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Advisory Council

A dedicated Global Advisory Council of business leaders, public administrators, policy experts, and career educators works to support and oversee the GLI’s delivery of a responsibly managed Global Arts MBA. Council members also play hands-on roles supporting a wide range of GLI Cohort experiences, from Innovation Summits and mentoring Capstone Projects to moderating interactive sessions and participating in Shark Tank panels.

Cristina Vollmer de Burelli is Founding Executive Director of V5Initiative, which advises civil society organizations throughout the Americas. Burelli holds an MA from Cambridge University and until 2014 served as Executive Director of Alliance for the Family.

Founding CEO
V5Initiative (Venezuela)
Alberto Vollmer Foundation

Dr. Nigel Clarke earned a PhD in Mathematics from Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar. Dr. Clarke is Jamaica’s Minister of Finance & Public Service, as well as Dep. Chairman of The Musson Group, CEO of Facey Commodity, and chairs Jamaica’s National Youth Orchestra.

Dep. Managing Director, International
Monetary Fund
Mexico-based entrepreneur Nathan Shabot is Founding CEO of Inversa Instalaciones, a technology-focused global construction firm. Shabot is recipient of the Lorenzo Servitje Award for Young Entrepreneurs and UNIAPAC’s Business as a Noble Vocation Prize for Latin America.

Managing Partner
LIP Ventures
WEF Young Global Leader

Ricardo Ernst is Professor of Operations and former Deputy Dean of McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University. Dr. Ernst earned an MBA from Instituto de Estudios Superiores de Administración, and an MA & Ph.D. from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania.
Chair of Global Studies
McDonough School of Business
Georgetown University
Debbi Brock is co-author of The Social Entrepreneurship Toolkit, recognized by Skoll Foundation as a leading resource to the field. Dr. Brock has taught at Oxford University, developing its Social Entrepreneurship course, and teaches at Byngum School of Business.
Faculty
Marian & Oxford Universities
Author | Social Ent. Handbook
Mark Churchill is Dean Emeritus of Preparatory Studies at The New England Conservatory. Dr. Churchill is Founding Chairman of El Sistema USA, Co-Founder of The Orchestra of the Americas, Co-Founder of The Boston Youth Philharmonic, among other institutions.

Dean Emeritus
The New England Conservatory
Founder, El Sistema USA

Geneviève Cimon is the Director of Music Education and Community Engagement at the National Arts Centre (NAC). She recently completed her Executive MBA at McGill University where she focused her research on the role of innovation in cross-sectoral partnerships.

Former Director
Director of Cultural Leadership
Banff Centre for Arts & Creativity 

Fernando is the Vice President of Corporate Social Responsibility at Grupo Bolívar and CEO of Fundación Bolívar. He is dedicated to creating transformational social impacts in Colombia through the Colombian Youth Philharmonic, a high-impact social entrepreneurial programs and other social impact initiatives.
VP Corporate Social Responsibility
Grupo Bolívar
CEO | Fund. Bolivar Davivienda
Juan Antonio Cuellar
Colombian academic & social entrepreneur, Dr. Cuellar has been CEO of Fundación Batuta & Dean of Graduate Studies in Music at Universidad Javeriana. He is co-founder of Filarmonica Joven de Colombia, Exec. VP at Fundación Azteca, and CEO of Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional de Colombia.

