Board of Directors

Garrett Glass, President, is a retired banker with over 25 years in the financial industry. His career centered on international banking, foreign exchange, and derivatives trading at First Chicago, which was eventually merged into Bank One and JP Morgan Chase. Since leaving the banking industry in 2000, Mr. Glass has consulted for financial institutions and he also volunteers about one month per year as a consultant to the Financial Services Volunteer Corps. This New York-based organization arranges for financial executives to provide consulting and training services to central banks and commercial banks in developing countries. Mr. Glass has in the past four years donated his services to institutions in Indonesia, Morocco, Egypt, Lebanon, Albania, and Macedonia. Mr. Glass serves on the board of a number of charitable organizations, including as Treasurer of the Oak Park Area Arts Council.

Rick Heyke, Vice President, a Managing Director of The Chicago Corporation, he has over twenty-five years’ experience in domestic and international corporate finance and fifteen years’ experience as a transactional and regulatory lawyer. Prior to The Chicago Corporation, he was a Managing Director of Focus LLC, worked at Smith Barney where he also ran European corporate finance and headed up Japanese operations. He also worked for six years at the Federal Reserve Board in Washington DC. Rick spent most of his investment banking career handling mergers, unilateral tender offers, management buy-outs, private equity transactions, private debt placements, public stock offerings, cross-border transactions and project financings. His clients ranged from large multinational corporations such as Ingersoll-Rand, St. Joe Minerals, KLM and Mitsui & Co. to small companies trying to grow. For nine years at Winston & Strawn LLP, he handled securities issues, mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance, private equity and domestic and international project finance transactions, and advised on bank and securities industry regulatory matters.

A classical music lover for over 45 years in Chicago, Bruce Oltman, Secretary recently retired from a senior staff position at Motorola Inc. In retirement he plans on becoming a full-time supporter of live music performance, from early to contemporary music.

John R. Roche, Treasurer is an attorney for the Illinois Fraternal Order of Police Labor Council. He specializes in public sector labor law and represents police officers and other law enforcement employees. He is enthusiastic about classical piano music. He lives in LaGrange Park with his wife Lisa and children Nora and Jack.

Theoni “Sonia” Arvanitis has been in fundraising for over 20 years, having worked most recently as Director of Development at Northeastern Illinois University. Prior to her position at Northeastern, Sonia worked at Highland Park Hospital in Highland Park, IL where she was responsible for all of the hospital’s fundraising activities, generating over $1M per year. She has also worked for a number of small non-profits in the Chicago area and is particularly adept at grass roots efforts, helping non-profits broaden their base of support and increase revenues. Through active membership in several organizations in the Greek community, as well as the Northeastern concert series, Sonia is happy to link the PianoForte Foundation with new audiences.

Mary Jo Burfeind has more than 25 years of experience in the insurance and healthcare industries and currently leads Enterprise Organizational Effectiveness, Talent Management and Professional and Executive Learning and Development for Health Care Service Corporation. Formerly, Mary Jo was a Vice-President in HCSC’s Internal Operations divisions, a Chief Learning Officer for a midwest healthcare system, a Senior Manager of Education Design and Delivery with Allstate Insurance, and the owner of an independent performance consulting firm. Mary Jo is an advisory board member of the Chicago-area Healthcare Business Women’s Association, a former board member of the Society of Insurance Trainers & Educators, and a founding member of the Executive Learning Exchange’s Chief Learning Officer/Chief Talent Officer consortium.

Douglas Cannon is an attorney at Douglas R. Cannon and Associates, a Skokie-based full-service law firm serving individuals as well as domestic and foreign corporate clients.

Laureate of the 2003 Honens International Piano Competition and winner of France’s 2002 Concours International de Piano 20e siècle d’Orléans, Canadian pianist Winston Choi is an inquisitive performer whose fresh approach to standard repertory, and masterful understanding, performance and commitment to works by living composers, make him one of today’s most dynamic young concert artists. Choi has performed in recital and with orchestra across 4 continents. He has has collaborated with composers including William Bolcom, Elliott Carter, Brian Ferneyhough, Bernard Rands, Sven-David Sandstrom, Bright Sheng, Christian Wolff, Chen Yi and John Zorn. Choi’s debut CD, the complete piano works of Elliott Carter (l’Empreinte Digitale in France) was given 5 stars by BBC Music Magazine: “…sheer élan and pianistic devilment…” He has also recorded 2 CDs of the piano music of Jacques Lenot for the Intrada label, having won the Grand Prix du Disque from l’Académie Charles Cros for Volume I. He can also be heard on the Albany, Arktos, Naxos, QuadroFrame and Southport Records labels. Choi is Assistant Professor and Head of Piano at Roosevelt University’s Chicago College of Performing Arts.

Paul Kaufman, a former airline pilot, has worked as a lead planner for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and has directed the Aviation Management Staff Office for the Department of the Interior, chairing the Interagency Committee on Aviation Policy. He served as President of the Sarasota Chapter of the Military Officer’s Association of America in 2004, winning the first 5-star national award of excellence for this chapter. He has served on the board of directors for the Sarasota Film Society, and as campaign strategist for Dick Clapp, Sarasota’s City Commissioner. Currently, Mr. Kaufman is working with the Chicago College of Performing Arts to improve attendance at Harris Theatre concerts. He is working with the Chicago Mayor’s Office of Special Events and the Executive Director of the Jazz Institute of Chicago to provide a student performed “jazz cruise” on the El train. Additionally, Mr. Kaufman coordinates visits for speakers to address Sarasota City Commissioners on “greening,” zoning, and sustainable development issues.

