About the Contributors
Deborah McCarthy is director of Results Delivery Organization, Alcatel-Lucent. She has a BS in Engineering from Rutgers College of Engineering and an MBA in International Economics and Finance from Fairleigh Dickinson University. Her achievements include Bell Labs Entrepreneurial Boot Camp Winner for NetHead Telepresence Seed Venture, Bell Labs President’s Award for Application Intelligent Network Platform, Primetime Engineering Emmy Award by the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences as a member of the Grand Alliance Digital TV Standard team from Bell Laboratories.
Julia Murney appeared on Broadway as Elphaba in Wicked after playing the role on the national tour for which she received an Acclaim Award, among other prominent stage roles. Her TV credits include 30 Rock, Sex and the City, Brothers and Sisters, Ed, NYPD Blue, all three Law and Orders, and many voiceovers. A Syracuse University graduate, her recordings include the original cast albums of The Wild Party and A Class Act, the Grammy-nominated Actor’s Fund Benefit of Hair, and her first solo album, I’m Not Waiting, available on Sh-K-Boom Records and at Juliamurney.com.
Kevin B. McGlynn is a graduate of the Boston Conservatory who has performed in 48 states, 13 countries, and on five continents in productions including Kiss Me Kate, All Shook Up, and Forbidden Broadway. His favorite regional roles include Jesus in Jesus Christ Superstar, Tom Andrews in Titanic, and Lumiere in Beauty and the Beast.
Cheryl A. Marshall, PsyD, is a clinical psychologist and published author who has helped people overcome self-sabotage through psychotherapy for more than 25 years.
Cathy Russell is an actress, teacher, and entrepreneur who’s featured in the Guinness Book of World Records for the show Perfect Crime, which has been running since 1987 (she’s missed only four performances in 28 years and performs eight shows a week). She’s also general manager of the Snapple Theater Center in Times Square and co-director of the Sedgwick-Russell Acting Studio.
Gee Rittenhouse, PhD, is vice president and general manager of Cloud and Virtualization for Cisco. He has held many senior executive positions and is able to seamlessly balance visionary technical leadership with practical business insight. Dr. Rittenhouse is a highly respected thought leader who has appeared before the U.S. Congress, U.S. Federal Communications Commission, European Presidential Commission, and World Economic Forum. He has published numerous articles and holds over a dozen patents.
Rob Sedgwick is an actor, producer, and the scion of one of America’s oldest and most notable families. His acting career has spanned 26 years and encompasses film, television, and the New York stage, where he has also produced several off-Broadway plays. Rob is co-director of the Sedgwick Russell Acting Studio in New York City and is working on his memoir, Bob Goes to Jail.
Sharon Halley is a choreographer for Broadway and off-Broadway productions, as well as the New York City Opera, television, and regional theater. She has also worked internationally in Germany and Brazil.
James Gerth is senior consultant for CommCore Strategies and associate director of Infinity Repertory Theatre Company. He has trained several thousand clients including executives, sales managers, scientists, physicians, and corporate communications managers in the art of message development and delivery. He has also performed on Broadway and in theaters around the world. He has been the commercial spokesman for Verizon, Marriott Hotels, GE Capital, Citibank, Radio City Music Hall, Madison Square Garden, and the United States Postal Service.
Robert Diamond is founder/CEO/editor-in-chief of BroadwayWorld.com, the largest theater Website in the world.
Karen Arlington is a stage and film actor and singer based in New York. She is a proud member of SAG-AFTRA and AEA.
Melissa Errico has starred in seven musicals including My Fair Lady and White Christmas, and has also released three solo CDs, most recently Legrand Affair. A Tony-nominated star who works regularly on television and film, she is in her 10th year as founder of a New York non-profit charity to support expectant and new mothers called the Bowery Babes. She’s married to tennis star Patrick McEnroe and has three daughters.
Michael Mastro has worked professionally as an actor on stage and screen for more than 25 years, appearing on Broadway, in films, and in episodic television. During the last 10 years, he’s added directing, teaching, and career coaching for actors to his repertoire. He lives in New York City.
Karl duHoffmann went from Broadway dancer to Spirits brand manager at Anchor Distillers. He is the founder of Orchard Hill Cider Mill.
Catherine Hickland played Lindsay Rappaport on One Life to Live for 11 years and Fantine on Broadway in Les Miserables. She is an entrepreneur, author, speaker, entertainer, and game changer.
