Dean's Advisory Committee

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The Frost School of Music’s Dean's Advisory Committee is made up of highly successful volunteer professionals who are committed to the success of the Frost School and its students. Consisting of music and general business professionals, including Frost and UM alumni and trustees, they gather several times a year to advise and guide the school's leadership regarding the mission, goals, strategic plan and fundraising.

The Dean's Advisory Committee Purpose:

  1. Consultative to the Dean on major decisions
  2. Attentive to established and emerging alumni with affinity to the Frost School of Music
  3. Offer executive feedback and insight
  4. Support the Frost School of Music's Alumni Fund and other philanthropic initiatives
  5. Promote awareness and garner support for the Frost School of Music

 

Chair of the Board:

Jeffrey Miller, Co-Founder of Krillion Ventures

 

Board Members

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  • Julio Bagué, Vice President Latin Division East Coast and Puerto Rico, peermusic

    As Vice President Latin Division East Coast and Puerto Rico, Julio Bagué has helped build a formidable U.S. Latin roster of major label artists/writers including Chayanne, Prince Royce, Victor Manuelle, De La Ghetto, Chocquibtown, A&X, Sofia Reyes, and crossover classical urban artists, Black Violin.  Bagué has also been instrumental in the acquisition of important catalogs such as Gilberto Santa Rosa's PMC and Alejandro Jaen's Ventura Music.  As Manager of Puerto Rico, Julio also supervises all publishing aspects on the island including both mechanical and synchronization agreements. As a Latin Grammy-winning music producer, Bagué has worked with a variety of artists including Luis Enrique, Jon Secada, Eddie Palmieri, Charlie Sepulveda, Nestor Torres, Melina Leon, Marger Sealey, Manu Manzo, C4 Trio, KerreKe and produced Rafael Hernandez' seminal operetta entitled Cofresi which was recognized by UNESCO as the cultural patrimony of Puerto Rico and was nominated as Best Classical Album at the 2013 Latin Grammy awards.  Julio is on the Board of Governors for the Florida Chapter of NARAS and on the Board of Directors of the Latin Songwriters Hall of Fame graduating with a Masters in Music from the University of Miami's Frost School of Music.

  • Arthur Black, Private Investor

    Arthur Black is a private investor based out of Highland Beach, Florida. Presently, he spends his time investing in private companies and particularly enjoys both non-profit and for-profit participation in music and motion picture projects. Arthur was an Advanced Leadership Fellow at Harvard University for the 2016 year. In the past, he has worked with entrepreneurs and wealthy families at BBR Partners, a wealth management firm he co-founded based in NYC, San Francisco, and Chicago.
     
    While at BBR, Arthur oversaw the launching of the firm from startup to over $12B in AUM. In addition to running the firm as Managing Partner, his responsibilities included oversight of new business acquisition and client management. Prior to founding BBR, Arthur was a client advisor within the Investment Management Division of Goldman Sachs. Arthur has also held positions in the Family Business Group of the Chemical Bank and the Legal Department of Constitution Reinsurance.
     
    Arthur earned a BA in Economics and Legal Studies from Bowdoin College, which included coursework at the London School of Economics, and an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Arthur was a 2016 Advanced Leadership Fellow at Harvard University.
     
    Arthur presently serves on the Board of Trustees of Bowdoin College and is on the Board of Trustees of Tikva Children’s Home in Odessa, Ukraine. He serves on the advisory committee of the Frost School of Music and is on the council of Guitar Mash, an organization focused on bringing together guitar players to make music. Arthur is a member of the Palm Beach chapter of the Young Presidents Organization and has served as an Entrepreneur in Residence at Wharton. He is also a member of the Economic Club of New York. He was awarded the Young Jewish Professionals Wealth Management Investment Award in 2011.

  • Alfred Camner

  • Adam E. Carlin*, Managing Director and Senior Portfolio Management Director at Morgan Stanley Private Wealth Management

    Born in New York, Adam Carlin spent most of his youth in South Florida before receiving his MBA from the University of Miami. 

    Carlin is an active supporter of education, having taught at both the undergraduate and graduate levels at the University of Miami’s School of Business where he also serves as a member of the School’s Board of Overseers. In 2006, he co-founded and helped underwrite the MBA Ethics Fellow Internship program at the University of Miami, for which he also co-founded and underwrote the Bermont/Carlin Group Undergraduate Scholars program in support of the University’s most outstanding students majoring in finance.

    In addition to his professional responsibilities, Carlin is involved in a wide range of community activities.  He currently serves as a member of the Board of Trustees of the University of Miami as well the University of Miami’s Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center Board of Overseers (for which he is the Chair of the Board), and the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music Dean’s Advisory Board. Carlin is also a member of the board of New World Symphony (for which he is a Vice Chairman of the Board), The Buoniconti Fund to Cure Paralysis, The Dolphins Cancer Challenge (DCC) Advisory Board, and The Greater Miami Jewish Federation. Carlin is a member of the George E. Merrick Society at the University of Miami. Furthermore, in recognition of his continued support, Carlin holds La Table Ronde d’un Million de Dollars at United Way Miami. In 2011 Carlin was also named Champion of Community Spirit by Cancer Support Community Greater Miami, as well as being recognized as one of Ronald McDonald House’s ‘12 Good Men’. In 2014, Carlin and his wife, Chanin, founded the annual Carlin Family Prom at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital, providing children and their parents a safe environment to have fun regardless of their current medical condition.  Also in 2014, he was awarded the prestigious Morgan Stanley Community Leadership Award, honoring those employees who have consistently exhibited leadership both within Morgan Stanley as well as within their community.  In 2015, the Coral Gables Community Foundation awarded Carlin its Arts & Culture Award for his continued commitment to Arts & Culture within the South Florida community.  Most recently in 2017, the University of Miami’s School of Business Johnson A. Edosomwan Leadership Institute presented Carlin its Excellence in Leadership Award.

  • Rob Cutietta

    Robert Alan Cutietta is best known as an educator, author, researcher, composer, and arts leader. He is the author or co-author of five books and over fifty research articles in music psychology and education. He is also a composer, having written for television shows and movies.

