STAFF

LEADERSHIP

LaRue Allen, Executive Director
Janet Eilber, Artistic Director

ADMINISTRATIVE

Simona Ferrara, General Manager
Faye Rosenbaum, Director of Business Continuity
Lauren Mosier, Company Manager

PRODUCTION

Chloe Morrell, Production Supervisor
Yi-Chung Chen, Resident Lighting Designer
Melanie Scranton, Costume Supervisor
Karen Young, Costume Consultant

DEVELOPMENT

A. Apostol, Director of Development Operations
Fran Kirmser, Director of Strategic Partnerships and Special Events
Taylor Hollingsworth, Development Associate

MARKETING

Melissa Sherwood, Director of Marketing
Maclaine Lowery, Marketing Associate

RESOURCES + ARCHIVES

Joyce Herring, Director of Martha Graham Resources

PRESS

Janet Stapleton, Press Agent

MARTHA GRAHAM SCHOOL

Ashley Brown, Director, Martha Graham School
Virginie Mécène, Program Director / Director of Graham 2
Lone Larsen, Program Director
Tami Alesson, Dean of Student and Government Affairs
Amélie Bénard, Teens@Graham Program Director
Camille Nemoz, School Assistant

LEADERSHIP STAFF

LARUE ALLEN, Herbert and Judith G Schlosser Executive Director

LaRue Allen has spent a lifetime in dance as dancer, chorographer, director, and funder. She came to the Martha Graham Center in 2005 when she assumed responsibility for revitalizing the organization and retiring a $6 million deficit. Previously, she served as Executive Director of the Trisha Brown Dance Company and North Carolina Dance Theater, and Senior Program Specialist for Dance at the National Endowment for the Arts, administering funding for dance companies and presenters. LaRue began her professional career in her native Pennsylvania where she founded the Pennsylvania Dance Theater and taught dance technique and history at Penn State University. She is married to classics scholar Archibald Allen.

JANET EILBER, Inger K. Witter Artistic Director

Janet Eilber has been Artistic Director of the Martha Graham Center of Contemporary Dance Company since 2005. Her creative curation has pioneered new forms of audience access to the Graham legacy. These diverse initiatives include her popular spoken introductions, thematic programming, unusual educational and cultural partnerships, licensing of the Graham classics to schools and professional companies, the use of new media and technology, commissions for today’s top choreographers and a wide range of creative events such as the Lamentation Variations, The 19 Poses, All-City Panorama and the Clytemnestra Remash ChallengeMs. Eilber has reconstructed the lost Graham solos Satyric Festival Song and Immediate Tragedy and remixed Graham choreography for productions of The Bacchae and Prometheus Bound at the Teatro Greco in Siracusa, Italy, and for an upcoming production, The Feast with the Long Beach Opera starring renowned countertenor Jakub Józef Orliński.

Ms. Eilber is a graduate of the Juilliard School where she was mentored by teachers of the Graham and Limón legacies and directed by José Limón in several of his classics. While still at Juilliard, she was invited to join the Graham Company where she worked closely with Martha Graham for almost a decade. She danced many of Graham’s greatest roles, had roles created for her by Graham, and was directed by Graham in most of the major roles of the repertory. She soloed at the White House, was partnered by Rudolf Nureyev, starred in three segments of Dance in America, and worked with Graham’s major collaborators such as Isamu Noguchi, Aaron Copland and Halston.  She has since taught, lectured, and directed Graham ballets internationally for companies such as the Dutch National Ballet and the Paris Opera Ballet. 

Apart from her work with Graham, Ms. Eilber has co-starred in films such as Whose Life is it Anyway? with Richard Dreyfuss, and Romantic Comedy with Dudley Moore.  She was featured in several television series in the 1980s, and danced and acted on and off Broadway directed by such greats as Agnes DeMille and Bob Fosse. For her performance in Stepping Out directed by Tommy Tune, she was nominated for a Drama Desk Award for Featured Actress in a Play. Ms. Eilber received four Lester Horton Awards for her reconstruction and performance of seminal American modern dance. She served as Director of Arts Education for the Dana Foundation, guiding the Foundation’s support for Teaching Artist training and contributing regularly to its publications. She is a Trustee Emeritus of the Interlochen Center for the Arts and was recently honored with a Doctorate of Fine Arts from the Juilliard School.