Michael James Scott began his acting career at age 11 in Orlando, Florida. A Broadway favorite with eight Broadway shows, film, and television to his credit, he is also a teacher for young artists and prodigy of legendary performer Ben Vereen. Scott originated the role of “the Maggots Guy” in the Tony Award-winning Book of Mormon and as understudy has played the Genie in Aladdin on Broadway. He lives in New York.
Karla Visconti is director, Corporate Communications Caribbean and Latin America for Hilton Worldwide. Karla has more than a decade of experience in public relations and corporate communications, having spearheaded a number of promotional initiatives/campaigns, managed crisis communications, and supported corporate social responsibility efforts.
Laureen Cook is the principal TMT advisor, IFC (World Bank), for the Telecommunications, Media, and Technology investment sector. She has 25 years of worldwide telecommunications experience and has held Executive and BOD roles with leading telecommunications operators worldwide; MTC-Vodafone (ME), Deutsche Telekom (Germany), Cable & Wireless (UK), NYNEX (USA), Debitel (Germany), Telestet (Greece), and Satelindo (Indonesia). She holds an MSc in Telecommunications Engineering from Rochester Institute of Technology, and an MBA from Long Island University in New York.
Laurence Julliard has nearly 20 years of experience both in Europe and the U.S. managing strategic and tactical speakers, internal and external flagship events such as Mobile World Congress and Broadband World Forum, among others across telecommunications services. Laurence has a strong track record for delivering efficient go-to-market campaigns and demonstrating return on investment with large and complex corporate companies. She is currently a consultant leading the ICT (Internet Communication and Telecom) expertise within MCI Group, and runs a family pension in the French Alps. She lives with her husband and three children.
Lee Koenigsberg, MBA, ChFC, has been assisting people in developing plans for their long-range financial security for 30 years in a practice that provides superior service.
Cheryl Raymond is manager of Public Programs and Special Events, New York Public Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center. She presents more than 150 free live programs yearly, including new Broadway musicals as works in progress, classical concerts, lectures, panel discussions, and concert versions of operas.
Karen Radwin is executive director of the American Cancer Society’s Hope Lodge Program in New York and New Jersey. She has spent her professional career of 39 years in not-for-profit management, the last 30 of which have been with the American Cancer Society.
Merri Sugarman is a casting director with Tara Rubin Casting in New York. A former actor in such hits as Les Miserables, Merri now devotes her time to casting such Broadway hits as Spamalot, Jersey Boys, The Phantom of the Opera, and many others. She is also the proud casting director of the Web series Submissions Only. Prior to joining Tara Rubin Casting, Merri was director of casting for dramas and movies at ABC Television, overseeing the casting of ALIAS, NYPD Blue, and The Practice, to name a few.
Katherine M. Mastrota, MS, OD, FAAO, is center director of Omni Eye Surgery, New York and a Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry. She is a diplomate of the American Board of Optometry. Dr. Mastrota is contributing editor to Contact Lens Spectrum and the online newsletter, Optometric Physician. She sits on the editorial board of Advanced Ocular Care, Refractive EyeCare, and Optometry Times and has authored numerous articles for these as well as other professional publications. She is an advisor to a number of pharmaceutical companies. Dr. Mastrota was named secretary to the Ocular Surface Society of Optometry (OSSO) and the Anterior Segment Section of the American Academy of Optometry. She has lectured locally and nationally on ocular surface disease and other topics. Serving the profession, she is a past member of the board of directors of the Optometric Society of the City of New York.
Angelo Lambrou developed a love for fashion in his teenage years and studied fashion in Johannesburg and later London. Over the past 20 years, he has dressed private individuals for special occasions, designed uniforms, and created new and fresh images for large corporations. He is based in New York.
Alan Matarasso, MD, is a board-certified aesthetic plastic surgeon with a clinical practice in New York City. He is currently the vice president elect of Aesthetic and Private Practice for the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. Dr. Matarasso also achieved the part of clinical professor of plastic surgery at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and is involved in the training of plastic surgery fellows and residents at three plastic surgery residency programs in New York City. Dr. Matarasso has lectured at more than 400 national and international meetings and professional symposiums on aesthetic surgery. He is author of more than 250 peer-reviewed journal articles, monographs, and textbook chapters.