    Cutietta has earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Cleveland State University, a doctorate from The Pennsylvania State University and a leadership Certificate from the Disney Institute.  He has held tenured professorships at Montana State University, Kent State University, The University of Arizona, and The University of Southern California.

    His many books include "Who Knew?! Questions you never thought to ask about Classical Music" [Oxford University Press, 2017] and two editions of "Raising Musical Kids: A Parent's Guide (Oxford University Press, 2001, 2013). He also is an author of chapters in both Handbooks on Music Learning and Teaching as well as author of multiple articles in the Journal of Research in Music Education, Psychology of Music, and a host of other national and international journals.

    From 2006 to 2016 he hosted a weekly radio segment on Classical KUSC entitled "Ask the Dean". He has been involved with the GRAMMY awards since 1992 as a host of GRAMMY in the Schools from 1992-1999 and as a member of two Blue Ribbon Adjudication Committees from 1998 to the present.

    He served as Dean of the University of Southern California’s Thornton School of Music for 20 years (four terms) before stepping down in 2022. During his time as dean, he was credited with expanding the definition of a Music School by leading the creation of many innovative degrees including popular music performance, a rethinking of how classical music is taught, song writing, music production, film scoring, and Arts Leadership. In 2012, he was asked to create the Glorya Kaufman School of Dance, the first new school at USC in 41 years, and was appointed as the inaugural Dean. He held that position simultaneously with the Thornton Deanship until 2022.

    Throughout his career he stayed active as an electric bass player and upon moving to Los Angeles, began composing for television and movies. His first endeavor was Lost Legends of the West, a 13-episode folk history of the American West, in which he wrote and performed all the music. The series was nominated for two EMMY Awards. In 2006, he researched, composed, and orchestrated original and historic music for the documentary Welcome Back Riders.

    Cutietta is currently a faculty member at the University of Southern California, a Borchard Foundation Scholar-in-Residence in Missillac, France and a Visiting Professor at the Mahidol College of Music in Bangkok.


     

  • Neil DeFeo

    Neil DeFeo is a Founding Executive Partner of Nonantum Capital Partners, a private equity firm he started with his brother and several partners from the Boston area in 2017. Since then, they have purchased eight companies in a range of businesses. Prior to co-founding, Neil was a Senior Advisor to Charlesbank from 2012 to 2017. He has over 40 years of experience in the consumer products industry and has been involved with over 50 different businesses and brands.

    Neil served as the Chief Executive Officer and President of The Sun Products Corporation until May 20, 2011, a private $1.5 billion company he helped to found in 2008. He was President, CEO, and Chairman of Playtex Products from 2004 to 2007, a NYSE listed company that he successfully sold to Energizer brands, effectively tripling its’ share price in three years.  He served as President, CEO, and Chairman of Remington Products from 1997 to 2003 again successfully selling this private equity backed company.

    From 1993 to 1996, Neil DeFeo was Group VP of U.S. Operations at The Clorox Company, where he was responsible for all their North American businesses and also Corporate Marketing, Manufacturing and Logistics. As part of this, he purchased the SOS brands business from Bayer. He began his professional career at Procter & Gamble leading such brands as Cascade, Dawn, Crisco, Joy, Folgers and many others over a 25-year career.

    Neil received a BS in Electrical Engineering from Manhattan College while performing as a nightclub, radio and television trombonist to pay for his education--appearing on the Ed Sullivan and other shows of that era. The trombone and music have been a lifelong passion.

    Neil is a longtime director of the Prostate Cancer Foundation and Chairs their marketing committee.

    Neil is married and he and his wife Sandy have three daughters and six grandchildren.


  • Nathan East

  • Emilio Estefan, Producer of Estefan Enterprises

    Emilio Estefan is a world-renowned music, television and film producer who has been instrumental in shaping, developing and directing the careers of his superstar wife, Gloria, as well as Shakira, Ricky Martin, Jennifer Lopez, Marc Anthony and Jon Secada among many others. Emilio has achieved incredible success throughout his career, boasting more than 40 years of industry-leading achievements, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom, a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and induction into the Latin Songwriters Hall of Fame just to name a few.  With a resume that includes 19 Grammy Awards, Emilio has experimented and pushed the envelope of blending Latin, pop and world rhythms creating a unique style and personality that has created chart-topping worldwide hits. It is this vision that transcends the music field and spills over into film, television, hotels and restaurants, among other business endeavors including serving as the Executive Producer of the Tony-Award nominated smash Broadway musical, On Your Feet!  Most recently, Emilio Estefan (director, producer, musician), Gloria Estefan (actor, musician, singer), and director Kenny Ortega celebrated the World Premiere of their filmA Change of Heart, at the 34th edition of Miami Dade College's Miami Film Festival on March 10, at the Olympia Theater in Downtown Miami.  A Change of Heart stars a diverse cast including Jim Belushi, Virginia Madsen, Kathy Najimy, William Levy, Aimee Teegarden, Eduardo Yañez, Cody Horn and Gloria Estefan.

  • Gregg Field, Producer / Musician / Educator, Gregg Field Music 

    Eight-time Grammy winner, 2018 Emmy nominee and Latin Grammy “Producer of the Year,” Gregg Field is one of the most musically diverse and highly sought-after producers, musicians and educators in music.  
     
    World class musicians and singers alike, a veritable who’s who of the music world including Placido Domingo, Michael BublePharrell WilliamsBarbara Streisand, Alejandro Sanz, Stevie Wonder, Frank Sinatra, Quincy Jones, Garth Brooks, Juan Luis Guerra, Ariana Grande, James Taylor, Andrea BocelliMariah Carey, Alejandro Fernandez, Christina Aguilera, Kevin Spacey, Josh Groban, Mark O’Connor, Tim McGraw, Jason MrazRay Charles, Seal, Gloria Estefan, Jeff Beck, Herbie Hancock, Count Basie, Natalie Cole, Ella Fitzgerald, Barry Manilow, LeAnn Rimes, John Williams, Steve Miller, Arturo Sandoval, Dave Koz, Phil Ramone Sean Combs, Brian Wilson, Wynonna Judd, Vince Gill, Amy Grant, Johnny Mathis and Carole King are among his many musical collaborators.  
     
