Board of Directors
Jason Starr, Artistic Director
Award-winning filmmaker Jason Starr has produced and directed over one hundred films and television programs for broadcast on PBS, CBC, A&E, BRAVO, KULTURA, MEZZO, 3SAT and other networks throughout Europe. These productions range from classical music and modern dance performances to documentary profiles of artists and cultural issues. For a more complete bio, click here.
Janis Conner, Director
Janis Conner is a leading expert in the field of American sculpture of the 19th and early 20th centuries. In 1980 she and her husband Joel founded Conner • Rosenkranz LLC, an art gallery in Manhattan. She has authored and co-authored several catalogs and books on American sculpture. Before receiving a M.A. in Humanities (with honors) from Hofstra University (1978), Janis graduated from the College Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati (1971).
J. Gregory Keller, Director
J. Gregory Keller is the owner of Renaissance Financial Corporation, a St. Louis, MO based financial services company founded in 1994. Mr. Keller is also actively involved in several organizations including, Entrepreneurs’ Organization, Big Brothers, Big Sisters and serves as the National Advisor Board Chairman for Securian Financial. Mr. Keller received a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of Missouri-Columbia in 1985.
Robert Schechter, Director
Robert Schechter is a senior attorney with the law firm of Nimkoff Rosenfeld & Schechter, LLP, in New York, New York, with a practice concentrating in commercial and corporate litigation. After attending Brown University (B.A., English Literature, 1977, magna cum laude), Mr. Schechter received his law degree from Harvard Law School (J.D. 1980, cum laude).
Brett Smith, President
Brett Smith is an attorney concentrating in intellectual property management, media and technology. Brett is also a trained singer and multi-instrumentalist, producer and co-founder of Walkup Records, an independent music production and services company. Brett holds a Bachelor of Arts in Music from Binghamton University and a Juris Doctorate with concentrations in Intellectual Property and Litigation from the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law.
Jamie Roô, Director
Jamie Roô is Head of Investment Marketing at J.P. Morgan Private Bank. Jamie is also a trained singer and actress, with credits in network television, independent film, off-Broadway theater, and NYC cabaret. Jamie was a founding member of AYA Productions, where she produced, directed and acted in short films and promotional videos for clients including Verizon and Three Rivers Press. Jamie holds a Bachelor of Arts in Public Policy Studies, with minors in Music and Drama, from Duke University and a Masters of Business Administration, with specializations in Finance and Entertainment, Media and Technology, from New York University.