Lana Gersman has made up everyone who’s anyone, including the last four American Presidents, Sting, Paul and Linda McCartney, and has been a personal makeup artist to the following show hosts: Tina Brown, Paula Zahn, Elizabeth Vargas, and Anderson Cooper, to name a few. Find her online at LanaGmakeup.com.
Dr. John Foreyt, PhD, is a professor in the Department of Medicine and the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, and director of the DeBakey Heart Center’s Behavioral Medicine Research Center, Department of Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas. Dr. Foreyt is an international thought leader and has published extensively in the areas of diet modification, cardiovascular risk reduction, eating disorders, and obesity. He has published 17 books and more than 360 articles in these areas.
Ricardo Morales, ISSA, NASM, MAX30, VIPR, FMS, has this philosophy: if your mind can believe, the body can achieve. Ricardo is a certified personal fitness trainer at Equinox, which operates 66 upscale, full-service clubs in the U.S. as well as internationally. Equinox provides a holistic approach to fitness and offers an integrated selection of Equinox-branded programs, services, and products, and has developed a lifestyle brand that represents service, value, quality, expertise, innovation, attention to detail, market leadership, and results.
Scott Warren is a Life Style Designer who works to make daily living as happy, beautiful, and fulfilling as possible through design and environment.
Jeff Winton was born and raised on his family’s dairy farm in the Chautauqua region of western New York State, and was the first person in his family to attend college. After having spent several years in the Agricultural Communications arena in advertising and public relations, he eventually moved into Human Health. He is currently senior vice president and chief communications officer for Astellas Pharma, a large global company based in Tokyo, and president of the Astellas Foundation in the U.S.
Jeremy Merrifield is creative director/cofounder of Jupiter Highway, a consortium of professionals from a cross section of disciplines, providing out-of-the-box brand messaging, storytelling content, and cinematic production. It was founded with a simple mission: make creative work.
C. Charles “Chuck” Pineda, PE/CGC/AVS, is president, managing director, Trans-Infra PPP, LLC. He is a professional engineer and certified general contractor with over 33 years of experience, including leadership roles on major rail transit and rail-related infrastructure projects. Mr. Pineda founded the New York firm of Trans-Infra PPP, LLC to provide consulting services to public and private sector clients interested in developing transportation infrastructure projects via the use of Public Private Partnerships and alternative project delivery.
John Frazier is executive vice president of Quinn, a New York lifestyle public relations agency with global impact. Quinn’s disciplined, strategic approach has built some of the world’s largest audiences. John’s broad knowledge and expertise make him one of their most client-pleasing, award-winning professionals.
Andre Mechaly is marketing and strategy director of Network and Infrastructure Systems at Thales. He began his career as a software engineer, and upon discovering that though people could explain how a product works, few could explain what the products are used for, which led him to transition from R&D to Product Management and then to Product Marketing and Communications.
Douglas DeMarco is the executive producer and owner of Brown Paper Bag, Inc., a digital imaging studio specializing in the combining of new digital media including videography.
Richard Armstrong, MD, works for Horizon Family Medical. He spent the majority of his career at St Luke’s-Cornwall Hospital in Newburgh, New York, an affiliate of Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City. There, he was attending anesthesiologist and director of the Pain Management and Palliative Care service.
Grant Herman is a cloud-based solutions analyst at Booz Allen Hamilton, a leading provider of management and technology consulting services to the U.S. government in defense, intelligence, and civil markets. He has supported global banks as a war game analyst and as lead regulatory compliance reviewer, and also assisted as a software developer and tester.
Samantha Stroh Bailey is a professional editor, published author, and journalist, who owns Perfect Pen Communications. Her work has appeared in Now Magazine, The Village Post, Oxford University Press, Abilities Magazine, Kobo Writing Life, and many other publications, and she was one of Kobo Writing Life’s writers-in-residence at Book Expo America 2013. Samantha also has a Master of Education in Applied Linguistics. The author of Finding Lucas, Samantha is also co-editor of the fiction anthology A Kind of Mad Courage. She lives in Toronto with her husband and two children.
Art Stevens is managing partner of StevensGouldPincus. Art also co-founded LobsenzStevens, one of the top 25 independent public relations firms, and ran it for more than 25 years before it was acquired by Publicis Group in 1999. The recipient of a number of Lifetime Achievement Awards, he is also author of The Persuasion Explosion, a behind-the-scenes look at the role of public relations in everyday life.
Phong Vu is partner of the Consumer Driven 6-Sigma Management Institute, a data-driven methodology that uses statistical tools to reduce waste and variability.
