Board of Directors

CHAIR

Anne Maher has been an advocate for the arts for many years, serving on numerous boards and working on behalf of arts organizations in Maryland. She is a partner at Kleinfeld, Kaplan, & Becker LLP, specializing in advertising law, and counseling clients on a wide array of advertising and promotional issues, including social media marketing. Previously, she worked at the Federal Trade Commission in a variety of management positions. She was named to Best Lawyers in America (Advertising Law) from 2012 to 2020.

VICE CHAIR

Pianist, organist, and conductor Sonya Subbayya Sutton has enjoyed a 40+ year career as a musician in the Episcopal Church, including 20 years at St. Alban’s, D.C. She is also the Music Director of the World Bank/IMF Chorus and frequently collaborates with other instrumentalists as an accompanist and chamber musician. Sonya has directed choirs in nine European tours and cathedral residencies. She enjoys writing about the intersection of life and the arts, and has published two audiobooks on Audible – with music and stories about French composer Mel Bonis in Difficult Women…Legends Revised and a set of 24 short stories based on music of John Hausserman titled Symphonic Preludes. Sonya is a Past President of the Association of Anglican Musicians. She earned degrees in piano, organ, and arts administration from the College-Conservatory of Music in Cincinnati. Her husband is Eugene Sutton, retired Episcopal Bishop of Maryland. They have four children in their blended family, and divide their time between Washington, D.C. and Chautauqua, N.Y.

TREASURER

Deborah Steinglass is a nonprofit arts leader with more than thirty-five-years of experience. Her work has been devoted to the people and organizations who make artistic work possible, a passion that is tied to her own early professional training and experiences as a pianist and student of contemporary music. Since August 2020 she has focused on strategic planning for small arts organizations, interim leadership for organizations in transition, and life and leadership coaching for artists and emerging arts leaders. Past leadership roles include Executive Director of The Jazz Gallery, Development Director and Interim CEO of New Music USA, and Interim Executive Director of Opening Act.  

Deborah has spoken at national arts conferences and served on grants panels for Chamber Music America, New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, New York State Council on the Arts, Opera America, League of American Orchestras, and the Aaron Copland Fund for Music. In addition to serving on the board of Boulanger Initiative, she is a board member of Canterbury Choral Society and Board Chair of Sparks & Wiry Cries. In 2022 Deborah achieved her certification as a professional Co-Active Coach (CPCC).

SECRETARY

Susy Cheston has over 30 years of senior leadership experience in women's economic empowerment, development of microenterprises and cooperatives, and providing access to financial services for those who have been excluded. As founding executive director of the Women’s Opportunity Fund and then as Senior Vice President for its parent organization Opportunity International, she oversaw development and rollout of a model that has now reached over 50 million women globally. She has served in leadership with international development organizations that are deeply committed to providing opportunity for women and the most vulnerable.  She began her career working in public radio and television and served as general manager of a dance presenting company before moving to Costa Rica and then El Salvador to work with poor women microentrepreneurs.

DIRECTOR

Theresa Cameron is the Executive Director of the Pike District Partnership (PDP), an organization launched in 2022 to promote North Bethesda as a vibrant, walkable community that integrates residential, business, and cultural opportunities. Under her leadership, PDP continues to engage the community, support local businesses, and enhance quality of life through placemaking, events, and strategic partnerships.

Prior to joining PDP, Cameron served as Vice President of External Affairs at the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra at Strathmore, where she strengthened donor relationships, built regional partnerships, and elevated the organization’s visibility. She has also held leadership roles with Van Ness Main Street and the Arts and Humanities Council of Montgomery County, focusing on initiatives that support small businesses, cultural development, and community placemaking.

DIRECTOR

Lisa Fitzpatrick is a seasoned executive and entrepreneur with more than 35 years of leadership experience in driving growth and innovation in media and software businesses. She most recently served in a variety of leadership roles for Bloomberg Industry Group since June 2008, including as its Chief Marketing Officer, 2011-2013, and the President of Bloomberg Tax & Accounting, 2018-2024. Prior to Bloomberg, she held senior-level positions at both mature and start-up businesses. Early in her career, she was the founding publisher of German Life magazine, focused on culture, history, and travel. Lisa has been active in supporting community organizations, including Martha’s Table where she served on the Business Advisory Council for the past five years. She is passionate about classical music and efforts to drive awareness of and equity for women composers and performers.