    At age 24, FIeld toured with Count Basie as his drummer from 1980 through 1982, Ella Fitzgerald from 1985 through 1986 and Frank Sinatra from 1991 through 1995. He can be heard on Sinatra’s historic, multi-platinum Duets and Duets II recordings. Field has performed with major symphonies worldwide including London, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston, Nashville, Pittsburgh and the National Symphony in Washington D.C. and has been invited by Presidents Obama and Bush to perform at the White House. 
     
    Recently Field received an Emmy nomination for “Outstanding Music Direction” for the 2017 PBS “Library of Congress -Gershwin Prize” honoring Tony Bennett. Field also produced the historic Apollo Theater’s “Ella 100t: Live From the Apollo” birthday celebration of Ella Fitzgerald and Apollo’s Nina Simone tribute.  
     
    In 2017 Field received a Grammy for producing the “Bluegrass Album of the Year” and Billboard #1 album “Coming Home” by the O’Connor BandHe also produced the 2015 Grammy-winning recording “Life in the Bubble” for Gordon Goodwin’s “Big Phat Band”.  
     
    Among his recent recordings are Seal’s “Standards”, Arturo Sandoval’s “Ultimate Duets with PharrellAriana Grande, Stevie Wonder, and Placido Domingo among othersMichael Buble’s #1 Billboard album To Be Loved, Alejandro Fernandez #1 Billboard album “Confidencias, Jason Mraz’s Love is a Four Letter Word, and Barbara Streisand’s What Matters Most 
     
    In 2013 Field received five Latin Grammy nominations including nods for “Album of the Year” and “Producer of the Year”, winning three Latin Grammys including “Best Engineered Album. In 2010, Field was awarded the coveted “Producer of the Year” Latin Grammy 
     
     
    Recently Field produced the Gloria Estefan / PBS TV Special “The Standards” and he is a regular music producer/director for the “In Performance at the White House” series for PBS and is also a regular producer for the Los Angeles Philharmonic-Hollywood Bowl summer series. 
     
    Field is also an author and Vanity Fair magazine contributor. 
     
    Currently, he serves as Chairman of the Board of Councilors at the USC-Thornton School of Music as well serving on the Library of Congress-“Gershwin Prize” Advisory Board and is a board member of the University of Miami-Frost School of Music.  
     
    He has served as a Recording Academy Governor and Trustee and Chairman of the Grammy Producers Committee. The Bay Area native lives in Los Angeles and is married to singer Monica Mancini. 
     
    Grammy and Latin Grammy Nominations & Awards: 
    Indicates Grammy Win 
     
    2018: 
    Best Instrumental or Vocal Arrangement Accompanying a Vocal (arranger and producer) 
    Best Instrumental or Vocal Arrangement Accompanying a Vocal (producer) 
     
    2017: 
    *Best Bluegrass Album (producer and engineer) 
     
    2015: 
    *Best Large Ensemble (producer and engineer) 
    Best Instrumental Composition (producer) 
    Best Instrumental Arrangement (producer) 
    Beat Instrumental Accompanying a Vocal (producer) 
     
    2014: 
    *Best Instrumental Arrangement (producer) 
      
    2013: 
    *Best Large Ensemble (producer and engineer) 
     Best Instrumental Arrangement (producer) 
     
    2012: 
    Producer of the Year 
    *Best Latin Jazz Album (producer and engineer) 
    *Best Tango Album (producer) 
    *Best Engineered Album (engineer) 
     
    2010:  
    *Producer of the Year  
    *Best Instrumental Album (producer and engineer) 
     
    2009:  
    Best Jazz Album (producer and engineer) 
               
    2005: 
    Best Traditional Pop Vocal (producer) 
    Best Pop Collaboration by a Duo or Group (producer) 
     
    2003: 
    Best Jazz Vocal (producer and engineer) 
     
    EMMY NOMINATIONS  AND AWARDS 
    2018 “Outstanding Music Direction”  
    * Award status pending 

  • Patricia Frost, Philanthropist & Phillip Frost*, CEO & Chairman of OPKO Health

    Dr. and Mrs. Phillip Frost have a longstanding tradition of involvement with UM with a total recognition of over $130 million, primarily to the Frost Institutes of Chemistry and Molecular Science and Frost School of Music.  Their $33 million gift to the School of Music in 2003 was the largest ever given to a university-based music school in the United States; the school was then officially renamed the Phillip and Patricia Frost School of Music.  The new state-of-the-art Patricia Louise Frost Music Studios complex opened in February 2015 on the University of Miami campus.  It houses over 77 individual teaching and chamber music studios, plus classrooms for percussion and contemporary music production.  The Frosts thoughtful support continues to fund program endowments, faculty chairs, student scholarships, and facility improvements. 
     
    The Frosts began their philanthropic relationship with the School of Music in 1989, when they donated three gifts, establishing the Patricia L. Frost Professor of Music Chair for the Dean of the Music School, the Anna Frost Music Scholarship Fund and the Abraham Frost Prize in Music Composition.  They also donated $1 million to establish the Frost Band of the Hour and more recently donated $1 million to rename the Frost Music Reach (community music program) in honor of UM’s former president Donna Shalala.  It is now known as the Donna E. Shalala MusicReach Program at the Phillip and Patricia Frost School of Music. 
     
    At President Frenk’s inauguration in January 2016, he announced a transformational and historic $100 million gift from the Frosts to support basic and applied science, technology, engineering and mathematics at the University.  This is the largest single gift ever announced at an inauguration. 
     