Kurt Kossen is a Vice President with Health Care Service Corporation managing a portion of the organization’s claim’s and customer service environment. He has over 15 years of experience in healthcare and information technology and holds and MBA in strategy and healthcare management from the J. L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University. In addition to ten years with HCSC, Mr. Kossen has also worked within the Healthcare Business Unit of EDS and the Healthcare Practice of Deloitte Consulting.

Jeannette Kreston retired in 2011 as the Executive Director of the Green Lake, WI Festival of Music. She is on the board of the Musicians Club of Women and the advisory boards of the Music in the Loft Concert Series and the Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra. She is an Adjunct Scholar at Ripon College and award winner of 1998 Illinois Council of Orchestra Manager of the Year and 2003 Illinois Council of Orchestras Cultural Leadership awards. Kreston, a graduate of Northwestern University, earned both bachelor and master of music degrees in piano performance. She devoted significant time and energy to building enrichment programs and opportunities for young adults and musicians. Kreston co-led a coalition that founded the Children’s Museum at Navy Pier and then served as the executive director of the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestras from 1985 – 2003, turning the CYSO into one of the top youth orchestras in the nation.

David Leehey is a Professor of Medicine at Loyola University Medical Center and Hines VA Hospital. He is also the President of the Symphony of Oak Park & River Forest and the MacDowell Artists Association. He performed the Brahms D minor Concerto in October 2001 with the Symphony and is currently serving as the orchestral pianist. He has been active in chamber music, having participated in chamber music conferences at Interlochen. He also has participated in several amateur piano solo competitions, and was a semifinalist in the Boston competitions in 2001 and 2003. He and his wife Roslyn live in Oak Park and have three children, Rebecca 21, Edward 19, and Anna, 17.

Elaine Pagels, is an artist and owner of Imagine That! a creative painting company specializing in design, color, faux finishes, and murals for commercial and residential projects in the Midwest. She has also coordinated and led a series of Visiting Artist Programs at schools and community centers in Indiana, Minnesota, and Illinois. In addition to her artistic pursuits, she works as a realtor for Prudential Realty Consultants in Hinsdale, IL. She is committed to the arts and the community, and is an active board member of the Hinsdale Center for the Arts.

John Paolini is a wealth management consultant with over 25 years of experience in corporate banking at JP Morgan Chase and their legacy entities. Primary roles in the banking industry included Chief Credit Officer, Senior Fiduciary Officer and Senior Credit Policy Officer. He has extensive experience volunteering for nonprofit cultural organizations, including serving on the board of directors and treasurer of the Italy-Midwest Exchange, and chairman of the Art Institute’s advisory committee to the annual fund. The primary skills he shares with a nonprofit arts board include Business Planning/Development, Fundraising, Human Resources Management, Legal, Organizational Management, Public Relations/Communications, Program Development, and Strategic Planning. John holds an MBA from Northwestern’s Kellogg Business School, a JD from Boston University School of Law, and a BA from Princeton.

Paula Tsurutani is a marketing communications consultant and writer. Her experience includes working for such organizations as the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestras, Winston & Strawn LLP, the American Bar Association and the Pro Bono Center for Disability and Elder Law. She was on staff at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra as associate marketing director, and has been a board member of the Northtown Arts Center, the Japanese American Service Committee, and the Association Forum’s editorial committee. She studied piano and harpsichord at Lawrence University, and was a pupil of William Browning.

Dr. Jenny Wojcik is currently superintendent of Rondout School District #72 in Lake County, Illinois. A veteran educator, she has worked in schools for over thirty years as a teacher and administrator. Dr. Wojcik has been an adjunct faculty member at National Louis University for over 20 years, and has also taught graduate courses for Roosevelt University, Northeastern Illinois University and led the summer seminar in school organization and leadership at Northwestern University for two years. Dr. Wojcik is deeply committed to service to the larger community. She is an active member of the Libertyville Rotary, has served for over a decade on the Golden Apple Selection Committee, is a member of the Illinois CASEL (Collaborative for Social Emotional Learning) Advisory Board and serves on the Capital Development Board of Lutheran General Hospital as the co-chair of the Endowment Committee for the Adult Down Syndrome Center. A native Chicagoan, she currently resides in Highland Park and enjoys creative endeavors as both a patron and participant in both the fine and practical arts.

Thomas Zoells, is the owner of PianoForte Chicago, Inc., a piano dealership representing Fazioli, Grotrian, and Wendl & Lung pianos; and Executive Director of the PianoForte Foundation. Mr. Zoells was born and raised in Switzerland and in Vienna, Austria. He has also worked for Ingpen & Williams in London and Agence Caecilia in Geneva, where he helped promote Jessye Norman, Alicia de Larrocha, and Alfred Brendel, among others.