Parinaz Sekechi is a learning and development professional with extensive experience working with diverse and global environments. As a learning consultant in Alcatel-Lucent University, she facilitates the analysis of the gap between the current state and desired state of employee learning, specifically Emerging and Critical Talent, and People Managers, to provide a learning solution that’s aligned with the needs of the business.
Byron Gilliam has been trading securities markets for 20 years, including stints at Citigroup and UniCredit. He began his trading career in Frankfurt, Germany, and subsequently traded out of London, Paris, and New York. Byron has traded U.S., European, and emerging market equities, equity derivatives and currencies on both a proprietary and customer basis. Byron’s trading roles have included three years on a proprietary desk (where he achieved double digit returns each year), a time on an Equity Capital Markets desk where he bid for and unwound large block transactions for customers, and his current role as head of U.S. trading for Olivetree Securities.
Phil Hall is a preeminent vocal coach and voice teacher for musical theater. On Broadway, he conducted Play Me a Country Song and assistant conducted the revival of Mame starring Angela Lansbury. He is an accomplished pianist, accompanist, and published arranger. He composed Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, which was performed at Paper Mill Playhouse, Kansas City Starlight, North Shore Music Theater, and Santa Barbara Civic Light Opera. He wrote the book, music, and lyrics to Matthew Passion (see www.matthewpassion.com).
Ron Raines has had a long and illustrious international career that spans the worlds of musical theater, opera, cabaret, classical music, and television. He was a three-time Emmy and Soap Opera Digest Award nominee for his role as the villain Alan Spaulding on CBS’s longest running daytime drama Guiding Light and has starred on Broadway in shows such as Chicago, Newsies, Follies (Tony nomination), and Annie. He has soloed with more than 50 major American and international orchestras. He lives in New York City with his wife and daughter.
Martin Samual works in film, television, and theater all over the world. His credits include Aida on Broadway, the U.S. tour of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, the first national tour of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, the Oscar-winning film Chicago, the TV film Once Upon a Mattress (with Carol Burnett), One Life to Live, and more. He lives in New York City.
Riley Nelson is currently a junior at the Latin School of Chicago, with PSAT scores placing him in the 99th percentile of his peers in all categories nationwide. He has peddled everything from pencils to laser pointers and jewelry to his classmates before discovering Bitcoin two years ago. He is now president of Acoin LLC, a start up holdings company in the digital currency space.
Bud Martin, executive director, Delaware Theatre Company, is a former teacher and financier. He has three children and six grandchildren and lives with his wife on a horse farm (his other dream come true) in Southern Chester County, Pennsylvania.
Tom Blakey, a longtime volunteer at the National WWII Museum in New Orleans, was a combat veteran and paratrooper with the U.S. Army Double A “All American, 82nd Airborne.” He jumped on the morning of June 6, 1944, behind the Nazi lines in Normandy. His combat service stretched from France to Holland, including action in the surprise German offensive in the Ardennes Forest known as the Battle of the Bulge. Blakey is also an active member of the Museum’s Speakers Bureau. He travels across the region to speak with schools, senior and community centers, and other groups about his war experiences. He recently returned to Normandy for the 70th Anniversary of the D-Day Invasion.
Known as “The Pope of Wargaming,” Richard Berg has over 150 published games, including Terrible Swift Sword and SPQR. He is a 13-time winner of the Industry Award for Best Game Design. His other awards include: GAMA Hall of Fame, 1993; Charles Roberts Award for Lifetime Achievement in Simulation Design, 1990; and the Bloomgren/Hamilton Memorial Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2003.
Linda Moshier is a gardener, singer, wife, and mom to three fluffy Lhasa’s. Her adventures in homesteading began after receiving a Permaculture Design Certification with wildcrafter Michael Pilarski and Austrian Sepp Holtzer. She traveled internationally as a USO entertainer and continues in New York City performing the American Songbook. Linda is currently writing a book entitled Ideas From the Bench, a collection of essays on life and gardening as told from her daily sitting spot.
Francine LaSala has written nonfiction on every topic imaginable, from circus freaks to sex, and edited bestselling authors of all genres. She is the author of novels Rita Hayworth’s Shoes and The Girl, The Gold Tooth & Everything, co-editor and publisher of the short story anthology A Kind of Mad Courage, and the creator of the “Joy Jar” Project. She lives with her husband and two daughters in New York.