    Dr. Phillip Frost served as campaign chair for UM’s first Momentum campaign during his tenure as chair of the Board of Trustees.  He is currently a member of the UHealth and School of Law visiting committees, and both he and Patricia serve on the Frost School of Music Board of Advisors.  Dr. Frost is CEO and chairman of OPKO Health, a biopharmaceutical and diagnostics company.  He founded IVAX Pharmaceuticals, one of the largest U.S. generic drug manufacturers, selling the company to TEVA Pharmaceuticals in 2006 while continuing to serve on the TEVA board until 2015.  Mrs. Patricia Frost, formerly principal of West Laboratory School, worked closely with UM’s School of Music to develop music programs at the school.  She is Chair Emeritus of the Smithsonian National Board and Smithsonian American Art Museum and is currently a member of the State University System of Florida’s Board of Governors. 

  • Adam Glick, President of Jack Parker Corporation

    Adam Glick is president and of the Jack Parker Corporation-New York, a real estate development firm and the grandson of the late Jack Parker, founder of the Jack Parker Corporation and proprietor of Le Parker Meridien Hotel in New York City and the Parker Palm Springs in California. Mr. Parker was internationally renowned for his real estate development throughout the eastern United States. Mr. Parker's obituary from the New York Times suggests he was extraordinarily wealthy and philanthropic. To continue his legacy of giving, Adam and his mother, Mrs. Nancy Magoon, his grandmother, Norma Parker and aunt, Jane Parker, support a number of charitable organizations through the Norjana Charitable Foundation. Adam is president of the Norjana Charitable Foundation, which is based in Ft. Meyers, Florida and gives primarily to ballet, higher education, environmental conservation, and human services and some funding also to juvenile diabetes organizations.

    In addition, he is managing director of the hedge fund Tesuji Partners, LLC and co-founder of the Floating University which aims to create courses online like its first course "Great Big Ideas." Great Big Ideas is an introduction to the world's most important ideas in a variety of disciplines, including psychology, economics, biomedical research, linguistics, history, cosmology, politics, globalization, and statistics. The courses are offered at Yale University and CUNY and Harvard.

    Adam is the author of A Child's Guide fo Money, a composer, and a playwright. He is on the board of advisors of the Furman Center for Real Estate and Urban Policy at New York University. He formerly sat on the boards of the Dalton School, the 92nd St. Y, and the Hebrew Free Loan Society. He is a former trustee of the Citizens Budget Committee, a nonpartisan, nonprofit civic organization whose mission is to achieve constructive change in the finances and services of New York City and New York State government. 

    Married to Denise Scruton, they reside in New York City. Son, Noah, attended the University of Miami College of Arts and Sciences as a freshman history major for one semester. They also have a daughter, Zoe Glick.

  • Ted Hall

    Ted Hall is an entrepreneur and business leader with deep experience in agriculture, wine, specialty foods, food service, consumer products, retailing and music production.

    Mr. Hall is co-founder of Long Meadow Ranch, an innovative group of family-owned companies producing grapes and ultra-premium wine, olives and extra virgin olive oil, grass-fed beef and lamb, and fruits and vegetables, using diversified, organic, and sustainable farming methods.  Long Meadow Ranch also operates a sustainable food, wine, and agricultural education destination located in St. Helena, CA, which is anchored by the distinctive farm-to-table restaurant, Farmstead at Long Meadow Ranch.

    Hall is currently founding director and chairman of Progenco LLC.  He has served as a director of Basic American, Inc., Peet’s Coffee & Tea, Inc. (NASD: PEET), and Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE: WSM).  Hall is a former chairman of the board of The Robert Mondavi Corporation (NYSE: MOND).

    An accomplished trombonist, Mr. Hall has pursued his musical interests throughout his career. In 1977, he co-founded and led a 17-piece big band in San Francisco, known as the Midnight Rounds. In 1993, he co-founded the independent jazz record label, Monarch Records, which became part of Tambourine, Inc., in 1999. He continues to perform professionally with local ensembles, including the LMR Jazz Orchestra.

    Acknowledged for records he creatively produced, Mr. Hall has been a voting member of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Hall has served as the chairman of Tambourine, Inc., a specialty music production, and distribution company and as a director of Dolby Laboratories, Inc. (NYSE: DLB), a leading provider of technology to the global entertainment industry.

    As a former senior partner of the global consulting firm, McKinsey & Company, Mr. Hall has more than 25 years of experience in both the private and public sectors, working with chief executives and boards of directors of Global Fortune 50-size companies in the areas of strategy and organization. Sharing worldwide leadership for the firm, he served for twelve years as an elected member of McKinsey’s board of directors.

    Mr. Hall holds a BSE degree in electrical engineering from Princeton University and a MBA degree from Stanford University Graduate School of Business. He has served on the boards of directors of a wide range of educational and civic organizations, including the Foundation for Teaching Economics, Stanford Graduate School of Business, SFJAZZ, and San Francisco Symphony.

  • Allan Herbert*, Proprietor of The Richmond Hotel

    Allan Herbert is president and co-owner, with his wife, Patti, of the Richmond Hotel in Miami Beach, which his family opened in 1941. The Herberts divide their time between Miami Beach and their residence in Beverly Hills, California.

    The Herberts, who celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary in May 2018, are pioneer South Florida residents who met and fell in love while attending the University of Miami in the 1950s. In 2004, to commemorate their love, they established an endowment for the “Love Bridge” outside the University’s Wellness Center. The bridge not only serves to honor their University-found love, but proceeds from the sale of personalized bricks on the Love Bridge support the ’Canes Health Assessment and Motivation Program (CHAMP) endowment established by the Herberts. 

    In 2008, the Herberts gifted $8 million to name The Patti and Allan Herbert Wellness Center on the University of Miami’s Coral Gables campus. Allan also serves on the University’s Board of Trustees and the Frost School of Music’s Board of Advisors.

    Patti and Allan Herbert have long been involved in the arts scene in Miami. In 2012, they gave $500,000 to the Frost School of Music to create the Patti and Allan Herbert Endowed MusicReach Student Support Fund. In 2017, they gifted over $1 million to rename and endow the Patti and Allan Herbert Frost School of Music Program at Salzburg.