At the 2022 celebration of the 50th anniversary of her first performance with the Martha Graham Dance Company, Ms. Eilber received a congratulatory letter from President and First Lady Biden saluting her half-century contribution to the arts in America.  She is married to screenwriter/NYU professor John Warren, with whom she has two daughters, Madeline and Eva.

DENISE VALE, Senior Artistic Associate

Denise Vale danced with the Company for ten years dancing many of the major roles of the Graham repertory.  She is well known for her performance as Woman in White in Diversion of Angels, and widely acclaimed as the first Leader in the reconstruction of Steps in the Street. She starred in Night Chant, a ballet created for her by Martha Graham, and in the Graham solos LamentationFrontier, Satyric Festival Song, and Serenata Morisca. As Senior Artistic Associate, Ms. Vale serves primarily as the rehearsal director for the Martha Graham Company, is on the faculty of the Graham School, and travels throughout the world teaching master classes in the Graham Technique for dancers of all ages and abilities. Ms Vale also restages the Graham ballets for major dance companies such as Ballet de Lorraine, Ballet Flanders, Semperoper in Dresden, Germany and the Grand Theater Opera in Lodz, Poland.

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Javier Morgado, Chair
Lorraine S. Oler, Immediate Past Chair
Barbara Cohen, Vice Chair
Inger K. Witter, President
Judith G. Schlosser, Chair Emeritus
LaRue Allen, Executive Director
Janet Eilber, Artistic Director
Amy Blumenthal
Geoffrey D. Fallon
Russell Guthrie
Christine Jowers
Ayse Dizioglu Koyluoglu
Irina Nuzova
Nichole Perkins
Stephen M. Rooks
Lori Sackler
Lawrence Stein
Ellis Wood

Martha Graham 1959

JAVIER MORGADO, Chair
Javier Morgado, who joined the Graham Board in 2018, is the Executive Producer of CNN’s morning shows New Day and Early Start and is responsible for overseeing creative development and strategic vision for five hours of live programming. Javi  joined CNN in 2011 as Senior Broadcast Producer for Starting Point and previously served as Vice President of Business Development & Communications at NBC News and Supervising Producer of NBC’s TODAY Show. The Miami native began his journalism career in 1995 at WPLG (ABC). Javi holds a M.B. in media management from Fordham University, an M.S. from NYU and a B.S. from York University. He serves on the Board of the National LGBT Museum and previously on the leadership council for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.

LORRAINE S. OLER, Immediate Past Chair
Lorraine Oler has a career that spans over 30 years in Relationship Management to Banks, Broker/Dealers and Buy Side financial institutions. She has worked for the largest Money Center Banks including DTCC, the central clearinghouse and depository to Wall Street. She has managed client-facing staff through some of Wall Street’s most critical situations, such as, 9/11, Lehman Brother’s Bankruptcy and Super Storm Sandy. Today she is acting Chief of Staff to a boutique real estate finance company that is developing renewable energy plants all over the country. Lorraine and her husband John have been patrons of the Company for 15 years and she has been a member of the Board since 2006.

BARBARA COHEN, Vice Chair
Barbara Cohen began her career in educational publishing and has since dedicated herself to a variety of educational and social service organizations. Barbara chaired the Civil Support Division of the Legal Aid Society and the United Way of Westchester and Putnam, chairing the steering committee of the Tocqueville Society. She served on the NYU Tisch School of the Arts Parents Council, leading the annual scholarship gala. Her service led to a second career in event planning. An avid supporter of dance, drama, music and visual arts, Barbara joined the Board in 2017. Additional Trustee positions include posts with her alma mater Simmons University and the Property Council of Lyndhurst, a member of the National Historic Trust. Barbara resides in Westchester County with her husband Rodgin. They have two children.

