Staff

Meet the dedicated staff behind the New 42, New Victory and New 42 Studios.

Executive

Headshot of Russell Granet

Russell Granet is President & CEO of New 42, the cultural nonprofit and 2025 Tony Honoree with a mission to make extraordinary performing arts a vital part of everyone’s life from the earliest years onward through its signature projects, New 42 Studios and New Victory Theater. Under his leadership, New 42 expanded its virtual presentations and educator resources, earning the nonprofit a WNET Arts Hero Award. Recent projects include fully subsidized arts education for NYC public schools; publication of “Spark Change: The Intrinsic Impact of Performing Arts on Kids,” a longitudinal research study; “Let’s Get This Show on the Street,” a once-in-a-lifetime outdoor celebration (Emmy nomination) in Times Square featuring performances from Sara Bareilles, Freestyle Love Supreme Academy, Bill Irwin and Dance Theatre of Harlem, among others; and New Victory Arts Break, a highly successful online curriculum series for teachers and caregivers to integrate performing arts into remote learning. New Victory Arts Break reached more than one million views and was broadcast nationwide on PBS as part of WNET’s Let’s Learn and WNET’s Camp TV (Emmy nomination).

Granet was formerly at Lincoln Center where he served as Executive Vice President of Lincoln Center Education, Community Engagement, and International, and as Acting President prior to New 42, continuing his long standing efforts to bring the best of the performing arts to the broadest possible audience. While at Lincoln Center he produced and commissioned the critically acclaimed Up and Away, a show for young people on the autism spectrum.

Granet founded the consulting group Arts Education Resource and held leadership positions at The Center for Arts Education – The NYC Annenberg Challenge, American Place Theatre, and was a senior teaching artist in NYC public schools. He served on the faculty of the Steinhardt School of Education at New York University for 20 years, where he developed and taught the course Drama with Special Populations. Among numerous honors, Granet was recognized in the inaugural Crain’s New York Notable LGBTQ Executive List, cited as a visionary leader by the Bloomberg administration and was included in the Politics NY 2024 NYC Power Brokers of Arts & Culture. He is a trustee of Times Square Alliance, Bank Street College and the Sherman Fairchild Foundation.

Granet is a graduate of the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art and Emerson College, and received his master’s degree from the Steinhardt School of Education, New York University.

Mary Rose Lloyd Headshot

New 42 Artistic Director Mary Rose Lloyd is a performing arts curator, recognized for expertise in family programming and support of new work. She was on the board of TYA/USA and IPAY where she received the Mickey Miners Lifetime Achievement Award for significant impact on and contribution to performing arts for young audiences. Mary was a juror for the 37th Edition of Festival Mondial du Cirque de Demain in Paris, was on the advisory board of Circus Now and the Board of Directors of The Chocolate Factory Theater. She received APAP’s William Dawson Award for Programmatic Excellence and Sustained Achievement in Programming and holds an MFA in Arts Management from Yale School of Drama, receiving the Morris Kaplan Award for Excellence in Arts Administration.

Kristen Headshot

Kristen Barrett, Vice President, Development, joined New 42 in September 2024. With over twenty years of fundraising experience, Ms. Barrett is responsible for designing and leading the execution of a comprehensive development plan to increase contributed income, meet capital needs, build reserves, and grow an endowment to advance New 42’s mission. She previously led fundraising efforts at various organizations including as Director of Development at the School of American Ballet at Lincoln Center, Director of Development for the 18-county Mid-Florida Division of Children’s Home Society of Florida, and Resource Development Director at Broward Housing Solutions in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Ms. Barrett has also supported the missions of multiple organizations as a grant writing and management consultant in her own firm. She holds an MPA in Public and Nonprofit Management and Policy from New York University and a BA in Business Administration with a specialization in mass communication from the University of Florida, and is a member of the board of directors of Women In Development, New York.