    The Herberts have both had successful careers.  Allan as a group executive and insurance company president at Teledyne, and Patti at the Grubb & Ellis commercial real estate firm. Recently, they renovated the historic Richmond Hotel in Miami Beach, which they continue to own and operate. 

    They are recipients of the UM Alumni Association Henry King Stanford Alumni of the Year Award (2004) and the UM Alumni Association Green: Outstanding Fundraiser Award (2008). They are also members of Iron Arrow.

    “The University is very special to both of us,” said Allan. “It is where we got our education, made life-long friendships, gained leadership skills, and met our life partners. Every successful alumnus owes it to their university to repay them in some way for the education and opportunities they received while in school.”

  • Richard Krasno, Lead Director of Ladenburg Thalmann Financial Services, Inc.

    Dr. Richard M. Krasno is currently the Lead Director of Ladenburg Thalmann Financial Services, Incorporated. From 1999 to 2014, he served as Executive Director of the William R. Kenan, Jr. Charitable Trust and as President (1999-2010) and director (1999-2014) of the four affiliated William R. Kenan, Jr. Funds. The five Kenan philanthropies provide grants to institutions throughout the United States in the fields of education, private enterprise, science and technology, arts and ethics. Prior to joining the Kenan Trust in 1999, Dr. Krasno was President of the Monterey Institute of International Studies in Monterey, California. From 1981-1998, he served as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Institute of International Education in New York. He also served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Education in Washington, D.C. and as an officer of the Ford Foundation in Brazil and New York. Dr. Krasno holds a Ph.D. from Stanford University and honorary doctorates in law and humane letters from Sacred Heart University and the College of St. Rose. He has held academic appointments at the University of Chicago, Stanford University, the University of Massachusetts, the University of London, the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro and the University of Santiago de Compostela, Spain, where he was a Senior Fulbright Professor.
     
    From 2004-2012, Dr. Krasno served as a director of the UNC Health Care System, the governing body for the University of North Carolina Hospitals and the School of Medicine. He served as Chairman of the Board from 2009-2012. In addition to Ladenburg he currently serves as a corporate director of OPKO Health, BioCardia, and Castle Brands and as a trustee of the Miami Heart Research Institute. Dr. Krasno also serves as a member of the Leadership Council of the Center for Public Leadership of the Kennedy School at Harvard University and on the Board of Visitors of the Colin Powell School for Civic and Global Leadership at the City College of New York. Dr. Krasno served as chair of the regional Rhodes scholarship selection committee in North Carolina and as a trustee of the Eisenhower Fellowship Program. He has served as a director of the Ivax Corporation and the Whitman Education Group. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and is listed in Who's Who in America and Who's Who in the World. In 2009, Dr. Krasno received the William Richardson Davie Award from the Trustees of the University of North Carolina for extraordinary service to the University and society. In 2013, Dr. Krasno received the Distinguished Service Award from the University of North Carolina School of Medicine for the leadership of the UNC Health Care System board and his influential advocacy for access to high-quality health care. He is married to the former Carin Britt Blucher from Tidaholm, Sweden and has two sons and three granddaughters.

  • Michael P. Lazarus, Partner of Main Post Partners

    Michael Lazarus is a partner of Main Post Partners, the successor fund to Weston Presidio, a $3.3 billion growth equity fund which he Co-Founded and was CEO since its inception in 1991.  Michael currently serves on the Board of Directors for Azul Linhas Aereas Brasileiras.  He was previously the founding Chairman of JetBlue Airways (NASDAQ: JBLU), Co-Chairman of Fender Musical Instruments Corp. and served on the Board of Directors for Jimmy John’s Gourmet Sandwiches, Restoration Hardware (NASDAQ: RSTO), Morris Air/Southwest Airlines, Guitar Centers, Inc. (NASDAQ: GTRC)Integro, Inc., and Apple American Group (Applebee’s), as well as other privately-held growth companies. 
     
    Raised in Lancaster, PA, Michael graduated with a B.A. in Accounting from Grove City College.  He currently serves the community as the Board Chair of SFJAZZ and a Trustee of the Frost School of Music.  He previously served as a Trustee of Bowdoin College and San Francisco Day School.

  • Paul Lehr, CEO of GroundUP Music

    Paul T. Lehr, J.D., has been involved in the arts since the age of six, having trained as a classical pianist and worked as a musician as well as an actor in film and theater.  He earned his B.A. from Brown University and his J.D. from the University of Florida with high honors.  He worked as a law clerk for a federal judge, practiced law, and built and ran a successful for-profit business and non-profit foundation before joining the Arison Arts Foundation/National YoungArts Foundation in 2010.   

    From 2010-2015, Lehr served as CEO of YoungArts, where he led the transformation of this national non-profit arts organization including development of its first national headquarters through the acquisition and expansion of the landmark Bacardi campus in Miami, working closely with Frank Gehry on the master plan.  Lehr also helped to create programming around the country with MoMA PS1, LACMA, PAMM, the Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center, and the Hirshhorn/Smithsonian; music and television partnerships with Universal Music Classics, Sony Music, PBS, and HBO; performances and exhibitions with Robert Redford, Bobby McFerrin, Shelly Berg, James Blake, Plácido Domingo, Chick Corea, Joshua Bell, Olafur Eliasson, Bruce Weber, Ben Folds, and Marina Abrámovic; and development, branding and roll-out of Emmy-Award winning HBO series YoungArts MasterClass and its accompanying educational study guide distributed across the country.   

    Lehr now serves as the CEO of GroundUP Music, an imprint of Universal Music/Verve, which includes on its roster three-time Grammy Award-winning Snarky Puppy, two-time Rock & Roll Hall of Fame legend David Crosby, and 15 other global artistsGroundUP provides publishing, management, production, and other artist services.  In addition to overseeing operations and developing partnerships, Lehr also produces the annual GroundUP Music Festival in Miami Beach, with performers including Esperanza Spalding, Béla Fleck & the Flecktones, Chris Thile, The Wood Brothers, Shelly Berg, Robert Glasper, and others from around the world, with plans to expand the festivals to Buenos Aires beginning in 2019 and Italy and elsewhere in 2020.      

