disabilities, including Veterans and persons who are homeless. During that time, Gary maintained a strong commitment to the arts, as a visual artist, founder and Director of the Studio School and Art Gallery (Johnson City and Binghamton, NY), and served on Arts Councils and numerous arts organization Boards of Directors.

Honora Spillane
Board Member
Senior Director of Business and Economic Development
Centerstate CEO
Honora grew up in Syracuse doing ballet and poorly playing instruments through high school. She was part of local corps de ballet for touring productions of the Nutcracker and the annual Cultural Resources Council’s (now CNY Arts) holiday ballet production. She was lucky enough that her mother found the time and resources to expose her and her brother to museums, musicals and Broadway, and cultural experiences whenever they travelled around the Northeast – but especially when visiting family in the New York City area.

Tracy Tajbl
Board Member
Assistant Dean of Advancement
College of Visual and Performing Arts, Syracuse University
Tracy has served arts organizations in both staff and consulting roles, such as the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago, the Baltimore and Colorado Symphonies, Arena Stage, and the Smithsonian Institution. She played a leadership role in raising $123 million to build the Schermerhorn Symphony Center. Tracy is an enthusiastic arts patron, and enjoys theater, concerts, dance performances, and museums.

Carol Dumka
Board Member, Ex Officio
Arts in Education Coordinator, Herkimer BOCES
Carol is past President of the CNY Arts Board of Directors. She is a former music teacher and a performing musician and saxophone instructor. She is a member of the Executive Board of the American Federation of Musicians, Local 78, and President of the Crane School of Music Alumni Board.

Lauren Kochian
Board Member, Ex Officio
President, Arts & Cultural Leadership Alliance
President, Milton J. Rubenstein Museum of Science & Technology
Lauren also serves on the board of Gigi's Playhouse and worked in marketing and development for Syracuse Stage.

Sue Stanczyk
Board Member, Ex Officio
Chief of Staff
Onondaga County Executive Office
Sue is also a Board Member for Visit Syracuse and NYS Blues Festival, Inc.