Courtney Boddie Headshot

Courtney J. Boddie, Vice President, Education & School Engagement is a New York City-based executive leader, consultant, creative artist, facilitator, professor, advisor and mentor. Ms. Boddie oversees all the New Victory School programs serving nearly 200 NYC schools, after schools and summer programs. Under her leadership, recent arts access initiatives include New Victory Arts Education Resource Library and Speak Up Act Out: Celebrating Student Voices. Notable Recognition: New 42: Tony Honor for Excellence in the Theatre (2025); amNY Metro & PoliticsNY Power Players in Education (2024), Crain’s New York Notable Black Leader and Executive (2021) and TYA/USA’s Community Impact Award (2019). She is a co-chair for the Arts Advisory Committee of the Mayor’s Panel for Educational Policy. Courtney is adjunct faculty in the Educational Theatre Graduate Program at New York University and is the Creator/Host of Teaching Artistry podcast, featuring conversations with artists and arts education leaders. She is an alumni Artist Fellow of and sits on the Curatorial Committee for the Hermitage Artist Retreat. In her 25+ year career, she has sat on several boards and presented at numerous local, national and international conferences. As a theater maker and improv performer, she is a founding member of a space between and an ensemble member of NYC Queer Playback Theater.

Lauren Fitzgerald, Vice President, Marketing & Communications, joined New 42 in 2007 and leads the organization’s institutional branding, design and promotion. She was a Co-Producer of “Let’s Get This Show on the Street,” New 42’s once-in-a-lifetime outdoor celebration in Times Square featuring performances from Sara Bareilles, Freestyle Love Supreme Academy, Bill Irwin and Dance Theatre of Harlem, among others. She also led the organization’s successful rebranding in 2021 and is a key player in the expansion of online engagement for the New Victory Theater, garnering more than one million views for the organization’s online arts curriculum series for remote learners and leading partnerships with PBS nationwide as part of WNET’s Let’s Learn and WNET’s Camp TV programs. Ms. Fitzgerald previously served as Press and Marketing Director for the Williamstown Theatre Festival and managed communications for Blue Man Group and the Contemporary American Theater Festival. She held the Rea Fellowship in General Management at the Guthrie Theater and was Assistant Managing Director of the social change theater company Living Stage. As a producer she has developed work with The Old Globe and Ghostlight Records. She is an Emeritus Director on the Board of Directors for SPACE on Ryder Farm, a nonprofit artist residency program housed on a working organic farm in Brewster, NY. Ms. Fitzgerald is a graduate of the University of Richmond with a B.A. in Leadership Studies.

Wendy Hutton, Vice President, Administration oversees Human Resources, IT, Operations and Production at New 42. She first joined the organization as Associate Director of Marketing, and returned and held two more senior positions in marketing and business intelligence before taking on her current role. Ms. Hutton previously served as Director of Audience Services at Roundabout Theatre Company, and played a key role in audience development strategies and related department structure. Prior, she was Roundabout’s first Director of CRM Operations. Ms. Hutton has also held senior positions at Manhattan Theatre Club, NJPAC, Paper Mill Playhouse and SpotCo with responsibilities in real estate, capital projects, marketing, audience development, fundraising, strategic planning, IT, operations, organizational restructuring and staff development. A native of Ghana, raised in England and Libya, she has extensive experience and a keen interest in community engagement, particularly among immigrant populations and has served as both consultant and advisor to several arts and service organizations. Ms. Hutton has served as a guest lecturer in the Graduate Producing and Theatre Management program at Columbia University and holds a B.A. in English from Seton Hall University.

Lindsey Buller Headshot

Lindsey Buller Maliekel, Vice President, Education & Public Engagement, oversees all family engagement programs for New Victory and the youth development programs for New 42. Under her oversight, the New Victory Usher Corps won the 2014 National Arts and Humanities Youth Program award, presented by First Lady Michelle Obama, for outstanding programs in creative youth development. During her tenure at New Victory, the Theater received the Arts Education Award from Americans for the Arts in 2008. Ms. Buller Maliekel is also the New 42 research lead on “Spark Change: The Intrinsic Impact of Performing Arts on Kids,” a longitudinal study developed with research firm WolfBrown. She has given keynotes on the impact of arts, kids and creativity in Australia, Germany, Scotland, Canada and across the US. She also led the development of New Victory Arts Break, free performing arts education curriculum for teachers and parents that has garnered over 2 million views and counting and was broadcast nationwide on PBS. Ms. Maliekel was a consultant, director, curriculum writer and Teaching Artist for such organizations as Creative Arts Team, Summer Theatre Institute, Girls Leadership Institute and TheatreWorks: Silicon Valley. She is a Thesis Advisor for the first American Masters program in Applied Theatre at City University of New York and received her Masters from New York University.