    Lehr is a member of the Screen Actors Guild (Taft Hartley) and serves on the Board of Trustees for the Robert & Sibylle Redford The Way of the Rain Foundation, and the University of Miami Frost School of Music Visiting Committee.  In addition to his work in the arts, Lehr also works in the science/health/medical field, having co-founded a biotech company, HeartGenomics, which developed gene-signature-based diagnostic and prognostic tests for heart failure, and is the International Executive Director for Longeveron, a stem-cell/regenerative medicine company with clinical trials in Aging Frailty and Alzheimer’s, co-founded by Dr. Joshua Hare, the Chief Sciences Officer at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, and Director of its Interdisciplinary Stem Cell Institute.  

  • Austin Wing Mayer, Managing Partner of The MDMC Group

    During four decades of business strategy & valuation enhancement consulting, Austin Wing Mayer has focused on highly competitive and/or rapidly changing industries. With particular emphasis on undervaluation, turnarounds, new management, strategy changes and perception issues, his campaigns to foster rapid & sustainable market cap enhancement have focused on Street penetration, reputation & credibility, crisis communications, assessment of valuation issues and remediation strategies. His client roster has included Apple, Bell & Howell, Bristol-Myers Squibb, BP, Ceridian, Cheesecake Factory, Cray Computer, Georgia-Pacific, Infinity, Information Resources, Informix, Intel, Pfizer, Quantum, Smuckers, Sun Microsystems and The NASDAQ Stock Market.  He is a founding partner of The MDMC Group, a boutique consultancy serving clients in healthcare, technology, financial and industrial realms (theMDMCgroup.com) 
     
    During his tenure at Sun Microsystems, Wing was simultaneously Director of Investor Relations, Director of Corporate Development and Director of Global Alliances. His program on behalf of Sun was judged Most Effective Investor Relations Program by the Financial Analyst’s Federation, leading The Wall Street Journal to refer to Mayer as “the father of the analyst conference call.” In addition, Wing is a 5-time winner of Financial World’s business communications award, 3-time winner of the National Association of Investors’ communications award, was recognized by the International Association of Business Communicators for the most effective financial communications program worldwide, and was cited by Institutional Investor as “one of the best and brightest business communicators today.” In his role as Director of Global Alliances for Sun Microsystems, Wing forged and managed multi-million-dollar investment/strategic/technology partnerships with AT&T, Kodak, Toshiba, Fujitsu, Samsung, LG, Siemens, and Philips. 
     
    Wing has served on the board of the Marketing Committee of The NASDAQ Stock Market, has served as chairman of a regional NASDAQ Steering Committee, director of several chapters of the National Investor Relations Institute, and has been a frequent panelist and guest speaker on business policies, financial communications, disclosure issues, and strategies to maximize market value. He also served on the faculties of the Executive MBA program at Emory University’s Goizueta Business School, San Jose State University’s business program, and Executive Enterprises Institute. 
     
    Wing graduated magna cum laude from New York University (B.A., Journalism) and holds an MBA from Stern School (NYU) with an emphasis on corporate strategy and management. For distinction in business communications, Wing was awarded the National Journalism Honor Society Award and was inducted into the Gold Key International Honour Society.  He is also a 3-time recipient of the Hermes Creative Award for excellence in creativity in communications. 
     
    Mayer is an avid cyclist, hiker, served as Aspen’s first Snowboard Ambassador, he is a paraglider pilot, served on the board and as CFO of Aspen Public Radio, and has been actively involved with the Vail Jazz Foundation since its inception in 1994, having served as Associate Producer and Contributing Editor. For nearly 20 years, Wing has managed the Vail Jazz Workshop which, in 2017, was the recipient of the DownBeatJazz Education Achievement Award. Mayer also served as Associate Producer of NYC’s Washington Square Festival for the Arts and Lincoln Center’s Mostly Mozart Festival. 

  • Jorge Mejia, President & CEO, Latin America and U.S. Latin at Sony Music Publishing

    Jorge Mejia, B.M. ’96 is President & CEO for Sony Music Publishing Latin America and US Latin, a role in which he is responsible for Sony Music Publishing’s operations across Latin America and the US Latin market, with offices in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, and Miami.

    During his tenure at Sony Music Publishing, Jorge has been instrumental in guiding Sony Music Publishing Latin to become the leading music publisher in the Latin industry, with a record-setting 17 ASCAP Latin Publisher of the Year wins, multiple Billboard Publishing Corporation of the Year, BMI Latin Publisher of the Year, and SESAC Publisher of the Year awards. In 2016, Sony Music Publishing became the first Latin publisher to win the ASCAP, BMI, and SESAC Publisher of the Year awards in a single year, the ‘Triple Crown of Publishing’, a feat repeated in 2017 and 2018. Sony Music Publishing owns or administers over 3 million copyrights by such artists as The Beatles, Beyonce, Ed Sheeran, Luis Fonsi, Daddy Yankee, and Maluma to name but a very few.

    A Latin GRAMMY® nominated composer and a Steinway Artist, Jorge studied piano at the New World School of the Arts, the New England Conservatory of Music, and finally earned his Piano Performance degree from the University of Miami. His most recent release is An Open Book: A Memoir in Music, a set of 25 Preludes for Piano and Orchestra plus narratives a project which went on to garner a Latin GRAMMY® nomination for Best Classical Contemporary Composition.
    Jorge sits on the advisory board of the University of Miami Frost School of Music, as well as the board of the Latin Songwriters Hall of Fame. He has been named to the Latin Power Players list every year it has been published, starting in 2010 and, most recently, in 2020. Jorge is based in Miami where he lives with his wife and two dogs.

  • Jeffrey Miller, Co-Founder of Krillion Ventures

    Jeffrey Miller is a South Florida business leader having had businesses in commercial real estate, banking, utilities and healthcare. Jeffrey has been an active investor in these industries for approximately 30 years. Jeffrey holds a bachelor degree from the University of Miami. 
     