Managing Director
Symphony Orchestra of Galicia
Advisor | Iberacademy

 
Elizabeth Eder Zóbel de Ayala
Elizabeth Eder Zóbel de Ayala is co-founder and chairman of Teach for the Philippines, co-founder of Sa Aklat Sisikat Foundation, has served as Vice President of Museo Pambata, and is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Center for Asian Philanthropy.
Co-Founder & Treasurer
Sa Aklat Sisikat Foundation
Chair | Teach For The Philippines
Rafael Febres-Codero, Venezuelan native & Boston resident, has a proven track record of profitably developing & advising asset / wealth management businesses in the Americas, Europe, and Asia. He is a Senior Client Partner & Managing Director at Capgemini Invent.
Managing Partner
Walden Pond Ventures
Board Advisor | Polymath Ventures
Katya has 20+ years of experience in international capital markets. She serves on the Best Practice Committee of the Investor Relations Society (UK). Katya is a long-standing board member of arts organizations, including the London Music Fund and London Symphony Orchestra.
Head of Funds, Primary Markets
Sustainable Finance Committee
London Stock Exchange
Fernando is a strategic leader with significant expertise in corporate affairs and stakeholder management. He has experience in overseeing strategy and vision, operations, and financial performance, as well as programs and initiatives.
Vice President
Banco Santander
Communications & Marketing
A widely published researcher and leading educator in the field of music for social justice, Dr. Lisa Lorenzino is Faculty Dean of Education at McGill University’s Schulich School of Music.
Chair of Education
Schulich School of Music
McGill University
ken_macleod
Ken MacLeod is the founder and president of KMA Consultants. Formerly an elected representative in the government of New Brunswick (Canada), Prof. MacLeod Chairs the Youth Orchestra of New Brunswick and is founder of Sistema NB.
Founding Chairman
Sistema New Brunswick
President, KMA Consulting Canada
The youngest Secretary of Culture of Veracruz in the history of Mexico, Enrique Márquez was also Founding Executive and Artistic Director of the Boca del Río Phil and Orquestando Armonia. He holds Masters degrees from City University London and Harvard University.
Secretary of Culture (2016-2018)
State of Veracruz, Mexico
Harvard University, Dir. Music Events
Principal Emeritus Violin at New York’s Metropolitan Opera, MaryAnn Mumm is a sought-after educator and development expert. On Faculty at The Claremont Colleges, Prof. Mumm has supported the development of social music programs across five continents.
Principal (Emeritus)
The Metropolitan Opera (New York)
Faculty, The Claremont Colleges
A graduate of Harvard’s Kennedy School, Hilda Ochoa-Brillembourg is a recipient of the Fulbright Association Lifetime Achievement Award, has served on the Boards of Fortune 500 companies McGraw Hill & General Mills, and is Founding Chairman of Strategic Investment Group.
Founder
Strategic Investment Group
Fulbright Lifetime Awardee
A leading scientist at Verizon Labs behind the development of technologies central to the growth of cellular communication in the 1990s and 2000s, Dr. Ormazabal is Faculty at Columbia University and Founding Chairman of the Hildegard Behrens Foundation.
Senior Research Scientist & Faculty
Columbia University
The Hildegard Behrens Foundation
Senior Advisor at Thinking Heads & Grupo Piñero, Javier Sancho has served in Brussels, the Middle East, New York, in Washington as Ambassador to the OAS, and as Chief of Staff at the Spanish Foreign Ministry. He is the recipient of France’s Legion d’Honneur.
Senior Strategic Advisor
United Nations
AU Diplomat-in-Residence
Nicola Schiess has founded Chilean cultural corporations including Teatro del Lago, Colegio Kopernikus, & PLADES. Schiess is Director at Empresas Transoceanicas, a realty-agro-shipping conglomerate, and was named Chile’s 2015 ‘Female Impact Investor.
Director & Managing Partner
Empresas Transoceanica (Chile)
Founding President, Teatro del Lago
Suzanne Siskel WI
Suzanne Siskel is Executive Vice President and COO of The Asia Foundation. Previously Siskel worked at Ford Foundation in various leadership positions. A Phi Beta Kappa scholar, Siskel received a bachelor’s from Harvard University and master’s from Johns Hopkins.
Executive Vice President & COO
The Asia Foundation
Phi Beta Kappa Scholar
Brazilian violinist Deborah Wanderley is founder of YOURS, Chicago’s first El Sistema program. Ms. Wanderley is founder of NEOJIBÁ Trancoso, a member of OSESP (Brazil’s top professional orchestra), and teaches at the Tom Jobim School and Baccarelli Institute.
Faculty
Instituto Baccarelli Sao Paulo
Fundação OSESP Brazil
Founding Partner of Zaoui & Co., Michael Zaoui is a former Vice Chairman of Morgan Stanley’s Institutional Securities Group. He sits on select corporate boards across Europe, notably GEDI Gruppo Editoriale S.p.A., owner of Italy’s newspapers, La Republicca and La Stampa.
Founding Partner,
Zaoui & Co.
Harvard Dean’s Council

Líderes Council

A committed body of Latin American civic leaders works to guide and ensure the GLI’s effective and efficient delivery of learning content focused on arts innovation in emerging and frontier markets.
Teresa Aguirre Lanari de Bulgheroni is a promoter of art and a cultural manager. She has spent more than three decades organizing artistic projects in Argentina and the world, serving on a range of prominent boards including currently as Chair of the Museum of Latin American Art.
Former President
Teatro Colón Argentina
Jaime Alemán is a lawyer, businessman and diplomat who has served as Ambassador of Panama to the United States. He is founding partner of Alemán, Cordero, Galindo & Lee, and sits on the board of HSBC Panama, Banistmo, Panamá Power Holdings, and PKB Bank, among other institutions.
Director
HSBC Panama

Pauline Beck Dañino is a Peruvian lawyer focused on residential and commercial real estate investment. A graduate of Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú, she has served on boards of the World Monument Fund, Lima Art Museum, Ivy Inter-American Foundation, and Bullis School of Maryland.