INGER K. WITTER, President
Inger Witter received a masters in physical education from the University of Stockholm in Sweden. Before coming to the USA, she worked as a research officer at the Institute of Work Physiology. A long-time student of the Martha Graham School, Witter joined the Board in 1995. She has been President of the Board since 2001 and has served on the School Committee since 2009. Inger was married to the late William D. Witter and is the mother of Michael and Christina.

JUDITH SCHLOSSER, Chair Emerita
Judith Schlosser has served on the Graham Board for over 40 years, joining when Martha Graham was its Artistic Director, and has been actively involved in modern dance for over 60 years. A graduate of Barnard College, she studied at the NY School of Interior Design before launching her design career, writing for the Woman’s Home Companion about design, and leading her own design firm in California.  In addition to her work for the Martha Graham Center, she serves on the Board of Directors of Young Concert Artists. She is married to former NBC President Herbert Schlosser with whom she has two children, Lynn Jacobson and Eric Schlosser. 

AMY BLUMENTHAL
Amy Rice Blumenthal joined the Board in 2007. She has had an international career as a flutist and is an arts champion in her home state of North Carolina, serving in leadership positions at the North Carolina School of the Arts, the Arts and Science Council, Charlotte Symphony, Blumenthal Performing Arts Center, and North Carolina Dance Theatre. Amy founded Alry Publications, which today continues under new ownership to offer a catalog of over one million titles for woodwinds, flutes, brass, and string instruments.  Amy is married to Philip Blumenthal and is the proud mother of Andrew and Ethan. 

GEOFFREY D. FALLON
Geoffrey Fallon was a partner in a large, national law firm and later a managing director of an international insurance firm. His love of dance began in high school where his trumpet teacher played in the NY City Ballet Orchestra, and while seeing his teacher at the newly opened Lincoln Center, he fell in love with dance. He served 10 years on the board of BalletMet in his hometown of Columbus, Ohio, and then 5 years on the board of NY-based Jessica Lang Dance where he was Chair for two years. As a former Marine, Geoffrey was proud to be the principal underwriter of Jessica’s acclaimed dance about wounded veterans, Thousand Yard Stare.

RUSSELL GUTHRIE
As Chief Financial Officer at the International Federation of Accountants, Russell Guthrie is responsible for strategy development, finance, governance and operations. Mr. Guthrie previously held various leadership roles within IFAC having joined IFAC as director in March 2001. Prior to joining IFAC, he worked for 12 years in the assurance practice of KPMG—initially in Dallas, Texas, followed by two years in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. He also has extensive experience in the development and maintenance of firm quality control programs, having served for three years in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, as KPMG’s Director of Global Quality Assurance. Mr. Guthrie graduated with honors from the University of Texas at Arlington in 1988, receiving a bachelor’s degree in business administration. He is a licensed CPA in the states of Texas and New York and is a member of the American Institute of CPAs.

CHRISTINE JOWERS
Christine Jowers is the Founder/Editor-in-Chief of The Dance Enthusiast, an independent, non-profit arts journalism site. For over 15 years, she has covered the NYC dance scene, advocating the art and encouraging new voices in dance journalism. She is the recipient of a 2022 Bessie (New York Dance and Performance Award) for Community Service and a 2022 American Dance Guild Award for Achievement in Dance. Christine began dancing in her hometown St. Thomas,Virgin Islands continuing on to an over 40-year career including teaching, producing, and dancing to critical acclaim across the USA, UK, and Caribbean. One of her career highlights was sharing the stage with MGDC’s artistic director, Janet Eilber.

IRINA NUZOVA
Irina Nuzova is a native of Moscow, Russia, where she studied at the famous Gnessin School. She moved to the U.S. to continue her education at the Manhattan School of Music, Juilliard, and the Hartt School. She has performed at the Phillips Collection and National Gallery in Washington DC, Weill and Merkin Recital Halls in New York, at the Schubert Club in St. Paul, Rhode Island Chamber Concert Series, Isabella Gardner Museum in Boston, as well as in Italy, Brazil, Czech Republic, Poland, and Germany. Irina has given Master Classes at the University of North Dakota, Music Institute of Chicago, Ball State University in Indiana, Amory University, and UGA. She is currently on the faculty of the Special Music School at the Kaufman Center in New York. Ms.Nuzova is a founder of Juventus Pro Musica – chamber music organization focusing on performance opportunities for aspiring young musicians performing on stage together with professionals. She also organizes piano Master Classes in NYC. During the summer Irina Nuzova has been teaching and performing at Clazz and Perugia Music Festivals in Italy, Summit Festival in Purchase, NY, and Euroarts Music Festival in Poland.

