BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Catherine Redlich

Cathy (president) is an attorney who specializes in complex criminal defense and serves as the Town Judge of Ancram. She is also a co-founder and trustee of the Redlich Horwitz Foundation, which works to implement transformative change in New York’s child welfare and foster care systems. Cathy currently serves on the Dean’s Advisory Council and the English Advisory Board at the University of Michigan, and the board of The Center for Community Alternatives, which promotes reintegrative justice and a reduced reliance on incarceration.

“I have left Ancram Center performances variously amazed, confounded, energized, and inspired, which is the same way I felt after giving birth, so definitely one of life’s special experiences. Jeff and Paul, Ancram Center’s talented co-founders, truly care for our community’s well-being, and their creativity and mission-driven purpose serve as guiding lights for the Board’s work.”

Stephen Futrell

Stephen (treasurer) is a retired Partner of Pomona Capital, a New York based private equity company, as well as a CPA. He resides in Copake, NY and is active in several local organizations including the finance committee of the Roeliff Jansen Community Library. Stephen also serves as the Finance Committee Vice Chair for the University of Louisiana Monroe Foundation and sponsors the internship program for its business school students. 

“One of my main pleasures living in this area is helping local organizations to succeed, especially those who are giving much to our community. My background is in finance, not theatre, but I have learned that my expertise is equally useful in the not-for-profit world. The Eagle Scout motto (yes, I am one!) calls upon us to ‘find a worthy use for our powers’, and I can’t think of a worthier use of my CPA credentials than Ancram Center.” 

Thomas B. Costello, PhD

Tommy (secretary) is a theatre educator, director, and scholar who brings a wealth of artistic experience to Ancram Center. He is presently an Associate Professor of Theatre and Speech at SUNY Dutchess Community College, where he serves as chair of the Performing Arts program and teaches all facets of theatre-making. He is a proud member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society (SDC), as well as a peer-reviewer for the SDC Journal, and is currently the chair of SDC Directing Initiative for the Region 1 Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival. As a director and designer, his work has colored stages in Prague, Dublin, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Vegas, and beyond. These days, his focus is squarely on uplifting the voices and ideas of his students, and empowering them through the art and craft of theatre – and the AOH has been a great accomplice along the way!

“I was folded into the Ancram Center loop as Jeff and Paul took the reins, thrilled that they had the vision and drive to reinvigorate the Ancram Center for the Arts as a producing theatre company. Along the way, they’ve provided countless opportunities for DCC’s theatre students, not only as interns, technicians, and performers, but also as workshop participants and indeed as audience members. The latter is no small feat, as the Ancram Center brings precisely the type of theatre to this area that my students (and myself!) both need and want to see.”

Gavin Berger

Gavin’s career has spanned over 25 years as a top producer, programmer, strategist, innovator, marketer, fundraiser, and executive in the entertainment and cultural worlds. He has been a powerful force in growing world-class venues and companies ranging from Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts to Berklee NYC, the Kimmel Center, Meadowlands Xanadu, Bowery Presents, Big Apple Circus, Spektrix, and the Walton Arts Center. His diverse experience includes all phases of artistic vision and conceptualization, strategic planning, and construction. He currently serves as a Trustee of the Vermont Center for Emerging Technology (VCET) as well as the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity in Canada.

“The Ancram Center for the Arts is very special to me, bringing together two of my most beloved things, Columbia County and live theater. I have lived in Ancram for over 18 years while pursuing a varied career in the entertainment and cultural worlds, including positions at Lincoln Center and the Berklee College of Music. The first time I went to an Ancram Center show I felt like I was at a NYC or London production, but in the intimacy of a great salon in a country house.”

Sheryl Boris-Schacter

Sheryl had a decades-long academic career in Education during which she taught high school English, was a graduate school professor in curriculum, research, leadership, and policy; served as an elementary school principal, and worked as the vice president of instructional design in a national non-profit supporting students in under-resourced schools in urban centers. Although still consulting, she is retired from full-time education practice and scholarly writing, turning her attention to non-academic prose and community volunteerism. Sheryl recently completed a memoir and is now writing a novel.

