Advisory Committee

Charles Best
Founder and CEO of DonorsChoose.org
Charles Best is the Founder and CEO of DonorsChoose.org. DonorsChoose.org is a website at which teachers post classroom project requests and “citizen philanthropists” can choose the projects they want to support and to which they want to contribute. To date, 115,000 public school teachers have used DonorsChoose.org to source over $42 million of musical instruments, art supplies, technology and books aiding more than 2 million students nationwide.
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Richard Edelman
President and CEO, Edelman Public Relations
Richard Edelman is the President & CEO of Edelman Public Relations, the world's largest independent public relations firm. Edelman Public Relations was recently named PR Agency of the Year by PR Week Magazine for the third year in a row.
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Beth-Ellen Keyes
Corporate Communications Professional
Beth-Ellen Keyes is a corporate communications professional with strategic experience across many industries, including entertainment, internet and new media, publishing, financial services, healthcare and telecommunications, but her first love has always been the arts. A theatre major in college, Beth-Ellen divided her time (with a clear preference) between her studies at CCNY and stage-managing and producing theater off-Broadway.
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Brandon Kurzawa
Founder and Executive Director, Music Notes Academy
Brandon Kurzawa is the Founder and Executive Director of Music Notes Academy in New Jersey. Music Notes Academy was founded with the vision of providing comprehensive music instruction to students of all ages. The Academy provides music instruction within a developed curriculum which combines classical and jazz performance areas of study and includes music theory, performance skills, and music composition in addition to instrument instruction.
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Bob Morrison
Co-founder, Quadrant Arts Education Research
Bob Morrison is Co-founder of Quadrant Arts Education Research, the nation’s leading arts education research and market intelligence organization. Mr. Morrison’s leadership in research, public policy and advocacy efforts has led to significant advancement in access to music and arts education programs across the nation. His work has earned him an Emmy and a Peabody Award.
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Phyllis Schless
Chairman and CEO, Ross Financial Services Group, Inc.
Phyllis Schless is a senior corporate finance executive with over 35 years of experience as an investment banker and principal. She currently is Chairman and CEO of Ross Financial Services Group, Inc., a corporate financial advisory firm that she founded in 1986.
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Fran Sheff-Mauer
Vice President and Creative Director, Grey Advertising
Fran Sheff-Mauer is a Vice President, Creative Director at Grey Advertising in New York. At Grey, Fran has been responsible for businesses as varied as Hasbro Toys Dannon Yogurt, Playtex, Penguin Books and Advil PM. Before joining Grey, Fran worked at several New York agencies where she created successful campaigns for everything from beer to burgers to Fisher-Price toys.
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Dan Sorrenti
Co-founder, President, and COO of Ghiorsi & Sorrenti, Inc. (GSI)
Dan Sorrenti has over 30 years of experience as a professional and consultant in the fields of fund raising, public relations and marketing. In 1989 he co-founded and now serves as the President and COO of Ghiorsi & Sorrenti, Inc. (GSI). GSI is a national fund raising and public relations firm that specializes in planning and directing capital campaigns for the full spectrum of non-profit organizations. Over the firm’s history, GSI has partnered with several hundred clients in raising over $5 billion.
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Christopher Viereck, PhD
Founder and CEO, Quadratum Consulting; Chief Scientific Officer, Improve CME, LLC and Metrics for Learning, LLC
Dr. Viereck is the Founder and CEO of Quadratum Consulting and Chief Scientific Officer of Improve CME, LLC and Metrics for Learning, LLC. His unique perspective and expertise is based on leadership and operational positions in medical education, communications and research in the pharmaceutical industry. Christopher has 10-years medical education and communication experience at Sanofi Aventis including VP, Medical Education.
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Dave Wish
Founder and Executive Director, Little Kids Rock
Dave Wish is the Founder and Executive Director of Little Kids Rock. Little Kids Rock is a nonprofit organization that funds and runs one of the largest free instrumental music programs in the US public schools. Little Kids Rock is also a leading provider of free instruments and curriculum. Mr. Wish has initiated and managed the launch of campaigns to restore and revitalize music education for over 90,000 children in ten states.
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