Leroy headshot

Leroy Li, Vice President, Real Estate & Facilities, oversees New 42’s real estate portfolio and leads the execution of capital projects and maintenance of the organization’s facilities. Mr. Li joined New 42 in June 2022, bringing with him over 15 years of experience in project management and real estate, with nearly half of them spent working with nonprofit organizations. His previous work experience includes serving as Director of Project Management at Think! Architecture & Design in Brooklyn; Vice President at Denham Wolf Real Estate Services, Inc. where he led projects for the Atlantic Theater Company, Baryshnikov Arts Center; Opera America and HERE Arts Center; and Design Project Engineer at U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Mr. Li is a graduate of the Cooper Union with a BS in mechanical engineering and holds a MS in real estate development from New York University. He is an active member of the Leadership Council of the Chinese American Planning Council and serves on his local community board.

Michele Headshot

Michele Pagnotta, Vice President, Finance, joined New 42 in September 2021,as the head financial executive overseeing accounting operations, budgeting and forecasting, compliance and risk management, treasury management, and cash flow. Ms. Pagnotta has extensive experience in the non-profit, performing arts, and transportation services industries. With a proven track record in strategic financial planning and reporting, Ms. Pagnotta has held key leadership roles at notable organizations such as the world-famous Apollo Theater in Harlem, Blue Man Group, the American Academy in Rome, Columbia Artists Management, and Enterprise Holdings. Ms. Pagnotta holds an MBA in Finance from Mercy College and a Bachelor of Science in Finance from the University of Connecticut, along with an Executive Certificate in Non-Profit leadership from Fordham University. She has also served as Treasurer for The Lehman Center for Performing Arts at Lehman College.

Executive Team

Chief of Staff, Amber Shavers
Administrative Assistant to the President & CEO, Jhaunay-Amanie Hernandez

Artistic Planning and General Management

Senior Director, Artistic Planning and General Management, Melinda Berk
Assistant Director, Artistic Planning & Artist Services, Laura Hamilton
Company Manager, Emmi Albarano
General Management Associate, Justin Hom

Artistic Programming

Manager, Artistic Programming, Nina Slowinski

Capital Projects & Real Estate

Assistant Director of Capital Projects & Real Estate, Travis Bell

Development

Director of Individual Giving & Events, Lily Lovinger
Director of Institutional and Endowment Giving, Meredith Lee
Manager, Individual Giving & Events, Sabrina Cedeño
Manager, Corporate Engagement, Lauren O’Connell
Manager, Development Operations, Istiqlal Safi
Manager, Institutional Giving, Anthony Massa
Coordinator, Institutional Giving, Gwendolyn Ober
Associate, Individual Giving & Events, Chineme Aniagba

Digital Services

Director of Digital Services, Lilaia Kairis
Associate Director of Digital Services, Jamie O’Brien
Senior Manager of CRM Applications, Joe Yoga
Senior Associate, Digital Services, Cat Monteleone
Senior Associate, Digital Services, Natalia Ramirez

Education

School Engagement

Director of Education & School Engagement, Erica Reinsch Tusciuk
Assistant Director of Education / School Engagement, Christopher Totten
Assistant Director of Education / School Engagement, Asha John
Education Programs Manager, Kaylah Dixon
Senior Education Programs Associate, Jake Chen
Education Programs Associate, Christian Hernandez Barragan

Public Engagement

Director of Audience & Youth Engagement, Rachel Lee
Assistant Director of Education / Family Engagement, Siobhan Santini Pellot
Education Programs Manager / Family Engagement, Nicole Wong
Senior Education Programs Associate / Youth Engagement, Evangeline Dillard

Front-of-House

House Manager / New Victory Theater, Anthony Colon
House Manager / Duke on 42nd Street, Adrian Azevedo
Associate House Manager / Youth Engagement, John Cosentino

