Our Team

Meet the dedicated team that carries out the mission of the Great American Songbook Foundation including Founder Michael Feinstein, staff members and the Foundation's Board of Directors.

Michael Feinstein, Founder

Michael Feinstein is a multi-platinum-selling, two-time Emmy and five-time GRAMMY^® Award-nominated entertainer known as “The Ambassador of the Great American Songbook.” He founded the Great American Songbook Foundation in 2007 to celebrate timeless popular music and preserve its legacy for future generations.

Feinstein also serves as Artistic Director for the Allied Solutions Center for the Performing Arts in Carmel, Indiana, where the Songbook Foundation is headquartered, and Principal Pops Conductor for the Pasadena Symphony. His signature nightclubs include Feinstein’s at the Nikko in San Francisco, Feinstein’s at Vitello’s in Los Angeles, and Feinstein’s at the Hotel Carmichael in Carmel.

He is the author of The Gershwins & Me, a Los Angeles Times bestseller recounting his early years as personal assistant to Ira Gershwin. His most recent, album, Gershwin Country, reimagines the classic songs of George and Ira Gershwin in duets with some of the biggest names in country music.

Key Staff

The Great American Songbook Foundation has eight dedicated full-time staff members (*) who work to advance the organization’s mission. Additionally, the Songbook Foundation is affiliated with the Allied Solutions Center for the Performing Arts, which provides additional staffing support in key areas.

*Designates dedicated Songbook staff

For general inquiries, please reach out to:
info@TheSongbook.org

Executive Leadership

Jeffrey C. McDermott 
President & CEO

Jeff Steeg
Chief Operating Officer

Christopher Lewis* (he/him)
Executive Director

Programs & Communications

Renée La Schiazza* (she/her)
Director of Programs

Brian Bosma* (he/him)
Communications Manager

Scott Hall (he/him)
Director of Communications

Micaela Knox* (any pronouns)
Program Coordinator

Library & Archives

Emily Rapoza* (she/her)
Director of Library & Archives

Elisabeth Hedges* (she/her)
Processing Archivist

Anna LoPrete* (she/her)
Music Librarian

Development

Kendra Latta, CFRE (she/her)
Vice President of Development

Kathy Pataluch, MPA (she/her)
Director of Individual Development

Dave Wilson 
Director of Corporate Development

Jo Garcia* (she/her)
Assistant Director of Individual Development

Board of Directors

The Great American Songbook Foundation's Board of Directors is a group of committed stakeholders that includes industry experts, professional performers and conductors, philanthropists, and enthusiasts of the music of the Great American Songbook.

Don Gottwald, Indiana
Chair

Libby Brown, Indiana
Vice Chair

Tory Purvis, Indiana
Treasurer

Adam Arceneaux, Indiana
Secretary

Michael Feinstein, Indiana
Founder, Member Emeritus

Brook Babcock, Tennessee

Stan Burton, Indiana

Doug Cook, Indiana

Rollin Dick, Indiana

Terrence Flannery, Indiana

Peggy Ford, Indiana

Stan Hurt, Indiana

Brian Kelly, Indiana

Karen Kelsey, Indiana

Paul Lowden, Nevada

Andy Marx, California

Jason Noyan, Indiana

Izabela Ozdemir, Indiana

Tony Robertson, Indiana

Marty Rosenberg, Indiana

Laurie Siler, Indiana

Charles Simons, D.D.S, M.S.D., Indiana

David Stirsman, Indiana

Michael Wells, Indiana