    Most recently, Jeffrey co-founded Krillion Ventures, a $100 Million venture capital fund that provides Seed and Series A stage funding to tech-enabled companies based in Miami, New York City, Boston and San Francisco. 
     
    For the past 15 years, Jeffrey has dedicated his time and effort to improving education on a local, statewide and national level. He serves as chairman of the Board of Breakthrough Miami, and is immediate past board chair for Ransom Everglades School and the Council for Educational Change. Jeffrey serves on the board and is active with Miami’s Institute of Contemporary Art, United Way, Jewish Federation, and the University of Miami. Presently, Jeffrey is spearheading the creation of and serving as board chair for Beacon College Prep, a nonprofit charter school that will be located in Liberty City, Florida. Jeffrey along side of his brother Stuart and sister Leslie, received the 2015 United Way prestigious Tocqueville Award----- the highest honor given by the United Way. 
     
    Jeffrey is a board member of The Miller Foundation, the charitable arm of the Miller Family. Through The Miller Foundation, $150 Million has been donated to the University of Miami, to name the Medical School after his late father, now known as the University of Miami’s Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine. 

  • Judi Prokop Newman*, President of Robert and Judi Newman Family Foundation 

    Judi Prokop Newman is president of the Robert and Judi Newman Family Foundation in Denver, Colorado, which focuses on the arts. The foundation gives primarily in Colorado and Florida. In 2008, three of the largest recipients were the Denver Center for the Performing Arts (her husband, Robert  C. "Bob" Newman,  Newman Family Foundation vice president, is on the Center's board of trustees), the University of Miami and the Colorado Symphony Association. In 2007, the Denver Center for the Performing Arts received a six-figure grant.
     
    Judi graduated from UM with a bachelor's in business administration and parlayed her educational training into a successful career with United Airlines in the Computer Technology, Airline Maintenance, and Apollo Reservation Divisions. She retired after 26 years with the company. A passionate champion of the arts, she has been affiliated with the boards of the Colorado Symphony Association, the Lutheran Family Services, the Art and Culture Committee of the Denver Foundation, and the University of Denver Campaign for Music and Theater (national campaign chairwoman). She was a board member of the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts (NFAA/YoungArts).
     
    The Newmans divide their time between Miami and Cherry Hills Village, Colorado, where Bob owns Greenwood Gulch Ventures, which provides financial and strategic support to technology companies. He is co-founder and former director of the software company J.D. Edwards, now Oracle, which was purchased by PeopleSoft in 2003. In addition to the Robert and Judi Prokop Newman Alumni Center at UM, Judi and Bob are the namesakes of the Newman Center for the Performing Arts at the University of Denver, the Robert and Judi Newman Center for Theatre Education at the Denver Center of the Performing Arts, and the Robert and Judi Prokop Newman Box Office at the Sanford and Dolores Ziff Ballet Opera House at the Adrienne Arsht Center in Miami.

  • John Richard, Former President & CEO of the Adrienne Arsht Center

    John Richard has served as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County since December 2008. Now entering its second decade, the Arsht Center has cemented its role as Miami’s New Town Square through Mr. Richard’s leadership. The Center is a presenter of world-class performances, an openly-accessible community resource, a source of education for children and adults, and a catalyst for economic growth in downtown Miami. Mr. Richard has also prioritized financial strength, with 2016 marking the organization’s ninth consecutive fiscal year with a balanced budget.
     
    The Arsht Center’s community-based mission has led to the launch of new programmatic series that feature the top artists from around the world and across South Florida, including Jazz Roots, the Knight Masterworks Season and Ziff Classical Music Series, Theater Up Close, Live At Knight, Flamenco Festival and more. All told, the Center hosts approximately 500 performances and events each year which have attracted 3.5 million people to Miami’s urban core since opening.
     
    Additionally, new public and private investment activity valued in the billions is underway throughout the Center’s neighborhood, prompting Mr. Richard to spearhead the creation of the nonprofit Town Square Neighborhood Development Corporation (TSNDC) in 2011. TSNDC is an independent entity overseeing the development of Miami’s emerging arts and entertainment district, ensuring the needs of its major stakeholders and cultural organizations are addressed through smart development.
     
    Outside his work at the Arsht Center, Mr. Richard is engaged as a member of the Board of Directors for Miami Jewish Health Systems, one of South Florida’s largest and most innovative healthcare providers.
     
    Mr. Richard and his wife, Dr. Lynne Richard, have a daughter, Rachel, and son, Aaron, pursuing their professional careers.
     
    Mr. Richard retired as President and CEO of the Arsht Center on January 1, 2019, after a decade of service.

  • Hazel Rosen, Philanthropist

    Hazel Rosen graduated from La Universidad de las Americas, Cholula, Mexico (formerly in Mexico City) in 1963.  She taught advanced Spanish at Dumont High School, Dumont NJ for 20 years.  While teaching, she worked with her husband, Larry Rosen, forming GRP records as an independent record label in 1982.  After selling GRP to Universal, Hazel and Larry started N2K, one of the first Internet e-commerce content companies, which became a publicly traded company.

    Hazel and Larry worked together on the PBS series “Legends of Jazz” and started the Jazz Roots concert series, a concert and educational program created for performing arts centers. 

    Hazel is currently involved with the documentary “Recording: The History of Recorded Music.”

  • Laurie Scott, Founder and CEO of the Laurie Melchior Scott Foundation.

    The Foundation actively develops, promotes, and funds educational and cultural programs. At Harvard Kennedy School, Laurie serves on the Board of the Center for Public Leadership.  Laurie has served as an overseer at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston, and is a member of the National Council of McLean Hospital. She served as a trustee of the Benjamin School in Palm Beach and for eleven years as a director and executive committee member of the Hobe Sound Community Chest. She focused on developing district-wide reading initiatives and creating and funding mentorship opportunities.  Laurie is a graduate of Wellesley College and Harvard Business School. Music was always important in her upbringing; at age 5, she began playing the piano “by ear”. Stemming from her family’s multi-generational leadership in higher education, she appreciates the imperative of training students to become inspired and make the world a better place.