New Victory Theater Teaching Artists

Janice Acevedo, Andrea Ang, Ugo Anyanwu, Chad Beckim, Liz Bolick, P. Tyler Britt, Dwayne Brown, Sofiya Cheyenne Brown, Emily Bruner, Zahra Budhwani, Ana Cantoran Viramontes, Carolyn Charpie Fagan, Neil Dawson, David DelGrosso, Alberto Denis, Olney Edmondson, Christina Eskridge, Patrick Ferreri, Rebecca Gerrard, Nanya-Akuki Goodrich, Pallas Gutierrez, ChelseaDee Harrison, Curt James, Joel Jeske, Ben Johnson, Michael Karas, McKenna Kerrigan, Sun Kim, Arielle Lever, Hassiem Muhammad, Najah Imani Muhammad, Drew Petersen, Sarah Petersiel, Melle Phillips, Jamie Roach, Marisol Rosa-Shapiro, Therese Schorn, Lauren Sharpe, Julia Sirna-Frest, Kristian Sorensen, Heidi Stallings, Marissa Stewart, Adia Tamar Whitaker, Renata Townsend, Ania Upstill, Jason Vance, Jono Waldman, Ellen Winter, Vlada Yaneva

Facilities

Superintendent, New Victory Theater, Ernest Pelerin
Superintendent, Studios, Winston Thompson
Superintendent, Studios, Nelson Roque
Handy Person, Danny Velazquez
Lead Cleaners, Bulbul Ahmed, Herbert Castro, Shawn Ramos
Cleaners, Aniyah Carr, David Roque, Keith McKey, Andre Morton, Jean Rosa, Shaquan Turner, S M Shifur Hoque

Finance

Controller, Olga Melnichuk
Senior Accountant, Stephanie O’Connell
Staff Accountant / Accounts Payable, Patrick Foristel
Staff Accountant / Accounts Receivable, Adrianne Johnson
Payroll and Benefits Coordinator, Sarang Khele

HR

Director of Employee Engagement and HR, Russell Small

Information Technology

Director of IT, Cyber Security, and Infrastructure, Vincent Taylor
IT Help Desk Technician, Jason Cordner

Marketing & Communications

Director of Marketing, Melissa Pelkey
Assistant Director of Art & Design, Alexis Buatti-Ramos
Assistant Director of Creative Content, Zack Ramadan
Assistant Director of Media & Communications, Niki Cruz
Graphic Design Associate, Brittany Nievinski
Marketing Associate, Amanda Ribnick
Media and Communications Associate, Leigh Bauer
Senior Video Production Associate, Michael Velez-Ojeda

Operations

Senior Director of Operations, Ed Stallsworth
Theater Operations Coordinator, Kofi Browne

New 42 Studios

Associate Director of Studio Operations, Thomas Ciganko
Studio Business Manager, Brian Rosenblum
Operations Associate, Jennifer Flores
Business Operations Associate, Matilda Bailey
Lead Front Desk Attendant, Michael Acevedo
Front Desk Attendants, Andrew Engram, Geordy Skolnik, Khiana Davies, Peter Choi

New Victory Theater

Stage Door Attendant, Rebecca Knell
Stage Door Attendant, Amanda Nyarko

Production

Senior Director of Production, Dave Upton

New Victory Theater

Technical Production Manager, Paul Bradley
Production Manager, Jomary Peña
Production Coordinator, Colleen Davis
Assistant Technical Director, Allison Queen
Production Finance and Office Assistant, Yve Carruthers
Lead Technician, Matt Zimmerman
Assistant Lead Technicians, Mike Di Marco and Julien Mellon
IATSE Apprentice, Brenn Whiting

Duke on 42nd Street / New 42 Studios

Production Supervisor, Shani Murfin

Ticket Services

Senior Director of Ticket Operations, Robin Leeds
Assistant Director of Ticket Operations, Sam Eckmann
New Victory Box Office Manager, Edward Raube-Wilson
Group Sales & Audience Development Manager, Amanda Zuckman Sellers
New Victory Assistant Box Office Manager, Andrew Girmann
Ticket Services Sales Associates, Joey Ball, Maggie Beson, Shemar Pelzer, Nicole Seunarine