Director
Lima Art Museum
Luis Javier Castro, twice named Costa Rican Businessman of the Year, is founder of Mesoamérica Investments. He is a Board Member of Grupo de Energía de Bogotá, Codensa, and United Way, Founder of Yo Emprendedor, and President Emeritus of Alianza Empresarial para el Desarrollo.
Founder & CEO
Mesoamérica Investments
Lizette Corro is President and Chief Executive Officer of Corro Nobil Associates, a strategic planning and consulting firm. Prior to founding Corro Nobil, she was Chief Executive Officer of Linder & Associates and President and Chief Executive Officer of The Webster Group.
President & CEO
Corro Nobil Associates
Gabriela Febres-Cordero is founder of United for Colombia, which provides assistance to victims of Colombia’s war against drugs. She has served on various boards including the World Trade Center Association and Bellsouth Colombia, and as Trade Ambassador to the Andean countries.
Founder
United for Colombia
Jorge De La Guardia is owner of the largest rental car service in Panama. For a decade, he served as Director of The Panama Chamber of Commerce. He is CEO VP for LATAM and President/Founder of Fundacion Moviendo Vidas, which teaches violin to underprivileged youth in Panama.
Founding Chairman
Grupo Panama
Margarita Herdocia leads Genesis, which manages a diverse portfolio of financial, technology, health care, restaurants, and general services around the world. She attended Duke University and Columbia University, is a group leader at Harvard Business School, and a fellow of the Aspen Institute.
President & CEO
Gensis
Jorge P. Montoya is a board director at Gap, Inc. A Latin American business leader, Jorge has served as Executive Vice President for Procter & Gamble and President oforProcter & Gamble Latin America. He holds an MBA from the University of California, Berkeley.

Former President
Procter & Gamble Latin America

Costa Rican André Robles Field is a first violin at Deutsche Oper Berlin. He began studies at Escuela de Artes Musicales in Costa Rica under the tutelage of his grandfather, Walter Field. André is a graduate of Musikhochschule Lübeck and has lived in Berlin since 2016.
First Violin
Deutsche Oper Berlin
Juan Andrés Rojas, CEO of Filarmónica Joven de Colombia, is a journalist and cultural manager. Following studies in Communication for Social Change, he became a Systematic Inventive Thinking coach. Juan is a board member of WFAO and Colombia’s National Symphony Orchestra.
Vice President
Fundación Bolivar Davivienda
Former Director of the National Theater of Costa Rica, Jody Steiger is a cultural entrepreneur with three decades leading arts-based, educational, and social projects across Costa Rica. In 2009 she was named “Cultural Person of the Year” by La Nación.
Former Director
Teatro Nacional Costa Rica

Vanguard Circle

The Vanguard Circle is a network of GLI Fellows whose dedicated commitment directly expands diversity and access within the GLI community.

Brian Bersh
Music Educator
Arlington Public Schools
United States
Angela Bilger
Founder
Musician’s Well
United States
Daniela Diaz
VP of Artistic & Education Programs
Classical Music Institute
Venezuela
Machele Dill
Musical Theatre Program Director
The University of Tulsa
United States
Rachel Ebeling
Co-Founder & Executive Director
The Angel Band Project
United States
Amanda Ehst
Administrative Director
Upper Darby A&E Foundation
United States

Erin Guinup

Executive & Artistic Director
Tacoma Refugee Choir
United States

Rachel Ho

Instructor
Yong Siew Toh Conservatory
Singapore

Christopher Hotchkiss

Registrar & Schedule Admin
The Julliard School
United States
Benjamin Hunter
Artistic Director
Northwest Folklife
United States
Zeina Jomaa
Production Manager
Abu Dhabi Music & Arts Foundation
Lebanon
Caitlyn Kamminga
Associate Professor Music
The University of Trinidad and Tobago
United States
Jim Kuehn
Senior Media Design Educator
Medicine Hat College
Canada
Venus Kuya

Culture & Engagement Director
Desert Sage Art’s School
United States

Sagan MacIsaac
Curator & Cultural Strategist
Arts Consultants Canada
Canada
Herman Marigny
Director, Visitor & Guest Services
The Smithsonian, NMAAHC
United States
Lorena Martinez
Consortium Project Manager
Europe Beyond Access
Mexico & Sweden
Austin McFarland
Executive Director
New Works Project
United States
Miroslava Panayotova
Teaching Assistant Professor
University of Arkansas
Bulgaria
Matthew Principe
Founder
Principe Dynamics
United States
Diane Robertson
Executive Director
Leimert Park Jazz Festival
United States
Lisa Schlinkmann
Director of Development
Daniel Barenboim Foundation
Germany
Tiara Shafiq
Arts & Media, Technology & Games
Creative Professional
Australia & Malaysia
Christina Soriano
Dance Educator
Wake Forest University
United States
Laura Zarta
Chief Curator
Banco de la República Art Museums
Colombia
Register to apply
“The Global Arts MBA shaped how I approach leadership, strategy, and systems change. It expanded my global perspective and connected me with leaders who amplified my belief that the arts can drive transformation.”
MICHAEL BOBBITT
CEO
Opera America (United States)
2025 Global Arts MBA

Include country code, e.g., US: +1 202 555 0123

Special Exemption for Career Artists

The Global Arts MBA recognizes that across the sector, many of the highest-level career creatives (music prodigies, professional dancers, and others) have pursued their craft from a young age and therefore may not possess a conventional academic background.

The Admissions Committee acknowledges these exceptional career experiences where relevant as serving in place of the bachelor’s degree otherwise required for admission to The Global Arts MBA.

Candidates with this profile should slect "Other" for Highest Academic Degree.