NICHOLE PERKINS
Nichole perkins is the CEO and Chairperson of EMWD, Inc. where she is active in supervising operations and chairs the investment committee. She has experience as a CEO, board member, investor, and advisor to companies across the health and wellness, technology, financial services and real estate investment industries. Previously she was a senior executive to large public companies where she managed real estate operations and expansion. She began her career in asset management at Merrill Lynch after graduating from the University of Southern California. Nichole serves on non-profit boards, largely around the arts and women’s issues as well as the Young Presidents Organization. She lives with her husband Larry and daughter Dagny in Los Angeles.

STEPHEN M. ROOKS
Steve Rooks danced with the Alvin Ailey Repertory Ensemble, and the Martha Graham Dance Company, where he performed for over a decade and achieved the rank of Principal Dancer.

Mr. Rooks is a Professor and Resident Choreographer at Vassar and the 2004 winner of the National Choreographic Competition at Hubbard Street Dance Chicago. He has been awarded Research Grants to travel to Latvia, Zambia, and in 2014 to Finland, where he choreographed “Plate Tectonics” on 24 international dancers. Mr. Rooks was commissioned by the Masterworks Festival to create ballets for a number of contemporary composers including Clarice Assad, Piet Swerts, and David Skidmore – all to live orchestra.

LORI SACKLER
Lori Sackler is the founder and leader of the Sackler Group, where she provides wealth management services and financial advice to a select group of executives of public and private companies, prominent professionals and their families. After finishing a graduate degree in music (piano), Lori earned a Masters in Business. She holds several designations: Certified Financial Planner, Certified Investment Management Analyst®, and is a non practicing CPA. In 2017, Sackler earned Morgan Stanley’s elite Family Wealth Director (FWD) designation and in 2020, she was awarded the Impact Investing Director Designation.
In 2017, 2018 and 2020, Forbes Magazine named Lori one of the Top Women Financial Advisors in the U.S., and chose her as one of the Best-in-State Wealth Advisors for North New Jersey in the U.S. in 2018 and 2021. Sackler has published numerous articles and books, created and hosted a radio program in New York City and currently writes a blog for Morgan Stanley entitled “The M Word: The Money Talk and the Four Seasons.”

LAWRENCE STEIN
Lawrence Stein practiced law for 40 years, initially with the Washington DC law firm of Arnold & Porter and later as general counsel of three different biopharmaceutical companies: Genetics Institute, Wyeth and Celgene. He received an A.B. from Columbia College, an M.A. in European History from Cornell University, and a J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania. He served on the boards of Immunex Corporation and The Wistar Institute and the U.S. board of Medicines Development for Global Health. He also is a member of the Board of Visitors of the Columbia University History Department and the Association of General Counsels. Larry lives in Manhattan and has two children.

ELLIS WOOD
Ellis Wood is the Founding and Artistic Director of Ellis Wood Dance. She has choreographed, taught, and been awarded residencies at schools, universities, and festivals both nationally and abroad. Ellis Wood received a NYFA Fellowship in choreography in addition to several other grants. Ellis Wood Dance was a Company in Residence at the Tribeca Performing Arts Center for eleven years, the Tisch Dance Residency Festival at New York University, and at UC Berkeley, both for eight years. Wood danced in the companies of Stephen Petronio, Dan Wagoner, and Bay Area Repertory Dance. She graduated from U.C. Berkeley in Dramatic Art/Dance, where she studied with her parents Marni and David Wood, who both danced with Martha Graham. At Berkeley she was awarded the two highest dance awards, The Eisner Prize, and The Florence Schwimley Award, as well as being named Athlete of the Decade in the sport of gymnastics. She lives in NYC with her husband, Peter, and three children.