Although Sheryl’s expertise is not in theatre, the art form has resonated with her because of its unique ability to offer a communal experience that stirs emotions, generates empathy, and holds up a mirror.

“When I first stepped into the Ancram Center for the Arts, my decision to reside full-time in Copake became cemented anew. I was in awe of my good fortune to have selected a rural community with an avant-garde theatre. That I could drive a mere ten minutes on a windy country road and walk into an intimate space with big ambition and wildly creative and diverse offerings was so much of what I had been looking for but wasn’t confident I would find.”

Jane Plasman

After receiving a BA degree from the University of Michigan and an MA from Western Michigan University, Jane began her professional life as a speech pathologist. She later worked as a pharmaceutical sales representative for Sterling Drug, earning an award for exceptional performance; this was followed by training management positions in the ethical pharmaceutical, grocery and custom consulting arenas, which included work for a number of Fortune 500 companies. Jane subsequently found a career home at Colgate-Palmolive Company where, over 14 years, she rose from Director of Sales Training to directorial posts that encompassed Organizational Effectiveness, Global Leadership, and finally stints as acting Human Resources Director in the South Pacific and, later, Western Europe. Now retired, Jane is a member of the Town of Ancram’s Ethics Board, President of her Homeowners Association’s Board of Directors, a member of the University of Michigan’s Provost Advisory Committee, and recently concluded two terms as Trustee for the Roeliff Jansen Library. In between all these responsibilities, she indulges her passion for exotic travel, playing tennis and tending to her garden.

“I’ve been enjoying coming to Ancram Center since their first show and am so pleased by their overall success. Their productions bring joy to many theater goers…not to mention the contributions they have made …and will continue to make…to the revitalization of Ancram Center. As a board member, I look forward to supporting their continued success in any way that I can.”

Dan Sternberg

Dan is a (largely) retired lawyer.  He was a partner and senior counsel in an international law firm, Cleary Gottlieb, from 1988 through 2018, including five years as a partner in the firm’s Paris office.  Over his 30-year career as a corporate lawyer, Dan counseled U.S. and international clients across a broad spectrum of corporate issues and transactions.  After decades as weekenders in Litchfield and Dutchess counties, in 2012 Dan and his wife settled full-time in Boston Corners.

Dan is a member (and former chairman) of the board of The Wassaic Project, the innovative arts organization in the hamlet of Wassaic, NY. He is also a director of Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation.  He is a member of the Advisory Board of the North East Community Center, as well as of the Advisory Board of The Ali Forney Center (the largest LGBT community center helping LGBTQ homeless youth in the United States), where he had served as a director from 2016 to 2020.  He is also a member of the Planning Board of the Town of North East.

“When I abandoned NYC full-time for the Hudson Valley, an important motivating factor was the vibrant, sophisticated and growing community of artists and audiences I’d found here.  And the Ancram Center (then the Opera House) was a huge part of that.  From the outset, first as an enthusiastic audience member and soon as a friend and supporter, I’ve been thrilled by the Center’s innovative productions and by Jeff and Paul’s commitment to engaging the local community as part of the Center’s mission.”

Seung Suh

Seung is the owner of Copake General Store, a full-service market featuring locally sourced foods. She worked as a news writer and producer for WABC-TV in New York City for more than two decades before she and her husband moved to Ancram. Seung earned an Emmy for a series documenting the conflict at the US-Mexico border and has interviewed many bold-faced names including Hillary Clinton and Oprah Winfrey.

“I moved to Ancram in 2016 after a high-pressure career in the television industry, trading deadlines and spotlights for acreage and peace. A year later I opened the Copake General Store with the mission to provide the community with quality food and to create a space for strangers and neighbors to connect. I was drawn to Ancram Center because of its similar vision of creating a place for the community to connect in a warm, beautiful space. It feels like home to me when I enter the theatre.”