  • Matt Serletic

    Matt Serletic is a songwriter, producer, record label owner, and technology entrepreneur. He is the owner and CEO of Emblem Music Group and the Director of AI Innovation and Interactive Experiences at Amazon Music. Serletic has written, produced, and marketed recordings that have sold over 110 million albums and generated more than $1 billion in revenue for music creators. He has also written and produced recordings that have earned multiple GRAMMY, ASCAP, BMI, Billboard, Diamond, Platinum, and CMA Awards. In 1999, Serletic made the most successful Billboard cha single in the rock era to date: Carlos Santana's "Smooth," which, since its release, has sold 25 million units. He founded his first music company, Melisma, in 1996. Melisma became one of the most successful independent labels of the 90s and 2000s, and it had breakthrough artists like Rob Thomas and Matchbox Twenty. Shortly after that, Serletic was hired as Chairman and CEO of Virgin Records America, helping guide the careers of Janet Jackson, The Rolling Stones, and Lenny Kravitz while breaking new acts, including 30 Seconds to Mars, Norah Jones, and the Gorillaz. Inspired by the powerful connection between creation and technology, he founded Zya to empower everyone to express themselves through music. Zya's app Diy became the #1 app in 26 countries, the #1 Alexa Skill in the US, and was named Top Social App of 2018 alongside Twier and Snapchat. Zya and its 48 patents were sold to Google in 2019. A native of Stone Mountain, Georgia, Serletic developed his musical and managerial expertise in his teens as a young musician, band member, and session player. At 13, he joined the band Collective Soul as a keyboard player and launched his career by producing their debut album. Serletic earned his Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Music Performance at the University of Miami School of Music, graduating with Honors and earning membership in Phi Beta Kappa.

  • John Smyth, Wealth Manager, First Republic Investment Management

    John Smyth is a Managing Director and Wealth Manager with First Republic Investment Management.
     
    Prior to joining First Republic in 2020, Mr. Smyth was an Executive Director and Portfolio Manager at J.P. Morgan Securities. He began his career in 1994 at the Chicago Board of Trade.
     
    Mr. Smyth focuses his practice on asset allocation.
     
    Active in his local community, Mr. Smyth serves as a board member of the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music. He is Vice Chairman of Choate Rosemary Hall Alumni Association’s executive committee and is also Chairman of the school’s Annual Fund. Mr. Smyth is a Honda Classic Ambassador and an investment committee member of the Lost Tree Village Charitable Foundation.
     
    Mr. Smyth earned his bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Northwestern University. He holds the Accredited Investment Fiduciary® designation.

  • Ron Stone*, President of The Comprehensive Companies

    Ron Stone is President of The Comprehensive Companies, a financial services organization specializing in insurance, employee benefits, and financial planning has resided in greater Miami since 1968. A resident of the City of Miami Beach since 1990, he has practiced continuously in insurance and employee benefits since 1974 servicing over 1,000 business and professional clients. He previously served as President of Automated Pension Services, Inc. specializing in pension administration and actuarial services. In 2012, he was inducted into the Workplace Benefits Hall of Fame.
     
    A School of Business graduate of the University of Miami in 1973, Mr. Stone remains active with the University. He has served, since 1981, as a member of the Board of Trustees of the University of Miami, and as Chairman of the Academic Affairs, Athletic Affairs, Governmental Affairs Committees, and Employee Benefits Committees of the UM Board as well as serving as a member if its Executive and Finance and Audit Committees. A Past President of the University of Miami National Alumni Association of over 100,000 members, he is the recipient of its Alumnus of the Year award for 1985 and is a donor to the Society of University Grand Founders. In addition to Trustee and Frost School of Music Visiting Committee responsibilities, he has served as Chairman of the Visiting Committees for the School of Continuing Studies and the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences.
     
    An active participant and leader in Greater Miami community activities, he has served as Chairman of the Code Enforcement Board for the City of Coral Gables, Director of the Coral Gables Chamber of Commerce, Director of the Rotary Club of Coral Gables and recipient of its Outstanding Rotarian of the Year Award. He has served on the Boards of the Comprehensive Cancer Center of the State of Florida, the Doral Eastern Open, and the Mailman Center for Child Development, Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of the New World Symphony, America's Orchestral Academy, and is currently a Director of the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute/Anne Bates Leach Eye Hospital at the University of Miami. Mr. Stone is a Director and Chairman of the Audit Committee of Gibraltar Private Bank and Trust, FSB, and a former Director of Barnett Bank of South Florida, and a member of the Orange Bowl Committee.

  • David Weaver*, Chairman Emeritus & CEO of Intercap Energy Systems, LLC

    David Weaver is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Intercap Energy Systems, LLC., a technology company that provides energy-conserving artificial intelligence software as a service.

    David's community involvement includes serving as a chairman of the University of California's Institute of the Americas and as a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.  He previously served on the Board of the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), served as the Assistant Manager of the City of Miami in charge of developing the Rouse COmpany's Bayside Center and led the community's successful effort with the Federal Government to keep Homestead Air Force Base open after Hurricane Andrew.

    At the University of Miami, David has been a trustee for 28 years. Now a senior trustee, he has served as vice chairman of the Board of Trustees, chaired the University's Finance Committee for six years and co-chaired the highly successful Campaign for the University of Miami, which was launched in 1984 and helped raise $517.5 million. In addition to the Weavers' recent generous commitment to the Phillip and Patricia School of Music, David has supported the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, the University's Launch Pad, and the President's Initiatives Fund.

    David is currently Momentum2 Campaign Chair for the Frost School of Music. He hails from a musical family and worked throughout his college years as a church organist...and still plays the organ, as time permits. David, along with daughter Christina, son Andres, and extended families, have hosted several large soirees with Dean Shelly Berg and other musical luminaries on behalf of the Frost School of Music.

    David received his undergraduate and MBA degrees from Harvard University.

*University of Miami Board of Trustees

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