DIRECTOR

Visionary artist Chloe Flower became the most talked about pianist in the world after a show-stopping performance with rap queen Cardi B at the 2019 Grammy Awards, launching her into viral fame nearly overnight and prompting her major label debut with Sony Music. The Pennsylvania native began playing the piano at the age of two, studying at Manhattan School of Music and London’s Royal Academy of Music before meeting her mentor, the 12-time GRAMMY Award-winning R&B singer-songwriter and producer, Kenny “Babyface” Edmonds. In the years since, Chloe has collaborated with some of the biggest names in music, including artists like Celine Dion, Lil Baby (on Saturday Night Live in 2023), Meek Mill, 2Chainz, and Nas as well as producers like Mike WiLL Made-It (Miley Cyrus/Beyonce) and Tommy Brown (Ariana Grande/Justin Bieber). Releasing her self-titled debut in 2021, Chloe has coined the term “popsical” to describe her imitable style, which infuses a contemporary pop sensibility with the refined elegance of classical tradition. She continued to refine her sound on both a 2023 holiday album, Chloe Hearts Christmas, and her third official project, I Love Me More. Chloe is not only a gifted musician and fashion icon but also an outspoken activist as well. She serves on the advisory board of the UNODC’s Blue Heart campaign. She has been honored by the Coalition to Abolish Slavery and Activism (CAST) and received The Last Girl Award from Gloria Steinem and Apne Aap for her efforts in the fight against human trafficking. As a champion of music education, she is the youngest board member of the Liberace Foundation and The Manhattan School of Music. An official Steinway Artist, Chloe proudly celebrates her Asian heritage and culture and is a fierce advocate for women's representation — particularly women of color — in the music industry. She most recently performed and spoke for the Forbes Power Women’s Summit as well as the HeForShe Summit for UNWomen.

DIRECTOR

Sarah Lumbard is passionate about connecting strategy and operations to make visions come to life. She has over 25 years of strategy and operations experience in for-profit and non-profit organizations. She leads museum and digital experience at the US Holocaust Memorial Museum and has held strategy, digital product, marketing, and partnership development roles at NPR, Webs.com, WashingtonPost.com, Brassring, and LegiSlate. 

DIRECTOR

Roberto Vela, founder of the Law Office of Roberto Vela, is general counsel to Maryland restaurants, manufacturers, religious institutions, and disaster relief service providers, and represents a wide range of businesses and individuals in state and federal litigation. In addition, as a classically trained pianist and organist Roberto is a two-time recipient of the Career Development Grant of the Peabody Conservatory of Music, has performed solo and chamber recitals in the United States and Europe, and has served as Organist and Music Director of Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Greenbelt, Maryland, since 2006.

DIRECTOR

Elizabeth spent her career in higher education and the arts (UC Davis, UC Berkeley, Stanford University, California Jazz Conservatory, et al.), in the areas of funds development, marketing, strategic planning, and board development. In addition to serving on the board of directors for Boulanger Initiative, Elizabeth serves on the board of directors for San Francisco Chamber Orchestra. She also acts as the U.S. Philanthropy Liaison for La Maestra in Paris. Her past board affiliations include Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra & Chorale, San Francisco Early Music Society, Boston Festival Orchestra, San Francisco Philharmonic, New Century Chamber Orchestra, and The Women’s Philharmonic. Elizabeth also is a published writer, using a pseudonym, and a photographer who has exhibited extensively. She holds degrees from Boston University and University of California, Berkeley.

EX-OFFICIO

Entrepreneur and violinist, Dr. Laura Colgate has earned a reputation for her artistic leadership, versatility, and commitment to gender equity in the arts. Her Doctoral thesis, “Half of Humanity Has Something to Say, Also: Works for Violin By Women Composers,” focuses on increasing recognition of prominent and lesser-known women composers. Having performed worldwide on stages including the Barbican Centre, Kennedy Center, and multiple appearances at Carnegie Hall, Dr. Colgate is also Concertmaster of The National Philharmonic at Strathmore (MD).

EX-OFFICIO

Dr. Joy-Leilani Garbutt is an organist, musicologist, and an ardent advocate for gender-equity in the field of music. They are the co-founder of Boulanger Initiative, and their advocacy of women composers has been featured in The New York Times. Joy-Leilani is the recipient of a Fulbright scholarship and spent a year in France pursuing research on early 20th-century organ music by female composers. They hold a Ph.D. in musicology from The Catholic University of America, a Master of Education degree from The Harvard Graduate School of Education, and a Master of Music in organ performance from Northwestern University. Joy-Leilani maintains an active concert career, exclusively performing music by underrepresented composers. They are based in San Francisco, California, holding the positions of Director of Music at St. Luke's Episcopal Church and Associate Musician & Director of Girls' Choir at Grace Cathedral.